This is the final day of my countdown to Christmas Eve, and in just 24 hours Philippe I will begin opening presents! For today’s prompt, however, we have just a single little gift and some scissors. When I was a kid, we wouldn’t get our presents until Christmas Day, but his tradition is to give them out the evening before. Since this meant getting them a bit early, I was happy to adopt his tradition as my own so long as we still got stockings on Christmas morning. This, along with blueberry muffins as that’s what my mother always made. What I didn’t discover until after making this agreement is that he doesn’t want to even see any of the wrapped gifts until the final moment. I’ve begged for a compromise and asked that some be placed under the tree today so it doesn’t look so barren. He looked at me and smiled in that way he has that implies neither agreement nor argument. A sort of “that’s adorable” look that doesn’t usually deliver any results at all. Without asking, I snuck the present that he’s getting from Phineas under the tree figuring, if nothing else, he wouldn’t be able to argue with the dog.
I wrapped most of Philippe’s gifts this afternoon and confirmed again my complete lack of patience for the sport of gift concealment. I start with good intentions, but get immediately bored and start cutting and bending the paper like a madman in hopes the gift will disappear already. Once the poor package has been throttled into submission, often loosely clothed in wrinkled wrapping paper, I move on to the second step. This one is very important as it involved bits of ribbon and bows that can hopefully revive the gift and make it look presentable. The issue is, I’ve never learned to use ribbon properly and so I sort of tape it on where I think it should go, like I’m painting it in, hiding the majority of the tape on the bottom and to one side. This leaves a perfectly respectable side that looks quite passable under the tree. When it comes time to open gifts, we select and bring the gift to the other person. I carefully present my gift’s good side to Philippe and it’s ripped open before he has time to fully notice my ruse. At least that’s how it plays out in my imagination. In reality, I get a “that’s adorable” expression again.
But as long as the gift arrives properly hidden, the evening is ready to commence. It’s a fabulous night of surprises that makes it my absolute favorite of the year. And thankfully, if Philippe has a “practical” gift he usually sneaks that into my stocking the following day. Like the year that next to the handful of Belgian chocolates and Pez dispensers I found a little wrapped gift I thought was a fountain pen. I gave him a sly glance and excitedly began to open it only to discover a nose and ear hair trimmer. Being reminded of your actual age when you’re fully lost in the delusion of pretending to be a child is a bit like suffering whiplash. But, in the end, all gifts are given with love, and each is special, if for wildly different reasons. So, tomorrow, I’ll attack the last remaining little presents with my questionable style, cursing to myself along the way, still deliriously happy. With each bit of poorly placed tape, I’m reminded that this moment is special, and it will be a full year before I’ll enjoy my bumbling version of dressing boxes in holiday drag, with my earnest and heartfelt imitation of wrapping gifts for Christmas Eve.
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About the DoodlewashDa Vinci Paint Co.: Quinacridone Red, Quinacridone Gold, Cobalt Blue and Payne’s Gray. Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with sepia ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. |
LOL! I love Philippe’s idea of a practical present. Have fun with your wrapping, unwrapping, and sharing. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
hehe! Yeah, we’ll see what practical gift I get this year! Thanks so much, Sharon! Merry Christmas to you and yours! 😃💕
Enjoy your evening tomorrow.
Thanks so much, Rod! 😃💕 Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!
🎅🎅🎅🎄🎄🎄🎇🎇🎇
Well this package is looking very well wrapped…Enjoy the fun of giving and receiving.
Thanks so much, Pamela! 😃💕 I can wrap much better in painted form! lol
Now I have a vision of you coming from the room after wrapping present with tape in your hair and bits of wrapping paper floating about from your fight with wrapping. I’m sure you earn Philippe’s ‘that’s adorable’ looks, lol. As always, your painting is fantastic and shiny – both in the metallic and ‘Firefly’ meanings!
Hehehe, great visual. I bet it isn’t too far off, Sandra. It sounds like Charlie spends some time “in the wars” when he’s wrapping. ;o) It’s just good that he still enjoys it!
Thanks so much, Sandra!! 😃💕 hehe… yeah, I usually have bits of tape on me and am covered in glitter. Festive!!
Oh, your story is just too funny. I am absolutely sure you will all have a glorius Christmas day. Your painted package is so
Shiny and pretty. Love the addition of the scissors.
Thanks so much, June! 😃💕 hehe… it’s going to be a wonderful weekend. Hope yours is as well my friend!
Always thoroughly enjoy your posts and paintings! Have a very Merry Christmas! Happy New Year to you and yours!
Aww thanks so much, Fantine! 😃💕 A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!
And this, my friend, is why they invented gift bags! I have a whole collection of bags for every occasion! Happy Holidays!!
Thanks, Lisa! 😃💕 Happy Holidays! hehe… yeah, I sometimes go the gift bag route, but we didn’t have any this year so I had to struggle through! lol
Wonderful painting….Love the bow. Your story had me in stitches!!! Merry Christmas, Charlie.
Thanks so much, Mary!! 😃💕 Hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
There’s a lot to be said for gift bags, but there’s more of the traditional in wrapping. Lovely doodlewash! May you, Philippe and Phineas have a very Merry Christmas.
Thanks so much, Laura! 😃💕 A very Merry Christmas to you and yours! Yeah, I love wrapped gifts, even my wonky ones! hehe
Merry Christmas, Charlie! 🎁 I try to wrap at least one gift with gift wrap but then I take the lazy way and put gifts in gift bags. One year, I got super creative and hid clues and gifts around the house like a scavenger hunt… I had so much fun! Wish you a day of happy surprises, my friend! 😍🎄✨
Thanks, Jill! 😃💕 Hope you have a fantastic Christmas my friend! And yay to a scavenger hunt… that sounds like a blast!!! FUN!
Merry Christmas Charlie!
Thanks, Eileen! 😃💕 A very Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Thanks Charlie for all your wonderful stories and paintings! You have such a wonderful outlook on life. Enjoy each moment that you can. Have a Merry Christmas and hope you get everything you wish for! 😊🎄
Thanks so much, Linda! 😃💕 Hope you have a fantastic Christmas as well!
That’s an impressive looking present. All glittery and a shiny good surprise! The magic will begin soon! Enjoy.
Thanks, Susan!! 😃💕 Eeeek! I can’t wait!! I’m counting down the hours!!
Hehehe, I love that, dressing boxes in holiday drag. You’re getting expert at PAINTING wrapping and bows so I think that counts. ;o)
Thanks, Jennifer!! 😃💕 hehe… yeah… that should totally count for something, right?? lol
Happy Holidays!
Thanks, Mia! 😃💕 Happy holidays to you as well!
Another beautiful painting, Charlie! I can sense all your LOVE for Christmas, Philippe, Phineas and for the rest of this world, all packed and wrapped in this one painting. I hope I will manage to find the best way to pack our love and light, and send them back to you and your family! Merry Christmas!
Aww that’s so sweet of you, Violeta!😃💕 What a beautiful wish! Thanks so much my friend and I hope you and your family have an amazing Christmas!!
Maybe you cannot wrap a perfect package . . .but you certainly are good at drawing and painting one. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Yay! There’s something at least! hehe Thanks so much, Kaye! 😃💕 A very Merry Christmas and fantastic New Year to you and yours!
Enjoy your Christmas Charlie!
Thanks so much, Tom! 😃💕 I can’t WAIT! hehe….. hope you’re having a wonderful month my friend!
Merry Christmas Charlie! I always enjoy reading your posts even though I don’t comment regularly.
Aww thanks, Louise! I’m so happy to know that! 😃💕 Hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
Thank you for the smiles. Merry Christmas to you Charlie and of course Philippe. ❤🥂🎄
Glad I made ya smile! Thanks, Susan! 😃💕 Hope you and yours have a wonderful Christmas!
I wish you all Merry Christmas!
Thanks so much! Merry Christmas to you as well! 😃💕
Have fun unwrapping! Happy Christmas.
JP x
Thanks JP! 😃💕 hehe… I can’t WAIT! So soon now…. it’s really too much! Hope you have a very Happy Christmas!
Merry Christmas Charlie! This is funny but I like your scissors! They look like mine… 🙂
hehe! Thanks so much, Lori! 😃💕 I’m so thrilled you recognized them! Scissors are tough to sketch!
You’re outdoing yourself with this month’s posts, Charlie. So much thought into wrapping presents and writing the articles that accompany your Doodlewashes – really wonderful to read each one.
I might have to adopt Philippe’s adorable expression – sounds like it covers at lot of Scotch tape.
Thanks so much! I’m so happy you’ve been enjoying these! It’s tougher to write posts during the month when I get so giddy I can hardly see straight! hehe 😊 And yes, that expression works for so many different occasions! lol 😉💕
Sounds like Philippe gives you many of the same looks my husband gives me. Does he ever give you the “oh for heavens sake what are you doing now look”?
Sigh I get that one rather often, generally when he looks over and I am surrounded in art supplies and quite possibly wearing most of them. 😆
lol… yeah, there are actually a myriad of looks that I get. I’m usually just thankful nothing more is said. I fully really I’m crazy, and there no sense going on and on about it. 😉
But you have to admit we do make life interesting!