Admitting this secret might ruin my chances of becoming the next Martha Stewart – albeit an African-American one with no jail time: I didn’t know how to gift wrap!
It’s true. This so-called “Susie Homemaker” and “domestic diva” had a serious holiday shortfall. No one ever complained about the lumpy, odd-shaped boxes I shoved off as gifts, but friends and relatives surely rejoiced once I gave up wrapping altogether in lieu of the handy gift bag.
Well, Martha, brandish your best scissors, because this year, I turned over a new curling ribbon. I even know what a curling ribbon IS now after a half-day spent gift wrapping with the pros at the Cherry Creek mall.
Volunteers from Jewish Women International offered to school me on gift beautification. Their charitable organization has hosted gift-wrap centers at area malls for the past 22 years. These ladies joke that Jews are the only people who have time to volunteer during the Christmas season.
Manager Adrean Pepper began my training by walking me through the wrapping basics. Then, when a customer came in needing several gifts wrapped, she entrusted me to go it alone.
First, I chose a gift box appropriate for two pair of girls’ jeans. I pressed a small piece of Scotch tape on the jeans tag and yanked to remove the price sticker without damaging it – just in case this gift needed to be returned. I wrapped the jeans in tissue paper to add suspense for the recipient, and taped the sides of the box to prevent it from opening while I finished the job.
Things went south after I realized that I picked the worst tool for a gift-wrapping newbie: foil. I was drawn to its red glimmer like Sleeping Beauty to the poisoned apple. But foil is thicker (and usually more expensive) than other types of wrapping paper, and tends to be harder to manipulate. I folded one side of the paper over the box and taped it. I had too much paper so I tried to trim it down. Accidently, I slit a hole in the paper I had already taped to the box.
My cheeks burned. I tried to hide my mistake by folding the other side of wrapping paper over the hole. But the jig was up. Boss Lady discovered the subterfuge and commented on my crooked paper edges. She said I forgot to create a straight seam. When she pulled back the paper to correct my mistake, she uncovered the bigger boo-boo – the gaping cut that I had been trying to hide.
“Oh no, that won’t do,” she said. “You’ll have to start over.”
My shoulders slumped. My head bowed. The look of failure must have seeped into my eyes because Pepper softened and assured me that everyone learns from mistakes. Gift wrapping is no different.
Still, it first took me 40 minutes to do what the other volunteers finished in 10. Countless ribbons suffered an untimely death before I got the hang of the shredder, a plastic device with “teeth” that tears ribbon or raffia into skinny pieces.
Then, the ultimate encouragement.
“It’s beautiful,” my customer gasped while balancing a half-dozen other gifts wrapped by other volunteers. The gold paper had “NOEL” printed in colorful shades all over it. And since the gift was for a girl, I topped it with pink curling ribbon and a traditional purple “star” bow.
I was taken aback by her response. Until that moment, I never understood why wrapping paper really mattered. Doesn’t it all just end up in the trash?
Pepper explained what I’d been missing: “The presentation of the package is just as important as what’s inside,” she said.
After a couple more hours, I was creating my own ribbon designs and mastering the use of double-sided tape. Every customer’s request was another chance to explore my creativity through wrapping paper.
I learned that taking the time to wrap a gift is oddly relaxing, perhaps because it allowed me to flex my detail-oriented, Type A personality. The exactness of straight edges, the nit-picky placement of each bow, the clarity of invisible tape is so … me.
I found a new way to experience the holidays, and learned that the gift is in the creating, as well as in the giving.
Staff writer Sheba R. Wheeler can be reached at 303-954-1283 or swheeler@denverpost.com.
Wrapping how-to
When it comes to wrapping gifts, some people feel like they have two left hands. These tips and tricks will make the wrapping chore more managemable.
If your gift is not rectangular, find a box to put it in for easier wrapping. This provides the chance to nestle the gift in tissue paper for a grander “unveiling.”
Check the label on any package of gift-wrapping paper to make sure there is enough paper to wrap your gift.
Choose a tube of gift-wrapping paper instead of pre-cut sheets that come folded into squares as they tend to have creases that give your package a crumpled appearance.
Transparent cellophane tape, especially the non-glossy kind, will give your package a tidier appearance than other types of tape.
– ehow.com
