One of the cruel dichotomies of the universe is I am very easy to buy gifts for. Family and friends are quite generous at the gift-giving events and they report walking around practically anywhere in the world and see something and think “Uncle Josh would love this”. They are usually right.
The sad reverse of this is I can barely think of anything to buy anyone, especially at Christmas. I do walk around and see things and think “oh so-and-so would like that” or “that’s perfect for so-an-so” but instead of buying the damn thing and setting a reminder to wrap it later, I write it down in a note that I perpetually lose until January 10th each year, when my Christmas Ideas List suddenly appears again.
I suspect this is the source of Those Damned Penguins.
I purchased this roll of wrapping paper at least ten years ago, according to my rough memory, which means it has survived two moves and continues to live with us. The roll itself is too long to fit in the handy box we use to store our wrapping paper, tape, labels, ribbons, gift bags, and shirt boxes. It has to live outside this box on its own.
And the roll will not die. We use it for the largest gifts we get every year. I wrapped up a STAND MIXER in this stuff two years ago. And every year there is more to the roll. I am pretty sure it’s growing. It’s a mild curse, though, because so far the new penguins we reveal each year are still just penguins and they don’t have tentacles or anything strange. I mean anything stranger than penguins in winter caps and scarves, that is.
I suspect the lesson here is I need to learn how to be generous at Christmas. I’ve had good years, of course. The first Christmas after I started earning an Adult Salary was incredibly fun and everyone loved their new Pendleton coats. I enjoy spending money on people and being generous, I just don’t manage to do it often enough. I wonder if I can have three or four good Christmases in a row maybe the penguin paper will finally resolve itself and end its seemingly eternal stay in my closet. That will take some work. Like getting Christmas cards actually written and getting a box to my mother in the post before Epiphany.
But it’s worth it. I will be a better person if I could practice this more reliably.
The only downside is I’d have to buy another roll of wrapping paper.
Happy Christmas!