Wrapping Presents

Is there that one thing you hate about the December holiday season, well besides fighting the crowds looking for that perfect gift?

My one thing is wrapping presents. Actually, I hate wrapping presents any time of the year but even more so at Christmas. It could be because instead wrapping one or two gifts for a birthday, anniversary, or other special occasion, there are hundreds of things to wrap. Okay that's a slight exaggeration, it just seems like there are that many. :o)

My dislike of wrapping gifts led to one of my favorite holiday traditions. -- I was complaining about having so many gifts to wrap one year and my sister offered to come over and help.

I come from a large family and we buy for everyone - brothers, sisters, spouses, significant others, nieces, nephews. In my mom's case, she buys for her children, their spouses or significant others, grandchildren, great grandchildren so you can imagine how many things there are to be wrapped.

Ever since then, my mother, sister, and I get together on Christmas eve in the late afternoon and wrap presents while we talk and listen to Christmas music. We break for dinner - pizza from the local pizza place. After dinner, we turn any Christmas cartoons we can find on TV and continue wrapping until everything is done, usually about 9:00pm or so. 

We help my sister pack up the gifts she needs to take home then we put all the remaining presents under the Christmas tree as everyone converges on my mother's home the next day. We have one last cup of coffee while sitting and relaxing and admire our hard work as the packages glisten under the lights from the Christmas tree.

While this is a new tradition by most standards (we've only been doing it for about 5 years), I find myself looking forward to it every year.