How To Wrap a Kids Bike for Christmas
6 December 2019 - News
How to Wrap a Bike for Christmas!
If you have decided to give the gift of cycling this Christmas then you may be wondering how on earth you are going to present it on Christmas morning! Do you want to try and hide it so it’s a complete surprise, wrap it - but still make it clear it’s a bike to increase excitement or maybe something totally different?
We’ve done a little research for you and witnessed the good, the bad, the ugly and even the crazy when it comes to wrapping difficult Christmas gifts. As this is one of the busiest times of year we have split our options into 3 categories; Speedy Wrapping, I’ve Got a Bit of Time Lets Give this a Go and finally a Go Big or Go Home option! Hopefully, you’ll find something you love to suit your budget, time limitations and dare we say it - skill set!
Speedy Wrapping
Time is short (and so is your patience when it comes to fiddly things)!
Wrap The Box
This is by far the easiest of all the options - just keep the bike inside the box and wrap the box.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Super Quick | You may need a lot of wrapping paper if it is a bigger bike i.e MTB or Large Hybrid |
Very Easy | Most bikes are only semi constructed when shipped in their boxes. You may need to remove a wheel and turn the handlebars to get it back in, or find a bigger box |
Surprise Level = High | It will take up a lot more room under the tree! |
The Bike Gift Bag
If you can never find the scissors or the sellotape then the gift bag option may be the one for you. These handy little bags come in different designs and range in price from £2 to £10.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Super Quick | They can be quite thin, if the bike is left out for a few days before Christmas the bag may get ripped and the bike exposed |
Very Easy to wrap - 10 seconds if that! | It would be easy to lift up or take a peek inside which might spoil a surprise |
Cheap | The majority of options on the market are made out of plastic and not very environmentally friendly |
Just Add a Bow!
Now this can be really easy if you buy one, just grab one of the big bows used for wedding cars and stick it on. Or you can make it a little more interesting by making your own! Watch the video above for instructions on how to make your own giant bow.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Quick and Easy | You will have to find somewhere to hide the bike, ready to bring it out on Christmas morning |
It's Cheap | You can see it’s a bike straight away so there is no surprise element |
They can get riding straight away 😃 Pull off the bow; Jump on and go! | Everyone likes to unwrap something at Christmas - there’s no unwrapping fun to be had here |
I've Got a Bit of Time Lets Give this a Go!
For those of you that like a little arts and crafts in your spare time.....
Light Up Your Bike
With items that are too awkward to cover with wrapping paper, you can always wrap them in fairy lights.
Wrap the lights around the wheels, forks, handlebars, top tube, down tube and seat tube. You can secure with cable ties, ribbon or pipe cleaners. It doesn’t matter if the bulbs don’t all face the same way, it will actually look better if they are all in different directions!
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Fairly Quick (once you get going) | It might take a couple of sets of lights, if they are not battery powered you will need to position the bike near a plug socket |
Easy (just a little fiddly in places) | It might take a little time to remove the lights so it can be ridden |
Cheap - you can use any budget set of fairy lights | You will need to remember to get up early and turn the lights on before everyone else is up for the full effect! |
Wrap the Bike
It will take a little more time than wrapping the box and will definitely be more fiddly. Whilst it will be obvious that it’s a bike, the excitement of ripping off that paper and being able to jump on and ride straight away makes it worth it.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
It will look great | Time consuming and fidly |
It will only cost the price of a couple of rolls of wrapping paper | The paper might get ripped/damaged inbetween wrapping it and presenting it |
They get the excitement of unwrapping the bike | It's very obvious that under the wrapping that it's a bike! |
Follow the String
Get a ball of string or wool and tie one end to the bike, hidden away in a shed or garage and then wander around the house and garden unravelling the ball of wool finishing up under the Christmas Tree. Then leave a little note next to the remaining ball prompting them to follow the wool until they find their present!
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Low Cost - It will only cost the price of a ball of wool or string | If you have to wait until Christmas Eve when everyone is asleep to plant the trail then you might find yourself getting lost and muddy in a dark garden trying to set everything up |
To lay the trail should only take around 15 minutes (depending on the size of your house of course) | It could cause a trip hazard in the house. The last thing you want on Christmas Day is a visit to your local A&E!! |
It will definitely add a little extra excitement into Christmas morning | If you have cats in the house there's a chance they'll find the ball of string first and might just ruin all your hard work! 😹 |
Wrap a Door!
Hide the bike in a spare room or an understairs cupboard and wrap the door to the room/cupboard - you could even add a homemade bow!
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
It will be very exciting to unwrap a door with no idea what is behind it | That room will be out of use until the big reveal |
You just need wrapping paper and no particular craft skills | You will not be able to do it until after the kids have gone to bed on Christmas Eve |
It will be relatively quick to do | If you damage the wallpaper or paintwork when sticking the paper up, then you might not be in the good books with the person who does the decorating! |
Go Big or Go Home!
You've got big dreams (and the time to execute them) to make this a Christmas to remember.
Create a Reindeer Decoy
This is definitely not one for the fainthearted. You'll need a lot of brown paper and a little bit of imagination to get this perfect. But if you can pull it off it will definitely be a magical Christmas. Click on the image above for instructions on how to create this fantastic bike cover.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Looks Spectacular | It will take up a fair bit of room, if your tree area is already pretty busy then you may struggle to find the extra space |
You can put the bike under the tree before Christmas as no one will guess what it is - and you'll want to show off your handy work | You've raised the bar now. You'll be expected to perform something this amazing every year 😆 |
You will definitely get 'Best Mum/Dad' status for this! | This is one of our more expensive suggestions, you will need to buy tape, a large roll of brown paper and a red bike light if you don't have one already. |
Balloons!
Blow up lots of balloons and surround the bike with balloons. You may want to use a cellophane wrap over the top to keep the balloons in place if you don't want to tie string onto the bike. With the bike covered completely, they will have to pop their way through to see what the surprise is!
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Make an evening of it - Use it as an excuse to get friends or family around for a pre-Christmas mince pie and get everyone to help you blow up all the balloons | If you can't enlist some willing helpers you might run out of puff halfway through! |
It's cost effective. You don't need any special items, just lots of balloons | If the room is warm they might start shrivelling or popping before the big day |
It is a lot of fun and looks great | The noise of the ballons popping might not be what you are after first thing in the morning and it will add to the mess |
Treasure Hunt
Dismantle some of the bike and hide the parts around the house, for example, the wheels, seat post, saddle, a couple of accessories. Create a treasure map with clues of where to find the pieces, once they have all been found you just need to build the bike back up ready to ride! Alternatively, if you don't have the mechanic skills to disassemble and build the bike back up then you could make a small jigsaw puzzle of a bike and hide the pieces with the last piece attached to the bike itself.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
This could keep them amused for quite a while on Christmas morning allowing you to get a head start on lunch | It could take a lot of planning |
Definitely adds an extra level of fun compared to just opening presents | If you are not mechanically minded we would not recommend taking the bike apart |
Other family members can get involved and join in on the treasure hunt | Once they have found all the pieces they will want to ride it and you may not have time straight away to build it up for them which would be really disappointing |
We do have another option but it is dependant on your having a roof or bike rack for your car so it has not been included in the main list. However, it's such a great idea that it seemed sad to leave it out completely.
If you do have a rack on your car then you could put the bike on the roof (why not add a homemade bow), then when everyone is unwrapping their presents look out the window and scream with delight. Invite the lucky recipient over to the window with you and exclaim "Santa must have put it there when he realised it wouldn't fit down the chimney"! 🎅
Whichever method you choose the main excitement will always be the present itself so don’t worry too much if your wrapping doesn’t quite go to plan!!
If you happen to be wondering what stocking fillers go best with a bike then keep an eye out for our blog post next week on cycling themed gifts.
We’d love to see how you choose to wrap your bikes this Christmas. Share your pictures on Instagram tagging us in with #frogbikes and #howtowrapakidsbike and we will send one of our Frog Hoodie’s to our favourite festive wrap. So grab the scissors and get wrapping!