So--here's a story about my household I need to tell--

you needn't read further, but I have to vent.

My house is small. There are two of us. There is one bedroom, the library, where the computer is, and a storage room downstairs with a closet that is generally closed, and which I never have to get into--just about. Oh, it has the lock-box with our important papers. It has the spare luggage, which we only need about every three or four years or so that we can afford a good vacation. But the reason I do dip into that closet at least once a year is because that is where I keep the Christmas wrappings.

I don't decorate. I don't really go out for doing fancy wrapping for birthdays or what have you. But I did have a nice array of paper, ribbon, "to-from" stickers, and variably sized boxes for sweaters and the like.

Today would have been a lovely day to do my wrapping. Snow falling like the ash at Pompeii. A good "in-doors day." Most of my shopping done, or at least pre-empted by the weather. But when I looked in my storage room closet--I had my luggage. I had my fire-proof lock-box. And there was no great big bag of Christmas wrapping.

I recalled that my husband had cleaned out the storage room earlier in the year, so as to accommodate his deli-slicer and table, because charcuterie is very important to him. But I did not recall being told that I had no wrapping paper for Christmas, which would have been very important to know, sometime before the weekend before Xmas! When I told him I would have gotten to wrapping presents today *if* I had the wherewithal to do so, he admitted he did throw out my stash (believing it to be aged and possibly tatty), and simply forgot to tell me.

Until I prompted him to do so. I spent several minutes absolutely beside myself, only distracted by his having made short ribs for dinner, followed by fixing me a cocktail. Otherwise I think I'd have been far grumpier.

I suppose, in the next four days, I could possibly dig myself out from a butt load of snow and even go near a shopping area to procure wrapping materials (although my foray into a commercial area Friday simply pulsated with evil--and traffic) and acquire the necessary materials--in between going to work, getting gas and doing other valuable shopping. But I am most puissantly put out. I'm not even entirely sure what "puissantly" means, but I've seen it before in print and am sure it means I'm very put out indeed.

That's my story. Had to vent.

do let me know :D

Mine, for not checking before-hand that I had enough Christmas-wrap--my husband's, for throwing away perfectly good stuff, and everyone else's, for Christmas being when it is, and people expecting presents, and probably wanting them wrapped and all.

I don't suppose I could get away with stealing Sunday newspapers tomorrow, and using the funny pages....I'm still working out my next plan.

We've done comics.
My dad, not known for his wrapping skills, has on occasion used a torn scrap of wrapping paper - something like a rat may have gnawed off the roll for nesting material, and attached it unceremoniously to a small corner of the gift with duct tape, making no pretense of covering the entire package at all.
We've used plain brown paper, sometimes drawn on, sometimes not.
I've used printed photos (off my computer printer) of my flower garden.
I've used fabric before and just recycled it back to the scrap box after, instead of buying paper and throwing it away. In a pinch, I imagine towels or pillow cases would work.

My grandma however, was the best. For some reason she took a job as a christmas gift wrapper at a local mall after she was retired, even though she was jewish and didn't celebrate christmas. I can only imagine how she wrapped gifts for customers. The one instance I remember from visiting her was seeing her pull a piece of crumpled tin foil from her trash, smooth it out a small amount, and wrap a gift in that like old leftovers. :)

Old bedsheets are a bit posh to use, aren't they? I have some gift-basket-type things where I can use saran-wrap, but otherwise, I really have to hie myself to a store with paper goods (yay--traffic and so on!)

those of us who have places to go, work and things to procure... :D

ever wondered what I looked like, I have a graphic estimate.

Got a quick route?

And I don't blame you one bit. My 'stranged' husb just throws things away, whether or not anyone has indicated a need or desire for them. This includes books, and I suspect most of my cookbooks. We're separated. He sold our house.

Comics would be FINE, imo.

:hi:

Back on topic: best of luck. Wish we could just order you some paper and have it delivered.

paper grocery bags. Colored ribbon, stickers all over the bags. It was fun.

it was fun!

Japanese Gift wrapping. Very pretty and like a gift wrapped in a gift. I have used napkins, towels and material scraps. Square scarves are hard to find anymore but they are the most elegant.

Furoshiki:
http://hubpages.com/hub/art-of-japanese-gift-wrap


A guide to the many ways of Furoshiki:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/236915/How-to-use-Furoshiki-How-to-wrap-packages-like-the-Japanese

Hope this gives you some ideas. :hi:

I know that feeling though, although it's usually my husband on the other end of it, after I have had a mad cleaning frenzy...

He made the problem, he can make the solution.

That would be my expectation, or the deli slicer gets tossed into the snow.

One year I came into the living room to find a nice fire ablaze in the fireplace. Coming a little closer, I saw that then-hubby had burned both my collection of odd little pieces of driftwood (collected over many years) AND the little stool with a built-in cubbyhole that my great-grandfather had made for me.

Well. If only Skittles had been nearby.