Wrapping Christmas gifts..... and drinking

You know most retailers will gift wrap for you when you buy, right?

Where's the fun in that? It's a process, a guilty pleasure I enjotly each year.

Like many here, it's another escape we find to ourselves to kick back for a bit, not be rushed and enjoy a drink or ten.

 

I'm not bitching

2 hours ago, Longhornstampede said:

Every year I go thru the same routine.

Buy gifts.

Stockpile gifts in my office/practice room.

Have weeks long intentions of wrapping gifts at least 2 weeks before Christmas so they will actually spend time under the tree.

Evey time I plan on wrapping them a dread of going thru the act of getting the paper, finding scissors and tape, name tags, ribbons or bows just crushes my motivation.

One week before Christmas, panick-stricken and guilt ridden because there are no presents from me to ANYONE under the tree, I finally bite the bullet and lock myself away in said room with all my supplies, plus some booze. Put on some music and start wrapping.

I realize and say to myself "this is kind of nice, I'm in here in the quiet, drinking and I absolutely know she won't bug me because she knows what I'm doing, this is some good me time". I take my time, relax, feel no pressure and when I finally emerge she accepts that Ive accomplished something.

 

Every damn year this happens, when will I ever learn? I need gift wrapping sessions all year long.

 

What you’re looking for is called golf.

put a fridge in the garage and drink beer there, alone. 

I couldn't find any damn tags, so I wrapped my presents in reverse so that I could write names on the paper.  I thought that was pretty clever.  Wife not amused.

I use Wal Mart plastic bags to wrap the gifts in. When the box is too big, lawn and leaf bag it is.

Edited December 22, 2020 by LonghornJones
speling

My dad used to wrap stuff like a Russian nesting doll, every box would be individually wrapped, some of oils be wrapped in duct tape. I remember one year he gave my mom a necklace, but it started with a stereo box.

OP hasn't heard of gift bags 

11 hours ago, Longhornstampede said:

Every year I go thru the same routine.

Buy gifts.

Stockpile gifts in my office/practice room.

Have weeks long intentions of wrapping gifts at least 2 weeks before Christmas so they will actually spend time under the tree.

Evey time I plan on wrapping them a dread of going thru the act of getting the paper, finding scissors and tape, name tags, ribbons or bows just crushes my motivation.

One week before Christmas, panick-stricken and guilt ridden because there are no presents from me to ANYONE under the tree, I finally bite the bullet and lock myself away in said room with all my supplies, plus some booze. Put on some music and start wrapping.

I realize and say to myself "this is kind of nice, I'm in here in the quiet, drinking and I absolutely know she won't bug me because she knows what I'm doing, this is some good me time". I take my time, relax, feel no pressure and when I finally emerge she accepts that Ive accomplished something.

 

Every damn year this happens, when will I ever learn? I need gift wrapping sessions all year long.

 

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=gift+bags&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

 

Welcome to the future. Or just get married. Put no effort into wrapping gifts so that they're so terrible looking that the wife takes over all wrapping duties. Wife wraps everything except your gifts to her. Those go in bags. Life is good. I love Christmas.

Edited December 22, 2020 by BradInATX

11 hours ago, Longhornstampede said:

Every year I go thru the same routine.

Buy gifts.

Stockpile gifts in my office/practice room.

Have weeks long intentions of wrapping gifts at least 2 weeks before Christmas so they will actually spend time under the tree.

Evey time I plan on wrapping them a dread of going thru the act of getting the paper, finding scissors and tape, name tags, ribbons or bows just crushes my motivation.

One week before Christmas, panick-stricken and guilt ridden because there are no presents from me to ANYONE under the tree, I finally bite the bullet and lock myself away in said room with all my supplies, plus some booze. Put on some music and start wrapping.

I realize and say to myself "this is kind of nice, I'm in here in the quiet, drinking and I absolutely know she won't bug me because she knows what I'm doing, this is some good me time". I take my time, relax, feel no pressure and when I finally emerge she accepts that Ive accomplished something.

 

Every damn year this happens, when will I ever learn? I need gift wrapping sessions all year long.

 

I too enjoy this tradition.  I even wrap all the stocking stuffers.  Pour a big cocktail or five.  Put a movie, or a football game on.  Music is always choice.  It's best when she's out shopping and the house is silent, but I have an office and can make it work.  I use it as my 2-3 hours of reflecting on the year.

Hey @BearSchlong, was it your dad that had the industrial-sized roll of wrapping paper that he’d been using for 20+ years, or am I confused with another poster?

 I think it was jt that took so much pride in his wrapping that he’d make the designs on paper match when it was all done. I was impressed. 

On 12/22/2020 at 7:54 AM, Knoxtnhorn said:

I couldn't find any damn tags, so I wrapped my presents in reverse so that I could write names on the paper.  I thought that was pretty clever.  Wife not amused.

Semi pro tip:. Cut a 3x5 ish peice of wrapping paper.  Fold it in half to look like a mini card.  Tape it to the wrapped gift.  Write names on it.  

It’s Christmas Eve and where am I? At Target.

WTF am I doing here like some dipshit who didn’t prepare? Glad you asked.

We traveled home from overseas for Christmas and instead of packing presents, we just did Amazon and had them shipped to the parents.  Dad said they got several packages, they are stashed in the guest room, no worries.

Time to wrap and drink and what do I find? My adult family members’ shit got here. What’s not here? Gifts for the two kids (under 10). Looking at Amazon and the packages were left on the porch on days my mom is out of the house, it’s clear that they were lifted.

I am not in favor of the death penalty but actually, I am and I’d happily deliver a bullet to the head of thieves that steal packages at Christmas time.

 

 

9 hours ago, dingleberryswitzer said:

Semi pro tip:. Cut a 3x5 ish peice of wrapping paper.  Fold it in half to look like a mini card.  Tape it to the wrapped gift.  Write names on it.  

Pro Tip: Sharpie on the wrapped box. No one cares about a tag.

12 minutes ago, Sam Lin said:

Pro Tip: Sharpie on the wrapped box. No one cares about a tag.

Haha, yea I do that shit too.  I always tell myself I'll go back and put a real tag on it later. Sometimes I do, sometime I don't.

14 hours ago, Sam Lin said:

Pro Tip: Sharpie on the wrapped box. No one cares about a tag.

No man, or kid cares.  Other demographics will definitely care.

I drink whiskey and put gifts in bags.
The end.

I feel like shit today.... may have over did the Russell’s, but I will chalk it up to the lack of sleep 

Completely, 100% in line with OP/Longhornstampede here. Had 6-7 retail bags full of various things to wrap last night, plus Santa/stockings to set up for the littles. Retired to the office with a drink or three, and thoroughly enjoyed thinking about the recipients of each gift, what we've done together throughout the year, what the gift might mean to them, etc. 

We're full-on sharpie-directly-on-wrapping-paper tho. Bows and tags, ain't nobody got time for that shit.

On 12/22/2020 at 12:27 AM, Incredulity said:

What you’re looking for is called golf.

I have a 12 handicap. It was evening and a little cold.

On 12/22/2020 at 1:12 AM, elfenix said:

put a fridge in the garage and drink beer there, alone. 

This is in my garage. The first pic is just after I cleaned it up. I installed a new compressor, thermocouple and schrader valve so I could fill it with r134.

 

I put together this kiddie grand piano for the youngest one.  The assembly was the easy part, took a half a drink to finish.    But there's two pages of warnings and troubleshootings about the keys that shift maniacally during shipping.  Took a long while and a half bottle of Jefferson Reserve to get that done.  But it sounds legitimate now despite my damn near 24 hour hangover.  Dads........this is the way.