Holiday Wrapping

 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 don't like wrapping presents any time of the year but even more so at Christmas. It could be because there are hundreds of things to wrap. And that is only a very slight exaggeration.

I come from a large family and we buy for everyone - brothers, sisters, spouses, significant others, nieces, nephews, their spouses/partners, and great nieces and nephews. In my mom's case, she buys for her five children, their spouses or significant others, all of her grandchildren and their spouses/partners,  and all of the great grandchildren. She buys everyone at least three gifts each so between all of the gifts she's purchased and all of the gifts I've purchased, you can imagine how many things there are to be wrapped.

My dislike of wrapping gifts has 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.

Ever since then, my mother, sister, and I get together on Christmas eve in the early 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 10:00pm or so.

We help my sister pack up the gifts she needs to take home. Luckily she only lives across the street. My mom and I put all the remaining presents under the Christmas tree as everyone converges on our home at various times the next day. Before heading off to bed, we have a Christmas cookie or two while sitting and relaxing and admiring our hard work as the packages glisten under the lights from the Christmas tree.

While I still am not a fan of wrapping presents, I find myself looking forward to this marathon wrapping session every year.