The modern Christmas wrapping paper roll was born from a happy accident in 1917 when Hallmark, then a Kansas City stationery store, ran out of tissue paper and started selling fancy French envelope lining paper instead, which sold out immediately. This success led the Hall brothers, J.C. and Rollie, to begin printing their own patterned paper by 1919, creating the foundation for the commercial wrapping paper industry we know today, a move that transformed gift presentation from simple paper or fabric to colorful, decorative sheets.