As kids age, it gets harder and harder to find a spot to hide gifts.
And I don't mean just your own kid, I am talking mankind's kids. Kids have access to all sorts of things... games that are pointless, games that simulate real flying and certify you to fly for Delta after so many hours and online libraries -Right at their finger tips!
You can imagine my down troddeness when J. wanted to do some freelance chores to earn money and I said:
"Well, grab that box in my closet and put it together"
and he said:
" You want me to put my gift together?"
"You think that's for you?"
J: "Well, I asked for one."
ME:" Yeh, that's how I knew what to tell Granma and Padre to get the other boy grandchildren your age. And anyway, do you know how hard it is for Santa to put stuff together in one night? "
J: "uhhhh."
ME: "This will be a good service op for you to put something together for someone else!"
I let there be silence *cause I heard that's a good way to teach a point*; To just sit there a minute.
And I had to find the stool I originally wanted him to put together for me. Once that was found I told him to go ahead and put it together. Which he couldn't. Because something is wrong with how they made it. I even tried. We have one exactly like it; made already and so, yeh, all that work for seemingly nothing.
Making mistakes or doing something for nothing is rarely for naught. I've learned it helps you learn a lot of patience. That or it sharpens your vocabulary. And it ruined the joke I was going to play on him when he opened some gifts that were just wrapped for decoration.... So now I gotta un-wrap those, find something small to put in the bigger boxes, and re-wrap them.
Well, it taught me that Santa's Elves sometimes make mistakes and then ya have to send it back and get them to send the right thing. And that means standing in a line somewhere. Which might not happen if you are wearing a Hazmat Suit and it's been over 30 minutes. (They can only work 30 minutes with those on cause it is so hot, sweaty and cumbersome. It is like running a marathon/Ragnar/and climbing Mt. Everest in 30 minutes. So there's NO WAY that stool is getting returned before Christmas.
Padre might be right. Buying from somebody that you can actually go over to and hand them the device is priceless. And speeds up your return.
I wish it were like in the olden days. When I visited my Grandma's house (and Grandpa - but it's always to Grandmother's house we go.... ) she had a table set up downstairs. It was her gift wrapping station. I have no idea or recall what my grandmother gave me; it didn't matter. All I remember was that the gifts were wrapped with such care and detail, that it looked like myrrh was wrapped in it. Or a little shepherd boy leading the way to the newborn babe....
It was divine.
They made ribbon worth twirling back then. Never did the scissors fail and give a flat twirl. No, each was as springy and curly Q-ed as Nellie Olson's hair on Little House on The Prairie.
Grandma could splice ribbon, make it bunch up like new shoveled snow that reached the roof tops back in those Idaho Falls winters of the 70's. The paper wasn't flimsy and if it was, she made sure she delicately wrapped that vintage paper to the best of her ability. Heck,, it could have been paper from when she opened her gifts as a girl because, back then, you opened it with a knife. So it didn't ruin the paper.
And you KEPT that paper. Can you imagine the eye googling they would find if they saw us tear open an iphone mega watt 16 thousand and ruin the box? yeh, Padre would have a conniption. But it just seems the reason for that wrapping station was to slow ya down. Not hustle through the season but ponder the lists that had been written, the letter from your son in Vietnam, and maybe just some time to yourself to be creative.
I find myself yearning for this creative time. Unfortunately one of the things that I found that called out my name involves a lot of glue. The hot kind. And newspaper. Got plenty of that. I only have to make a thousand rosettes. Simple, huh? Actually you could use an old book but that makes me nervous. I don't like to ruin books. even from the library sales!
So back to gift hiding- I have the solution: Duct Tape. Just grab their arms and, using the duct tape much like rope, tie your best scout knot that you can find online and then put the tape over their eyes. No peeking! For good measure put some over your own mouth so you don't spill the beans either.
I gotta bolt. Upload pics when I can. I have another post almost ready. But it needs tweaking. Pray Padre will just take some pics for me and upload them! Gosh! Oh, and that he will set up a little work station for me to wrap gifts. I have been using the ironing board and am really glad to get some use out of it. ha, ha. Kidding. It actually is small and compact and with a table cloth looks like decor.
J. wrote a letter to Santa after I told him the about 'Believing.' And Wishing. Even if there is NO chance you will get it- put it on a list and you might be surprised. Or either end up making your own wish come true.
He got right to it and so did I. I got on my knees and asked God specifically for what I wanted. His letter got taped to my computer so I could send it to Santa. My nephew visited, read a book with me a long with J's letter and asked if he could come here and write a letter to Santa.
He must think I have an in with the Post Office delivery to the North Pole.
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