Overview & Specifications
What Are Holiday Paper Bags?
Holiday paper bags are a store's or brand's paper carry bag printed with seasonal artwork for a holiday period. "Holiday" describes the artwork and the season, not a separate bag construction: the bag is a gusseted paper tote with handles, sized to what customers carry.
Holiday Paper Bags sit in Holiday & Seasonal Packaging and are built on Custom Paper Tote Bags.
What it has to do
What a Holiday Bag Needs to Do
A holiday bag carries a purchase out of the store, often as the gift wrap itself, through the busiest weeks of the year. Each need below is matched to how it is met.
01
Carry
Carry the Load It Will Get
Holiday baskets are heavier than usual. The paper weight, handle type and handle attachment are chosen for the packed weight, and a paperboard bottom insert adds support where needed.02
Look
Look Like the Gift Wrap
Many holiday bags are handed over as the gift itself. Tissue inside, a sticker seal at the top and a ribbon handle make the bag gift-ready without extra wrapping.03
Room
Room for a Boxed Gift
Gift sets often go into the bag already boxed. The gusset and width are set so the gift box stands upright inside with tissue on top.04
New
A New Season Without a New Bag
When the contents stay the same, the same bag size and construction can run with Christmas artwork, then winter or Valentine's artwork. Only a change in contents needs a new structural specification.
Holiday Paper Bag vs Holiday Gift Box
Choose a paper bag to carry purchases and mixed gifts; choose a gift box to present a set that stays together. The table compares them.
| Attribute | Holiday Paper Bag | Holiday Gift Box |
|---|---|---|
| Job | Carries purchases and gifts out of the store | Presents a gift set as one piece |
| Contents | Mixed items, any shape, with tissue | Items held in a fitted insert |
| Closure | Open top, sticker seal or ribbon | Lid, flip-top or drawer |
| Storage | Ships flat | Depends on the structure |
| Page | This page | Holiday Gift Boxes |
Christmas Paper Bags
Christmas paper bags use red, green, white and metallic print, with gold or silver foil on the logo or pattern. They can share the store's year-round bag size when the contents and load stay the same, so only the artwork changes for December.
Holiday Paper Bags Specifications
Holiday Paper Bags are specified around the packed contents, the paper, the handles and the season's artwork. Review the specifications below to plan the bag.
| Specification | Available Configuration |
|---|---|
| Product Type | Seasonal handled paper bag |
| Category | Holiday Packaging |
| Structure | Custom Paper Tote Bags; another approved paper-bag format by project |
| Dimensions | Custom width × gusset × height, built around contents and load |
| Handles | Twisted paper, twisted rope, die-cut or ribbon |
| Paper | Standard or heavy-duty kraft, white art paper, recycled paper; metallic, holographic, pearlescent or textured paper |
| Paper Weight | About 100–250 gsm, matched to the load and handle style |
| Add-ons | Paperboard bottom insert, reinforced top edge, die-cut window, tin tie |
| Print Coverage | One side, both sides or full wrap |
| Print Methods | Offset, digital, screen or flexographic printing; CMYK and Pantone spot colors |
| Finishes | Matte, gloss or soft-touch lamination, aqueous coating, foil stamping, emboss/deboss, Spot UV and raised 3D UV |
| Load Performance | Depends on paper grade, handle attachment, gusset geometry and packed weight |
| Recyclability | Depends on the actual paper, handles, coatings and laminations |
| Starting Price | From $1.25 / unit; final price depends on size, paper, handles, print, finishes and quantity |
| Minimum Order | 500 units |
| Standard Production | 7 days from approved proof |
| Rush Production | Available on request |
| Shipping | Ships flat, USA and worldwide |
What Size Holiday Paper Bag Do I Need?
Measure the largest purchase or gift the bag must carry, with tissue, and note its weight. Final dimensions are set on the approved dieline.
| Measurement | What to Record |
|---|---|
| Largest item | Length, width and height, or the gift box it goes in |
| Packed weight | Heaviest expected load |
| Tissue or fill | Height of tissue above the opening |
| Sizes | Number of bag sizes in the range |
Match the Year-Round Bag
If the store already has a bag and the holiday contents and load match it, reusing its size keeps fixtures and packing the same, and only the artwork changes.
What to Check Before Bulk Production
Review a sample loaded with the heaviest expected purchase and printed with the final artwork. Record the approved paper, handles and finish on the signed-off sample. Where a sample shows a problem, review the cause, revise the specification and confirm it on another packed sample.
| If the sample shows | Cause to review |
|---|---|
| Handles pull at the top edge | Handle attachment and top-edge reinforcement |
| Base sags under load | Paper grade, gusset and bottom insert |
| Dark print cracks at the folds | Lamination and fold position |
| Foil looks broken on kraft | Paper surface and foil line weight |
Seven days covers standard production from approved proof once the specification is confirmed; delivery timing is confirmed separately, so count back from the first day of the holiday season in store.
