wrapping paper

Last weekend was Christmas at the Lake with Kenny's side of the family. (It was a wonderful weekend, check later for a post about the festivities). Here is a pictures of our presents after I pulled them from under our tree preparing to pack them for the trip. I love the way they look together - fun coordinating wrapping paper, pretty bows, matching tags. It makes me a little giddy inside.

As mentioned in previous post, I really love wrapping paper. Well actually I really love paper - wrapping paper, stationery, scrapbooking, journals. It makes me really happy that my sister has gone into the stationery business because I have an inside track to feeding my addiction. But when I wrap presents there are rolls and rolls of paper, even more rolls of ribbon (different sizes, colors, textures), coordinating tags, tissue paper, bags. There is probably something seriously wrong with me (at this time I would like to mention that it is okay for me to say this but others should not agree).

{gifts for angel tree child}

A couple months ago, my mom, sister, and I placed an order for wrapping supplies. I had more fun looking through that catalog and deciding about coordinating items. The goodies came in the first on November and I was so excited when I got them that I came home and wrapped Carly's teacher's gifts!

My MIL just shakes her head at all the hullabaloo over the presentation (along with her son who has no concept of presentation even after 13 years of trying to explain it to him - he considers the present wrapped if it is in the WalMart bag). For probably 16 years, I have been making an appearance at my MIL's, 3 years as a girlfriend and the last 13 as a daughter-in-law. For each of those years, my presents have looked like this.

This is not an exaggeration - EXACTLY- like this. I'm not talking about the fact that there are never bows (ever) and the presents are marked with black Sharpie right on the paper. I'm referring to THIS EXACT paper. This paper was in the family before I was (16 years ago). My MIL had bought (for a steal) a gigantic roll of wrapping paper like you find at department stores. My first few years in the family ALL our presents were wrapped in this paper. But then it became such a "tradition" with my MIL taking much ribbing that she started parceling it out so we all started getting a couple of presents wrapped in it. This year I only had one.

You never know where family traditions are going to come from! What are we going to talk about when that paper runs out? She says don't worry that she's never going to run out!