MIL just told me sellotape is common...

[Diorissimo1985]

... is it?! I had no idea

She just told me off for wrapping presents with sticky tape and that I should be using just ribbon to hold the paper in place. I was a bit flummoxed as to how to respond.

Tell me, is this a thing?!
And why?!?

Is she in your house watching you wrap?!

Of course it's common, yoou should use fairy dust to stick the paper down. Silly woman.
On a side note I forgot to buy tape, I have paper and presents and I'm out of fairy dust too. must add it to thursdays shopping trip

How does all the paper stay in place whilst trying to tie the sodding ribbon around it?!

holidayshopping no, I face timed her earlier so she could see DD and she saw all my (common) wrapping stuff on the table

Wrap her present in tin foil.

Just when you think you've heard all the bonkers opinions. Sellotape is a practical solution to the gift wrapping conundrum. How can it be common, ghastly, or 'not smart' .

I too now need to know her opinion on gift bags, in particular those from Card Warehouse that are reused within the extended family multiple times over many years, like my family does.

I see it that we are being practical and non wasteful but I fear that she would disagree.

I know what she means - but I personally don’t care enough to bother. I do use sellotape invisibly if I’m not in a tearing hurry though.

I think the idea is that one should use the minimum of sellotape, preferably clear/invisible (though it never is invisible).

It's OK to tie up with ribbon if you are wrapping a straight sided box.

I get through oodles of sellotape!

She sounds a bit Hyacinth Bucket - is she?

I use washi tape - generic, non branded. Mainly for the clashing colours, and because I have a job lot the kids don't use.

I am thinking of gift bagging everything this year because our council is apparently not recycling the wrapping paper

"common"? I take it you're aristocracy or middle upper class then. Of course, it's "common", it's everywhere, lots of people use it, and it's fantastic.

Tell her you won't give he a present then & see how she feels. My presents are 90% sellotape by the time I'm done wrapping

I started wrapping without tape because I couldn't find any in the house. I am saying it is to reduce plastic rather than admit I am just too lazy to go out and get some.

As my mum got older and her sight became bad, she took to putting presents in plastic carrier bags and just wrapping sellotape randomly in one long bit round the outside then putting the whole thing in a present bag.

MrsJayy hmm not sure about gift bags, I don't know if one has ever crossed her threshold. I imagine those are common too.

She needs a card factory gift bag they are very sparkly

This is fine as an idea if you only have box shaped presents (or presents which can go in boxes)?

DH could wrap that space hopper with brown paper and string. Personally I couldn't wrap it at all, with or without sellotape.

I was given a present last week in a very posh gift bag. It's certainly not common.

but but how do you make it impossible for your brother to open his present by wrapping it completely in sellotape?? (clearly childish and common)

I think I'd be tempted to use a whole roll of tape and make it hard to open. Then make sure I'd asked for something really tricky to wrap. Perhaps some sort of kitchen item?

Zips are terribly nouveau too..

I always wanted to do presents american tv style, where you hand over a beautifully wrapped present with ribbon round and a bow on top.

The recipient somehow simply takes the lid off and gasps at the contents..

Then i decided i cba. You must somehow have to wrap the two sections of a box seperately but lined up so they look like one present when the lid is on.

Sellotape in this house. Parcel tape when we can’t find the sellotape, electrical or gorilla tape as a (frequent) last resort...

She and my mother would get on a treat. Christmas is littered with danger zones, including overly loaded and tastefully coordinated trees (naff), overly colourful trees (better than overly tasteful, but still vulgar). We always watch new partners to see if they get their hands on the right fork (and on the stem of the wineglass only).

@MrsJayy ahh, but wrapping stations are mostly definitely common, so your friend and her double sided sticky tape are even worse off than we sellotape petit bourgeois.