Thursday, December 18, 2008

All Wrapped Up

Gift



As I was rolling up a shirt in cheap paper today, I thought back to the days of yore when I actually cared what my presents looked like. I'd buy all manner of coordinating ribbon and paper, get custom tags made and even add little touches like coordinating ornaments taped under elaborate bows on each gift. I would painstakingly wrap each present, catering my wrapping to the individual recipient. I loved the whole process.

I'm over that now. My husband took one look under our tree last night and laughed out loud at the misshapen bundles wrapped under it. When I have to wrap an article of clothing these days, I just roll up the item, roll it up in paper, and tape it shut to the best of my ability. I've bid a fond farewell to gift tags, custom or not, and replaced them instead with a big fat black sharpie. I write directly on the paper in large letters TO: and FROM:. I don't take the time to cut out a make-shift card with the wrapping paper and tape it. Who has time for that? No, I just write directly on the package. My poor children think that's the norm. They think every mom across America wraps her gifts in random three-dimensional wrinkly blobs of paper and tape.

Pretty packages are just one of the many luxuries I've happily tossed aside in favor of sanity and the true holiday joy that comes from being DONE with all of that wrapping nonsense and sitting down to enjoy the pleasure of introducing my children to the best Christmas villain of all time: the Heat Miser.



5 comments:

  1. Look at this way: You're saving the planet by cutting down on all the extras like bows, gift tags and boxes. :-)
    Hope you enjoy the season!

    ReplyDelete
  2. When I was a young lad, I remember always being amazed at how good the presents looked under the tree that we had decorated just a few short days before Christmas with mostly home made ornaments and, yes, strung popcorn. As with my childhood, when my sons were still young, little attention was paid to the fancy ribbons and bows, much attention was paid to the contents of said packages. I usually manage to recycle the Sunday Comics to wrap at least one package every year, my little part to help save a tree, and remember how frugal my Mother was. I think tape just gets in the way, I'm a big believer in reusable gift bags and old tissue paper. I'm betting there isn't one of you readers who can tell you what color paper was on the Chatty Kathy Doll or the Red Rider B-B Gun when they opened it. Just keep rollin' 'em up and tossin' 'em under the old tree, it'll all work out on the 25th.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am with you all the way. Although I never had the pretty wrappings. I still can't wrap worth a darn. I remember one year I used black electrical tape because I couldn't find the scotch tape.
    Oh. I did the sharpie thing tonight to, but I didn't bother with writing to or from. But I did use one wrapping paper for each of the families.

    ReplyDelete
  4. You must be a graduate of the Ben Hale school of gift wrapping. He is a big advocate of the sharpie.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm with you! Who has time for that?
    Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete