For many of us, it's a December tradition: wondering how to wrap odd shaped gifts with nary a gift box in sight.

The obvious solution is to plunk everything in a gift bag. But let's be honest: opening a gift bag is about a 0.1 on the Fun-O-Meter (the Fun-O-Meter goes to 30). Tearing into all that wrapping paper is part of the holiday magic, right up there with sipping hot cocoa and roasting chestnuts over an open flame. But how to wrap a gift that isn't naturally shaped like a shirt box?

Below, we illustrate how to wrap oddly shaped gifts, including step-by-step instructions for wrapping four particularly tricky items.

How to Gift Wrap a Candle

With any cylindrical gift, the most common pitfall is using way too much wrapping paper, which creates oddly shaped ends that won't sit flat. The key to neatness? Use as little paper as possible.

• Wrap the paper around the candle and mark exactly where you'll need to cut.
• On the top and bottom, leave yourself about 2 inches (depending on how wide the candle is).
• Fold and tape the ends down in small, triangular sections.
• If your candle is open on the top like the one in the photo, work on the bottom first. Then slide the candle out, flip it over, and slide it back in to repeat the process. The end result should sit flat and give you a perfectly smooth top for a bow.
• If you don't want to use a bow, you can also leave the excess wrapping paper free on one end, and gather the free edges with a ribbon, so they fan out in a dramatic design at the top. If you're wondering how to gift wrap a mug, this would be an ideal method, since it leaves a little more room for the mug's handle.

How to gift wrap a blanket, scarf, or other soft item

Soft fabric + thin wrapping paper = that horrible moment when the recipient picks up the package and pokes a finger right through. (Or worse, when you accidentally poke holes in the paper yourself before handing it over.)

• Instead of rippable paper, use a thicker kind that will give the gift some sturdiness. Brown craft paper also works well for soft objects
• Fold your gift as compactly and squarely as possible
• Wrap like you would any other square-shaped item
• if all else fails, ditch the paper and just tie a nice ribbon around your crisply-folded item.

How to wrap a dumbbell (or anything that's thinner in the middle)

You really don't want to stick these in a gift bag: a pair of 5-pound weights will go crashing through the bottom. But straight-up wrapping these suckers leads to a comically obvious gift shape. Here's what to do instead:

• Take a bit of folded (not fluffed!) tissue paper and use it to pad the thinner parts of the object, taping where necessary
• Use sturdier wrapping paper to guard against tears
• Use the technique outlined for candles and other cylindrical objects

How to wrap fragile works of art

Whether it's that beautiful, handmade German incense holder you had shipped over or this fish-shaped glass sculpture, a three-dimensional work of art usually comes in an unwieldy shape. Should you bubble-wrap it and nestle it lovingly in a box? Probably. But you can still produce a presentable gift even without your typical packing materials.

• Take some tissue paper and use it to pad any uneven edges or holes in your object
• Once your sculpture has been evened out, use more tissue paper to wrap the item into a square shape
• Carefully wrap your square package like you would any box-shaped gift
• Hover near your gift until it's opened, warning anyone who approaches that it's fragile but definitely not a rad glass fish.