I never realized

It's fair to say you skeeve the wad?

My sisters, both older than me, taught me how to wrap a present. It just has to be neat, not perfect, but it does need something personal -a to/from tag with a two line poem on it--a hand cutout dove of peace-- and a bow--gots to have a bow. Their idea, even at sixteen years old, was that the gifts had to look good for the picture of the tree with all the presents under it.

I gone the gamut over the years. Taking my time to trim off edges and and line up segments like I was doing wallpaper to throwing the kid's electronic gizmo in a paper bag with the words "PoW! BaM! written on it in red magic marker.

Joe(Both, and all the styles in between, seemed to please)Nation

Skeeve.

Skeeve?

Dunno.

Seems likely.

(I also don't believe a word of the waddage.) (The dollar bill part I believe though.)

I've done newspaper wrapping before, but it's got to be classy. I got
Chinese newspapers to wrap and a pretty red ribbon around.

I've done brown paper too, with white doily on top.

I can wrap a bottle of wine so it looks like a palm tree.

Ahh, if you want me to be serious I'm not a fan of ritualistic gift-giving at all. When I think of something and someone that make a good pair I give it, and no matter how much I like someone if I don't know of a good gift for their birthday, Christmas or whatever I don't bother.

I've noticed that since becoming more domesticated my opinion is changing, for example my fiancé and I just bought gifts for our dog and cat today, and wrapped them and I actually like the wrapping part since the gifts to them are more for us and our memories than for them (I already had to move them from under the tree since Harry started barking at them for some reason and was sure to open them early to find out what invaders are hiding within).

I've only done the newspaper thing once, last year. But everyone in the office was doing it. A stupid (sorry, if there's anything I think is more daft than ritualistic gift-giving it's ritualistic and aleatory gift-giving foisted upon you in a group of people you don't really care about) secret santa program was decided upon (probably by a female <wink>) and we all brought our gifts and everyone wrapped them in newspaper. I actually just let one of my female co-workers do it for me even then.

And as to giving money, I think it's ruins the whole point. The garbage men and security guards in my neighbourhood came by asking for Christmas money and while I was happy to comply I found it crass and tasteless (I can't imagine knocking on doors of people I don't know asking for money at Christmas). This year I'm also giving my fiancé cash instead of a gift at her request because she didn't want anything for herself and preferred to use it to buy more and better gifts for others but I let her know that I'd not do it again because after agreeing to it I thought of things I wanted to get her (and will get her anyway) and it doesn't feel as special.

Thing is, I really don't like ritual pleasantries. No matter what time of year it is if I think of a good gift for a good person I give it. This year I gave my two best friends a Mac and a Motorola Q respectively but won't be giving them a Christmas present unless I can think of a good one.

And they just happen to be the kind of people who would understand perfectly. My brother is also like that with me, we don't do ritual niceties (he didn't invite me to his wedding so as not to oblige me to go for example and only a couple years afterwards did I even think to ask why I wasn't at his wedding) but you'll find fewer brothers who love each other as much and are as close as we are.

So while I'm changing toward more sentimentality recently it's probably just since becoming closer and closer to a female, and my traditional self has been more inclined toward functional generosity and there's really not anything functional about wrapping paper!

Females are weird but I figure they are good for the economy.

You aren't actually E.G., are you?

That would be kind of weird.

He says all of the above pretty much verbatim.

Sozlet and I just carry on with girly Christmasy things and ignore him.

(If you think living with one female takes some adjusting, try two -- especially when one of them is seven and very very girly and very very into Christmas...)

Er, when did this happen?

E.G. sounds like a stout fella! But I think kids may make me much more into Christmas. It actually makes sense for kids. They actually like their gifts and for them it really is exciting and fun, and not a bunch of work like it is for adults.



Hellifino. It was a sneak attack! Females are sneaky (in addition to being the driving force behind the economy).

Bah Humbug!!!


All those objections fall apart if one is simply mindful of one's dearest all year.

I listen and watch...and I have usually figured out what would be lovely for each one to have for Christmas (small presents) and Boithdays (bigger ones) well before the day.


So...you get to give great presents AND partake in those little cultural ceremonies that bind folk together at the same time.


Bah Humbug!



That being said, I love surprising people with things I think they'll love at any time.


I can get you when it comes to such ritual gifts for folk you don't really like, but that is no argumnet, I think, when it comes to those you DO care for.