Two Minutes Hate Tuesday

Wrapping Presents

I can't tell you how much I hate wrapping presents. I do not have the patience to deal with measuring, cutting, and folding the wrapping paper. I still do it because I hate gift bags even more. I am the type of person who is only willing to cut the paper once (and the cut is by no means straight - it is jagged and sloping and generally looks like crap). Any extra paper just gets wrapped or folded around the box more...sometimes presents are covered in 2-3 layers. Yes, I am that lazy. My packages often have way too much paper on the ends and so it gets folded (or more likely just smashed down) to fit the package and then taped well. I try to look at it as my package having extra padding on the ends in case they are dropped. I also have an issue of getting the ends to match - one end ends up being way longer or one end is squared off and the other pointed or can't fold correctly because too much paper is causing the middle folds to hit or even they fold different directions. Admittedly my packages are a disaster. If I was to compete in the the 8-10 year old Special Olympics Present Wrapping Competition*, I would finish in about 7th place. Wrapping presents is a chore to me, a necessary evil in order to surprise the person with your actual gift. Gift giving shouldn't be work, it should be a joy. I hate it. It just feels like so much a waste of time when I know the person is going to just rip off the paper and throw it away five minutes later. Don't even get me started on all the different papers, ribbons, and bows...that just complicates everything exponentially.
Actually the second gift I wrap each year looks pretty good. The first one is always a disaster trying to get my fingers to remember what to do (and yes I'm way too lazy to take the paper off this abortion and re-wrap after all my tries, follies, and failures). But the second one looks good...then I realize that I just spent 40 minutes wrapping one gift, it is midnight, and I still have about 30 to get through. The rest are hasty affairs and corners are cut, folds are not exact, tape is used to help conceal the shabbiness of the wrapping job. I am definitely wrapping challenged and am not inclined to change my ways.

*Note - there is no such event and even if there was, there is no way that I would actually even be competitive enough to get 7th. Those athletes are spectacular and could best me in any event. They have all my respect.

End Hate

P.S. - Congratulations to Daron and Josh on your new iPod locks. Still one left if anyone is interested.