It's a Wrap!

I just read an article in the paper that said, and I am not making this up, 'Why put up one Christmas tree when you can put up three?'  I had to pause and read it again.  But yes, that's what it said.  The article talked about how three Christmas trees looks so much better than one.  Well, I've got three reasons why you should not put up three Christmas trees:  1) Sanity 2) Sanity and 3) Sanity

I guess these people subscribe to the 'it's not done until it's overdone' theory.

Then I read an article about how some people spend $20,000.00 decorating their 'homes' (yes, that's plural) for Christmas.  They pay interior decorators these outrageous amounts of money to do it!  Amazing!  I guess it's these people who can afford to put up three trees in one living room.  I say these people can take their trees and... decorate them!

This year I'm doing pretty well.  I've put up my one Christmas tree.  (I'm such a minimalist.)  I've gotten smart (you know, relatively speaking) and I've been doing some gift wrapping every night.

Last year I left all the wrapping until the very last minute.

I started off strong.  I wrapped each present with extreme care. I folded corners neatly and put nice little squares of tape discreetly along straight lines. I wrote lengthy and thoughtful Christmas notes on each gift card.  I matched the colours of the bows to the colours in the wrapping paper. I curled the ribbon painstakingly.  I chose wrapping paper based on the age of the recipient.  It was wonderful.

By hour four, I had lost it.  I was whimpering.  I had long ago run out of clear Scotch tape so I was ripping duct tape with my teeth and sticking it carelessly on the package.  I could have cared less if any part of the present was showing.  "Whatever!"  I snarled.  "They're going to find out soon what's in it anyway!"

I had abandoned all care for colour combinations.  Ribbon?  Ha!  It was just another obstacle in what had become a major fight to the death.  And those nice little festive notes of good cheer?  Vanished.  If I remembered I would scrawl an initial right on the wrapping paper and then throw the present viciously into a garbage bag.  I began to hate every last remaining present, feeling they were taunting me.  I vowed up and down that I would NEVER, EVER leave the wrapping until the end again.  "How can it possibly take so long to wrap every gift?  How?  How?  How?"  I would ask myself hopelessly and morosely.

Far from feeling the Christmas spirit, I felt like it was giving me a good kick in the...gift wrap.

Anyway, that was last year and this is this year!  Why am I posting in my blog anyway?  I've got to go wrap!!