Day 229 of 365
Three years ago, I decided that I would stop buying wrapping paper for Christmas and start using fabric bags that could be re-used every year to wrap presents. Plus, there was an added bonus: With gift bags, you just stuff the gift in there. You don’t have to do the work of wrapping. I have always struggled to make presents pretty, so it’s such a job.
Sadly, the bags have yet to be made, but I, determined to use the fabric anyway, just rolled up the fabric and put a ribbon around it, which, by the way, we also save from year to year. It doesn’t matter if the ribbon really fits your package or not. Sometimes, you get no bow. Sometimes, your ribbon is hanging off of your gift. I try to do better. I just get tired.
I used to like wrapping presents, trying so hard to make them pretty–at least I think I remember this. I have hated wrapping presents for so long I am not sure. It takes forever, and as a writing professor, my classes are always running right until Christmas. I usually finish grades on Christmas Eve, which means I spend Christmas Eve partaking in something to take the edge of of the whole thing and complaining to the universe about why in the world it is a thing to spend so much of your time wrapping presents when they are just going to be torn up in minutes. I used to be less practical about things. In my older age, I can see that time is short. I do not want to spend Christmas Eve grumpy and cursing at wrapping paper.
This year, when I started wrapping presents, I did the usual of the last few years. I rolled up the fabric (it is very beautiful fabric) and then did my best to find a ribbon that was “ballpark” the right size to fit the gift. Hopefully, next year, I will get around to making the fabric into bags, but in the meantime, I decided tonight that the rolled up fabric and ribbon that we keep using again and again make me happy. In fact, they are kind of pretty. I don’t know if I am just telling myself this because it only took me a minute to wrap a gift and there will be no trash later, but I think it’s kind of lovely.
Of course, I have another confession. It’s not so lovely that I want to keep doing it. I wrapped by son’s presents, and when I got to Ron’s, I said, “Hey, let’s make a deal: You don’t have to wrap my presents, and I won’t wrap yours.”
Ron said, “It’s a deal. Let’s go watch a movie together.”
I am writing this quick post, and then, I am headed to the giant cozy sofa to sit with my husband and son and watch a silly movie. There’s only so much I can do to make the holiday lovely. I hunted down useful but lovely presents, will make a fancy dinner tomorrow, made all the cookies. That has to be enough.
Farmer-ish 