Lately, I have become the de facto present-wrapper in the house. It's just one of those things that happens over time; one person does a particular task a few times in a row, it becomes routine, and then next thing you know, you're the present-wrapper. It's not a bad thing, and it's not like the Mild Wife is incapable of wrapping presents. It's just that I usually do it.
Now, the extra repetitions means that I have all sorts of opportunities for shenanigans (like the time when I used LOTS of tape for my younger cousin's present). I'm a tad more grown these days, so the shenanigans have evolved over time. Instead, I end up having to figure out how to do things like gift wrap a beanie in an acceptable manner.
You know those little pre-made bows that you can stick on top of presents (like these)? I use those things now. There has occasionally been ribbon attached to the presents. Cards and red envelopes have been taped to the outside of the present. As you can imagine, not every present is a nice even rectangle, and even then, the dimensions of the available gift wrap don't line up neatly with the size of the present. Basically, there have been lots of gift wrapping puzzles to solve.
The latest incident, however, stands out. It wasn't a particularly complicated puzzle, but we had bought three little books, so I had a little pyramid on my hands. Well, I figured that I'd just treat it like a big book, and I measured out the required wrapping paper for one large book. It's important to note that I did actually make the effort to measure this out, because I didn't want to be wasteful with the wrapping paper. I even cut off the extra bits that I didn't need.
So, I pulled the paper over the top, taped it down, and then started in on the sides. This process was what I had actually been worried about, because non-rectangles tend to add a little bit of spice in to the process. What I hadn't accounted for, however, was that I had somehow measured the size of the present incorrectly. Rather than having a bit extra so that the ends overlapped, I had too little wrapping paper. There was something like half a centimeter of present that peeked through, and I simply could not cover it with the piece of gift wrap that I had in my hands.
What to do? What to do?
Well, I decided that the pieces I had cut off might actually come in handy. They were likely too small for a second present anyway, so they were going to become a decorative band-aid to my problem. I randomly started folding the gift wrap to try to make it into some kind of adornment, and ultimately came up with this:
I was actually fairly proud of myself for making it look presentable. Sure, presents don't normally have that sort of "origami" attached to them, but it's not like it looked obviously wrong. All in all, I got the job done, and salvaged the present from my screw up. Heck, now that I know how to do this, I may even intentionally wrap a present with some sort of adornment on the sides. Necessity is the mother of invention, they say.
Most of all, though, I was happy that I am still undefeated against presents. I have yet to find a present I could not wrap, so my streak continues. You see? This is why I'm the present-wrapper at home.
Now, the extra repetitions means that I have all sorts of opportunities for shenanigans (like the time when I used LOTS of tape for my younger cousin's present). I'm a tad more grown these days, so the shenanigans have evolved over time. Instead, I end up having to figure out how to do things like gift wrap a beanie in an acceptable manner.
You know those little pre-made bows that you can stick on top of presents (like these)? I use those things now. There has occasionally been ribbon attached to the presents. Cards and red envelopes have been taped to the outside of the present. As you can imagine, not every present is a nice even rectangle, and even then, the dimensions of the available gift wrap don't line up neatly with the size of the present. Basically, there have been lots of gift wrapping puzzles to solve.
The latest incident, however, stands out. It wasn't a particularly complicated puzzle, but we had bought three little books, so I had a little pyramid on my hands. Well, I figured that I'd just treat it like a big book, and I measured out the required wrapping paper for one large book. It's important to note that I did actually make the effort to measure this out, because I didn't want to be wasteful with the wrapping paper. I even cut off the extra bits that I didn't need.
So, I pulled the paper over the top, taped it down, and then started in on the sides. This process was what I had actually been worried about, because non-rectangles tend to add a little bit of spice in to the process. What I hadn't accounted for, however, was that I had somehow measured the size of the present incorrectly. Rather than having a bit extra so that the ends overlapped, I had too little wrapping paper. There was something like half a centimeter of present that peeked through, and I simply could not cover it with the piece of gift wrap that I had in my hands.
What to do? What to do?
Well, I decided that the pieces I had cut off might actually come in handy. They were likely too small for a second present anyway, so they were going to become a decorative band-aid to my problem. I randomly started folding the gift wrap to try to make it into some kind of adornment, and ultimately came up with this:
 |
| Don't ask me what that is. It's just decorative |
Most of all, though, I was happy that I am still undefeated against presents. I have yet to find a present I could not wrap, so my streak continues. You see? This is why I'm the present-wrapper at home.
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