When Harrods, Fortnums, Selfridges… oh, and the Royal Household, want to know how to wrap their festive gifts really well, who do they call? Lincolnshire’s Jane Means…!

There Are Two types of people in the world… those who enjoy painstakingly presenting their festive gifts, with a series of intricate folds, bows and snips… and then, there’s people like me. I’m little more than a wrapping paper vandal, committing the cardinal sin each year of leaving the job of wrapping my thoughtfully purchased gifts until right at the last minute.

It’s unusually on Christmas Eve, usually after a reminder from the present Mrs Davis and usually after a couple of glasses of wine that I set to, wrestling with wrapping paper, struggling to find the end of the sticky tape and constantly moving the cat who enjoys exacerbating the whole venture by sitting on whatever I’m wrapping.

Those who can wrap well are to be admired, and there’s nobody finer at wrapping gifts than Jane Means. So gifted is she at gift wrapping, in fact, that Jane has also made a career of teaching the craft to others. And her list of previous clients, to whom she’s provided training and tuition, really couldn’t be any more impressive.

Jane is now a specialist and advisor for many brands including Dior, Jo Malone, Carolina Herrera, Aqua di Parma and Harrods. She has trained staff at Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason, Ralph Lauren, Harrods, Dior, Viktor and Rolf, Fenwick, Crabtree & Evelyn and the Royal Household. At the last count, Jane estimates that she wraps about 7,000 gifts a year, with her clients including Victoria Beckham and the late Queen Elizabeth II.

At the same time, Jane was also hosting courses for the likes of you and I, a little closer to home, but given her credentials she was more than a little in demand. And of course, around Christmas her timetable became more congested than ever, with demand for her tuition very much exceeding the number of hours in the day.

But of course, following lockdown, we all became a little more au fait with webcams and Jane hit upon the idea of using that very medium to record a series of videos so that the number of people she could offer her tuition to was, really, unlimited.

The Wrap with Jane Online Course was born, and includes 30 follow-along tutorials. There are three introductory tutorials which cover materials and general tips – for instance Jane is a big fan of double-sided tape and prefers it to sticky tape as it enables you to hide that nasty shiny strip.

Next is a lesson on using boxes and tissues, and then comes seven tutorials on wrapping awkward shapes. It’s this bit of the course that should prove worth its weight in gold with circular tins, bottles and clothing no match for Jane’s tuition.

Because the lessons are pre-recorded you can go back and watch each one, if you’ve not quite picked up a technique, and although Jane won’t thank us for suggesting it, you could also get a couple of friends on board and enjoy a few sessions practicing your gift wrapping over a couple of glasses of wine, sharing the cost of a subscription.

Elsewhere on the course are tutorials on ribbon-typing and bows, eco-friendly wrapping ideas and different gift wrapping themes, as well as furoshiki, the use of traditional Japanese wrapping cloths… the advantage being that you can reuse the materials you’ve wrapped your gifts with, and save wastage, which is better for the planet.

As well as access to the videos themselves, a subscription will also provide a workbook, and a supplier list for materials. Quite aside from her training, Jane also runs her successful mail-order ribbon and gift wrap website, from which you can purchase tags, tissue paper, cellophane, scissors and so on.

The beauty of Jane’s course is that if you love wrapping, you’ll love the course, too. On the other hand if, like me, you really dislike the job, you’ll finally learn how to do it well, and all of a sudden, that dreaded job will become a complete pleasure.

When winter nights draw in and there’s little to do but stare out into the darkness, learning a new skill is always an enjoyable way to spend the evenings. But if you’ve tried and tired of knitting, you’ve read every book in the house and there’s nothing on the TV, learning how to gift wrap your presents really well is a skill that’s not just for Christmas… it’s for life!

Jane’s Six Top Tips

• Many people are scared about cutting paper only to find they’ve cut it too short. Too much paper can create a messy gift. The correct amount of paper should go around your gift once, then up one side. That’s the correct amount of paper to ensure you don’t fall short, but don’t end up with messy excess paper.
• If you’re wrapping awkward shapes – bottles, teddies – consider using flexible wrapping rather than paper. Crepe paper, cellophane or fabric will give a little or at least stand up to your tugging more than paper. Alternatively, why not invest in some beautiful vintage fabric that you can used to wrap up gifts, retain and use year after year as a sort of festive family tradition.
• For a more eco-friendly festive season, avoid paper with glitter and plastic. Brown craft paper is kinder to the environment and really traditional. Butcher’s twine, gardener’s string and natural foliage can also enhance the look of your gift.
• Store-bought gift boxes can be expensive, but if you’ve an awkwardly shaped gift, plain, inexpensive boxes can be purchased on Amazon or Ebay, so you’ve a more convenient shape to then wrap and personalise yourself. You can also ‘dress up’ a box by lining its interior with tissue paper and ribbon in a contrasting colour.
• For a rustic and inexpensive look, head out for a country walk and collect sticks, cones and foliage. These look really stylish and are perfect for a nature lover. Large ivy leaves can also be used as natural gift tags (just use a metallic gel pen).
• Double sided sticky tape instead of conventional sticky tape is easier to work with and doesn’t spoil the appearance on the outside of your gift wrapping.

 Find Out More: Jane Means lives near Lincolnshire specialises in providing gift wrapping tuition. Her online tutorials are available to watch at your convenience, with 30 separate tutorials available for £147. For more information, visit www.janemeans.com or call 01522 522544.