Three birthday parties in two days which meant three presents and three gifs to wrap.
On present number three, I came to the realization that I really suck at this and looking at the finished job confirmed my opinion. Tape going any which where, underside of the wrapping paper showing here and there, no sense of symmetry even remotely achieved.
So I was going to make a poll with categories such as “Expert level”, “Moderate” “Half-ass (and proud of it)” but there appeared to be too many sub-categories.
Take mine: Awful – but I’m o.k. with it. I justify this as anyone who actually examines the gift wrap with a critical eye prior to opening the present ought not to be on the receiving end in the first place. What’s more, these presents were intended for young kids who I know spent perhaps a millisecond looking at the giftwrap before tearing it to shreds. AND- if someone did make a flippant remark, I was more than ready to say that my five year old is big enough to wrap the presents herself. (Seriously, the end result was really bad but I had no intention of unwrapping and staring over.)
Lastly I have to note none of the gifts was in the shape of a nice, neatly shaped standard box. Had that been the case, I may have had a better go at things.
I’m awful at it. Mr. Kat was an art major, so he’s in charge of wrapping. And I make it part of his presents to be allowed to mock anything I don’t just stuff in a gift bag!
I don’t mind saying I’m good at it. That’s likely because I enjoy it. It is easy for me to estimate how much is the right amount of paper, and fold creatively to navigate lumpy gifts.
My brilliant, musically and many other ways gifted sister cannot do it. Most spatial tasks are difficult for her. She also sees no value in it. To her mind a gift is just as concealed in a grocery sack.
I am terrible at wrapping gifts. I can remember the basic technique, but usually screw up the cutting of paper and end up with not enough. Then I go to YouTube, find the same tutorial as all the previous times and do it correctly.
I am a good gift wrapper and not afraid to brag about it. I always did all of Dad’s wrapping, poor man couldn’t cut paper straight to save his life.
Last Christmas I got one of my nieces something that came in a hexagonal box with an attached handle. I considered the gift bag route for about a minute. I was quite impressed with the elaborate folding I had to pull off to get this box to look nice. After my niece took all of three seconds to unwrap what I had spent probably 15 minutes working on, my sister says “How the holy hell did you manage to wrap that?” It was a proud moment.
Oh we definitely do our share of gift bags. And when it comes to wrapping, my wife is very good at it. (Truth be told, the deal was: I take the daughter to buy the presents and wrap them and she takes the kid to the actual parties.)
My sister though is awesome at it. She has that inherent sense of knowing precisely how much paper the job requires, makes perfect folds and does the rolly-tape thing on the underside so that it doesn’t show –God forbid. What’s more, if it’s a patterned gift wrap, she can set things up so that everything lines up properly –a feat she says is easy to accomplish but one I’ve a very long way to even consider.
For most presents I use gift bags. When it’s time to torment someone I use 3-4 rolls of brightly colored hockey tape. Either way I’m teribble at actually wrapping.
I wrap presents like a deranged badger. Totally leave that to my wife whenever I can. Presents I’m giving to her go in gift bags, which I frankly don’t handle very well either, but there’s less that can go wrong.
This is what my wife did. She can’t wrap anything, while I’m very good at it. Sometimes I even surprise myself in that the patterns on the paper match up perfectly on the cut ends. (and I’m not just talking stripes).
I’m pretty good at it, if I say so myself. That is, as long as I keep myself focused on it. As soon as I get the least bit bored (which, as with many things, can happen quickly) I have to stop and do something else for a while .
But I like finding neat ways to wrap things and decorate them.
