When did we start wrapping our gifts?

In Western culture, gifts are often wrapped in wrapping paper and accompanied by a gift note which may note the occasion.  Gift giving has a long history and we have been wrapping gifts since 105 AD, since the invention of paper. Chinese kept their talent as a secret for years until the Egyptians found about it around 800AD.  The news spread to Europe and the first paper mill was started in 1085.

In the 19th century note cards were being sent. Holiday gift giving began with the Romans, long before Christmas. Dressing up Christmas presents became popular by the Middle Ages. During the Victorian period, only the wealthier people exchanged gifts and wrapped them with expensive paper and topped with expensive ribbons and laces.Victorian gift-wrap was an art form that developed from designing Christmas cards. Earlier gifts were wrapped in simple tissue paper or more sturdy brown paper. scotch tape wasn't invented until 1930 and they still managed to wrap their gifts beautifully without the scissors and scotch tape.

The technology did not exist to mass produce a decorated paper until 1890's, when developments in printing presses allowed colored ink to be printed fluidly on stiffer papers.
American gift wrap industry began with Hy-Sill Manufacturing Inc. also known as The Gift Wrap Company in 1903.  In 1917, before Christmas,  the greeting card giant Hallmark, offered green, red and white tissue papers to be used for holiday gift wrapping which were they sold out in their Kansas City store.  "I never saw anything accepted so quickly," J.C. Hall said in his autobiography. "We didn’t realize it then, but for all practical purposes, an entire new industry had been born. In fact, the decorative gift-wrapping business was born the day Rollie (Hall’s brother) placed the French envelope linings on top of our showcase. Soon gift-wrapping paper became the first product we made that was a departure from greeting cards."

Hallmark introduced jumbo plastic gift bags in the 1970s, paper gift bags with handles in 1987, and curl cascade ribbons in 1994.  Today, Hallmark is the leader of the gift wrap industry.