It’s a wrap
If you are a man with a woman in your life, you might not understand this column. It is about gift wrapping for Christmas.
I am on a roll. Ha-ha, pun intended. I have most of mine done, a first for me. The only reason I haven’t done all of them is because a couple aren’t here yet. And I did not even once think unkind thoughts about all the men whose better halves not only wrap all the gifts, but figure out what to get and brave the weather and beat around the stores and malls and stand in the lines wishing the Ho-ho that they were home curled up with some rum eggnog, which would really feel like Christmas.
One of my Daughters, who shall remain anonymous for fear of retribution (on me), has loved the wrapping almost as much as what was inside (sometimes more) since she was old enough to notice pretty wrapping. In the days when we all sent gifts to nieces and nephews, she was known (not by them) to put a new wrapping over the wrappings that weren’t pretty enough.
Then gift bags came along. I was so happy, for two reasons; it was so easy and bags could be reused. I’d tie curly bows on them and Daughter didn’t say a word, but I knew in my heart that that little girl was still in her heart.
This year I was feeling pretty good about myself for using pretty wrapping and ribbon tied in real bows, not the stickon ones, with only a niggling thought of the paper waste. (I can still see my mother smoothing out and carefully folding paper for use next Christmas. I did it myself for a while, but they don’t make wrapping paper like they used to). I still save nice ribbon of course and if someone gets a gift wrapped in the ribbon they used last year and thinks me cheap instead of environmentally responsible, too bad about them.
Isn’t it wonderful how those of us who used to be snickered at for being frugal can now lay claim to being the forerunners of recycling.
Gift-wrapping diva Daughter is very caring about the environment. Anything disposable she uses is either recyclable or biodegradable. I wrapped my gifts in shiny coloured environmentally bad paper and her gifts are mostly wrapped in shades of brown paper and tied with twine. And are still beautiful with all her creative touches!!!
As this column is always carefully researched I decided to look up gift-wrapping ideas on Pinterest, where I found everything from toilet paper rolls to mason jars and lots of easy attractive easy ideas for tying Kraft paper, like using sprigs from your Christmas tree, pine cones, tree ornaments, candy canes or some other edible that will make the kids not care about the wrapping, which most of them don’t anyway. There were so many ideas that the site said the board was no longer accepting contributors.
When I finish using up the paper I have I have decided to become a more responsible wrapper. Hopefully by that time responsible paper might be in Dollarama, but I could always use newspaper or Kraft paper or burlap or some of the other suggestions you can find online. Newspapers (ahem) could be making their roll ends available. Maybe some already are. Maybe someday old maps and calendars will be appealing as wrapping paper but I gotta say it’s not grabbing me. Maybe next year I’ll make potato stamps (!) and recruit Grandsons to decorate brown paper.
I hope I’m not making you feel bad about your lovely landfill wrapping. Don’t; I’m not. I’m enjoying the look of the pretty gifts almost as I’m enjoying the fact that I have the wrapping done. I’m just thinking ahead and deciding that this year I won’t be buying up wrapping on sale after Christmas. I’ll be the one buying up the stuff I used to use to wrap boxes for the mail when I actually sent gifts in the mail.
Besides, the important things can’t be wrapped anyway. Merry Christmas to you and yours.