Trailer Wife

DAY SEVENTEEN: The Fine Art of Package Wrapping

I spent four hours tonight wrapping presents. It is one of my favorite of the many domestic tasks we're charged with in December. My dad was a famously enthusiastic wrapper. Because my mom was a unconscionable peeker, he would wrap boxes with enough paper and padding to withstand nuclear winter, let alone the sneaky tendencies of my otherwise goody-goody mother. Using medical tape (which cannot be lifted without bringing everything with it), several boxes within boxes, and even newspaper and small blankets to make guessing impossible, he took great pleasure in the hours it took us on Christmas morning to (finally!) reveal what lay inside. To this day, I cannot wrap a present without carefully squaring the corners, double layering the paper, and completely sealing every seam with adhesive. The longer it takes to unwrap, the better.

**co-writing credit to Heidi