Holiday Wrap Music

I bought my brother gift wrap for Christmas. I took it to the Gift Wrap Department, and told them to wrap it, but in a different print so he would know when to stop unwrapping. --  Stephen Wright, comedian

I’ve always loved everything surrounding gift-giving-and-receiving. It’s a thrill to find just the right gift for friends or family, and then to choose just the right color, pattern, sparkles and spangles for wrapping paper, ribbon, and tag. For me, all these preliminary steps, and then the actual physical act of wrapping the gift, are satisfying, almost sensual, activities.

Now it’s true that I’ll probably never live in a house like that owned by the late TV producer Aaron Spelling. It had THREE, count ‘em, THREE rooms whose specific purpose was for gift-wrapping. Wrapping presents at the kitchen or dining room table is just fine with me. I set aside an afternoon, put on jazz music that I love, get out all my materials – scissors, tape, ruler, pens – and gleefully get on with it.

I remember once receiving a humorous book as a gift; what made it truly memorable was that my friend had wrapped the book in the colorful Sunday comics section of the local newspaper. Another time, cousins in Wyoming sent me two pillowcases; the thought was lovely, but what stood out was that the gift was covered in what looked like deli wrap, with – so help me! – tiny pieces of hamburger stuck to the paper!

Want to be a rock-star wrapper?  To make sure your holiday gifts are wrapped perfectly, here’s a video that will teach you lots of tips and tricks:  www.ehow.com/video_2369119_gift-wrap-box.html.

Linda Jay Geldens, www.LindaJayGeldens.com
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