How to wrap crap presents so people love them
Have a gift that’s not up to scratch? Wrap it so no-one will notice!
Buying Christmas presents is unnecessarily difficult and stressful. It’s always left to the last minute. If you’re buying a kris kringle you can’t ask them what they want, and you’ve probably never even said ‘hi’ to the person you’ve been chosen to buy for anyway. Even if you’re buying for a family member, do you ask so it’s not a surprise? Do you even know what they like? What they already have?
There is only one stress free option, and that’s a gift card.
For the last 15 years I have been buying two of my family members a gift card from the same shop every Christmas. It works well, they buy me the same thing, from the same shop too. So we’re basically putting a bit of money aside to buy things during the Boxing Day sale.
But let’s be honest, a gift card is a pretty crappy present. There isn’t any thought (which is why we love it), the person receiving it might not think quite the same way though. So, we have to make it look good.
This is where visuals come into play.
You could go over the top in the wrapping. Sparkles, shiny paper, spend 2 hours on all those frilly bows that you need to cut 15 times with scissors then stress them until they curl in horror. Aaaaand when they’re opened it’s still a gift card…
Or… *drum roll*
Make the wrapping a challenge so they remember trying to get to the present more than the present itself.
Here are two of my favorites.
1. Get a huge box, the bigger the better (bought a couch recently?). Wrap your gift card nicely (no curly bows, just nice), throw some shredded paper or those packing peanuts (good way to make them someone else’s problem) in the bottom, throw your wrapped gift card in, then fill the rest of the box with your chosen filling. Tape it up and get your kids to draw all over it (who wants to wrap something that big? Plus you get the extra ‘aww’ because that’s the response they are required to give when kids are involved.)
2. Duct Tape. Make sure it’s placed in a gift card tin so the gift card doesn’t get damaged, then cover it in duct tape. Lots and lots of the stuff. It will take them hours to open it. Bonus points if you ‘forget’ to put the gift card in the box and hand it to them afterwards, making all their unwrapping efforts in vain.
A few other ideas include:
— Sparkles (lots and lots of sparkles), but only if Christmas dinner isn’t being held at your place.
— A nicely placed toy spider (or other creepy crawly).
— A gift card tin from a completely different, and somewhat embarrassing, shop.
So don’t make your crappy present a crap present, make it memorable.
See you round like a stone.
— SRRB
I’m the Sarcastic Ranting Rainbow Bird.
Just here to rant and have fun.
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