Grandma Henke

I wanted to do something different in the living room this year for Christmas so I got this clever brainy idea to wrap all the pictures hanging on the walls in the living room in Christmas wrapping paper with big bows.        

Then I decided to wrap the two 7 foot high book cases that are on either side of the fireplace because they are so brown and the rest of the room is all festive looking with garland and poinsettia’s and lights and packages on the wall.    Wrapping paper by nature is thin stuff and I was afraid the grandkids or the animals (equally dangerous to decorations) would rip it or poke a finger through it  so I decided to run quick into St. George and drop by Steam Roller’s and run it through the laminator.

Since I had to go to the big city anyway, I decided I didn’t really like the green polka dotted wrapping paper I already had on hand so I stopped by Hallmark to look at their 3 foot wide paper … and lucky me, I found the perfect one!    Two rolls of it!    It’s blue and has different colored writing of different phrases of ”The Night Before Christmas” with cute little tiny pictures about the poem scattered through it.   Trust me; it’s cool paper.

Finally I get to Steam Roller’s and find out the the laminator is only two feet wide.    No problem I’m told, just cut the paper into the 8 foot lengths I need and fold it in half lengthwise with the pretty side out.   (The girl there really likes this paper, by the way, as well as my idea.)  To me that sounds like heck of a lot of work but I’m already committed to this project now so I need to finish.  Savvy?    Once laminated I had to cut it all along the seams … being extra careful on the folded side not to nick it but still get close enough so it opens smooth leaving me with the 36 inch lamination I needed.     It took me forever.    I was wearing a turtleneck long sleeved shirt under a pull over sweater and soon found out why the place is called Steam Roller’s.    

So, then I have 24 feet of laminate wrapping paper and needed beautiful ribbon, which is at  Costco.  Wouldn’t you know, everyone and their dog is already there.   There wasn’t even an empty cart because they were all full and lined up at the check out stands.     Because I am still clinging to this vision of colorful bookshelves, and because I’m already into this at least a thousand dollars I line up behind the bulging carts.   Costco doesn’t believe in registers for “ten purchases or less” because that would be wimpy.   Nobody goes to Costco and buys less than tem items!    It just isn’t done!

Finally, five hours later I get home with  my 24 feet of laminated wrapping paper and beautiful gold ribbon.   My thirteen year old grand daughter took one look at it and said, ”Ewwwww, why did you choose that ugly paper?   I hate It.”     

So, behaving like the mature, sweet grandmother that I am, I snapped, “Because I love ugly, expensive, cheap looking Christmas decorations, that’s why!”

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