Never Trust the Box!

Do you poke around the Christmas tree looking for gifts with your name on them? When you find one, do you pick it up and shake it, sniff it, listen to it? Most of us do, which is why we have family traditions related to the wrapping and labeling of gifts.

My oldest recollection is when I was about 8 years old and we were living in Fairbanks, Alaska. There was a good-sized gift for me under the tree. When I opened it, I was disappointed to find a case of Camp Fire Girl mints! Not that I don't like candy, but I had been selling these for a while and was tired of them. Mama and Daddy just smiled and suggested I open the box. Inside was a pair of beautiful white ice skates! Lesson learned: NEVER trust the box.

Some of the unusual ways presents have been disguised: 

• a stuffed Smurf with a can of refried beans in a shoebox.
• a skateboard wrapped up in a sleeping bag in a big box.
• an I-Pod wrapped and then put in another box, wrapped and put in another box, wrapped...you get the idea.
• a watch sealed up in a can. (In the early 80s, there were kiosks in the mall where you could have this done....where's the can opener?)

Anything you can do to disguise the size, shape, or weight of the box will cause the "snoopers" hours of frustration and much laughter on Christmas morning!

And when you've finished wrapping, you have to put a tag on the gift so it gets to the right person. But why would anyone in their right mind reveal the identity of the giver? Of course, there are gifts from Santa and Mrs. Claus, Rudolph, the elves. But it's the Sugar Plum Fairy (aka SPF) who brings the gifts that get opened on Christmas Eve (always new jammies so you will look your best on Christmas morn!). And an amazing variety of folks have delivered gifts to our home: George Burns, Johnny Depp's wife, Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jack Skellington, and any number of actors, directors, and musical artists.

If you remember a particular gift-wrapping technique or gift-giver, post it in the comments section!


© 2010 Denise Spurlock