# How Well Do You Wrap Presents? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 28, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-wrap-presents/629699 "2012-07-28T18:56:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-wrap-presents/629699/21 "2012-07-29T00:44:35Z")
My wrapping jobs generally range from simply clumsy to catastrophic “how do I unwrap this” incidents that end in knives. On the other hand, I’m the go-to guy for otherwise impossible-to-wrap gifts. It doesn’t matter if there’s no right way to wrap some object, because I would do it wrong anyway. I once gift-wrapped a [chimenea](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chimenea-20080706.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![ems](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@ems](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ems)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-wrap-presents/629699/22 "2012-07-29T01:24:55Z")
The first couple are always fantastic after that I get bored/frustrated/annoyed/angry/all of the above and I have to walk away or else they start looking like a 2 year old hopped up on pixi sticks was given rolls of paper to shred then tried to stick it back together with 17 rolls of scotch-gift-wrap-tape. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-wrap-presents/629699/23 "2012-07-29T01:37:24Z")
I told the recipient of the last gift I wrapped that there were mentally disabled kids wrapping presents at the mall for a donation. She had no problems believing that. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-wrap-presents/629699/24 "2012-07-29T01:58:04Z")
I’m pretty good; in fact at Christmastime the rest of the family often has had me wrap many of their presents to each other. Even though I tend to use so much ribbon and tape that they tend to take a lot of time clawing it apart, or occasionally resorting to cutting it. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-wrap-presents/629699/25 "2012-07-29T02:27:56Z")
I’m pretty good. I have a stack of paper to cover most situations and a drawer full of ribbons and bows. I love making up gifts of homemade baking with pretty containers and cellophane Hell, I buy gift wrapping resources when I don’t have any gifts to wrap. And I save paper and gift bags when I receive them. Family tradition. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-wrap-presents/629699/26 "2012-07-29T02:49:34Z")
My gift wrapping ability is so terrible it’s part of family lore. ---
**Author:** ![Deanna\_D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e495f1/32.png) [@Deanna\_D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deanna_D)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-wrap-presents/629699/27 "2012-07-29T03:30:44Z")
I’ll admit I’m great at wrapping presents…but only because I was actually trained on the proper way to wrap when I worked at a Hallmark store many, many, many years ago. I had never even thought about it until that point…but I learned how to cut the perfect size of paper needed, how to hide the tape, and even match up the patterns on the paper. And don’t even get me started on making bows! Yes, I had to learn how to do that, too. Apparently, my skills as a former professional wrapper have landed me the permanent gig as the designated wrapper for my entire family, even though I really, really hate doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-wrap-presents/629699/28 "2012-07-29T04:57:33Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > I told the recipient of the last gift I wrapped that there were mentally disabled kids wrapping presents at the mall for a donation. She had no problems believing that. I believe this is a scene that was cut out of _Bad Santa_ and should have been left in there. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-wrap-presents/629699/29 "2012-07-29T05:06:47Z")
I am the Grand Suckmaster of wrapping. At the same time, I can’t bring myself to pay someone else to wrap things. So I do a shitty job, because it’s more ‘personal’. Thank all the gods for gift bags, lol. I’m female, and I’m good with my hands. But wrapping…forget it. Which is odd, given that I can wrap a spanakopita like NOBODY’s business. I mean, it’s a work of art when I am done. But wrapping paper…hrm. Maybe if I layered it with butter as I went along… ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-wrap-presents/629699/30 "2012-07-29T05:17:01Z")
I enjoy it and am very good at it. Wish I had more opportunities to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Obeseus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbce88/32.png) [@Obeseus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obeseus)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-wrap-presents/629699/31 "2012-07-29T05:31:15Z")
I am lousy at it, and I don’t care. It’s just wrapping paper that will be torn off and thrown away. The objective is to make it so the recipient doesn’t know what it is until the wrapping is torn off. I accomplish that. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-wrap-presents/629699/32 "2012-07-29T05:34:01Z")
BTW, I wrap a pretty mean package. So much so that sometimes the “outer” is better than the “innards.” Having learned that, sometimes at Xmas my older brother and SIL take pictures of my (our) gift when it comes, and leave it for one of the last to be opened. They do work good as decoration because I like to illustrate what’s to come: baby shower? incorporate curved pacifiers as bows. Christmas? dangle candy canes from crimped red ribbon. (Way easy.) One time I wrapped a good friend’s daughter’s wedding gift with “whipped” napkins as ribbon and papiermache magnolia napkin rings as bows. Inside was a set of matching placemats. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-wrap-presents/629699/33 "2012-07-29T05:39:08Z")
I’m so-so, but I’m too lazy to wrap presents most of the time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-do-you-wrap-presents/629699.md?page=1)