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Original poster

Wrapping for everyone else

44 replies

nanbread · 15/12/2020 20:09

Has anyone else been landed with wrapping all extended family's presents as well as your own?

Family on both sides have just ordered things to be delivered straight to me. Sensible idea perhaps but some still haven't arrived, I have no spare time except at weekends when DC are around and we are currently isolating so they can't be taken out to give me some time and space.

I have an injury making bending over wrapping difficult and am having to work evenings as looking after DC in day as well as juggling work means I'm not getting much done.

That's four lots of people sending gifts for four recipients, an average of two gifts per person = 32 extra gifts I've got to bloody wrap - and some of them are massive! It's also a logistical nightmare trying to work out who's sent what, for who, and making sure it's all labelled up correctly.

It's going to cost me a fortune in wrapping as well, probably 6 rolls worth of paper.

Rant over.

Anyone know a good, quick way round this?

OP posts:
sleepismysuperpower1 · 15/12/2020 20:15

if you have a poundland near you, they are doing rolls of xmas paper for 75p per roll (3m per roll). I'm in a similar situation, extended family are sending the presents straight here so DH and I have been doing 3 or 4 each every night when the dc are asleep.

majesticallyawkward · 15/12/2020 20:17

Get a few big bows and slap them on with a gift tag, bags for anything smaller and there's very little effort involved.

MrsTumbletap · 15/12/2020 20:29

Ok chill! Wrapping paper is about £3 for 3 rolls in Tesco. You can probably get it cheaper too.

If your back hurts do it sitting up at a table. Get the xmas tunes on and a cuppa and just crack on, it will probably take you a whole evening but then it will be done.

You could not wrap and just put tags and bows on the cardboard Amazon delivery box.

I have ordered and wrapped every present for every member of our family as DH is currently decorating each evening after work so he is knackered too. But I just wrap the presents as soon as they arrive, so every day I have wrapped 2 or 3 presents, label on, put it away.

BUT I must add, I am not overly fussy with how the wrapping looks, I fold it, tape it, done. I don't care if the corners are perfect or if there is a ribbon on etc. I also use the sticky tags, so just write on the label, stick it on done. Oh also get a tape dispenser. Those 2 things make wrapping sooooooo much easier.

Pipandmum · 15/12/2020 20:32

Did they ask you before they did this? It's odd so assume they did. Next time say no.

katy1213 · 15/12/2020 20:36

Don't wrap. Just stick them under the tree. Say you're doing it for the environment if you're too feeble to say you can't be arsed!

StCharlotte · 15/12/2020 20:39

Just say next year that could they please pay for wrapping - once they realise you're talking about 32 odd extra things to wrap.

Having said that, I received a "wrapped" gift from Amazon and it was shit.

WillSantaBeComingToTown · 15/12/2020 20:49

Why wrap?

Didn't they arrive in boxes or packages?

Just hand them over.

DrunkenKoala · 15/12/2020 20:52

Can you pay someone to wrap all the presents and then send the invoice to the extended family?

Missushbb · 15/12/2020 20:54

Only on invoice would someone suggest invoicing a family member! 😂. I do agree though, it can be very time consuming. Can you give them the presents to wrap themselves?

Elouera · 15/12/2020 20:54

Is this a joke???? How on earth and why did they send ALL their gifts to you? Even if you did actually agree, surely you asked for them to delivery their wrapping paper, or at the very least- pay for it?

Last year I used newspaper and nice ribbons, as a partial environmentally friendly wrapping.

I'd buy bulk (poundland, asda, tesco, online, charity shops) gift bags. Takes 5 seconds to put the gift in the bag and they can be reused year after year. Why spend hours cutting paper and cellotape???

Missushbb · 15/12/2020 20:54

@Missushbb

Only on invoice would someone suggest invoicing a family member! 😂. I do agree though, it can be very time consuming. Can you give them the presents to wrap themselves?
Only on mumsnet!
PlonkyPlink · 15/12/2020 20:55

I feel your pain OP, but feel so ungrateful saying it.

It’s not just the extra wrapping, but the extra thinking about what is from who, and also having to reply to constant messages asking if stuff has arrived yet. All made worse by the fact that 2 of my kids birthdays are in December and the same thing happened then too.

I don’t think relatives are doing it deliberately, they just don’t think through how many others are doing the same thing. It’s an extra headache on top of a busy life.

Missushbb · 15/12/2020 20:56

Gift bags good idea, but more expensive. If you're using wrapping paper, a tape dispenser is a game changer!

InDreamland · 15/12/2020 21:02

Pop down to Poundland, Home Bargains etc and buy a load of gift bags and chuck 'em in. Job done. Maybe order something like these

DrunkenKoala · 15/12/2020 21:22

@Missushbb

Only on invoice would someone suggest invoicing a family member! 😂. I do agree though, it can be very time consuming. Can you give them the presents to wrap themselves?
Alright maybe invoicing them is a bit harsh, but I think extended family should know how much extra workload they’ve put on the OP. (Otherwise she might find herself doing this every year).
Shieldingending · 15/12/2020 22:00

Wrapping presents on the ironing board saves backache!

CoolShoeshine · 15/12/2020 22:02

I’ve had this issue too this year, Amazon makes people so unimaginative! If they’re presents for my dc’s I just wrap them really basically I’m cheap Christmas paper, they don’t notice if it’s a bit sloppy. I’ve also got some sticker labels which are much easier thank tags - just insert name of who it’s too and who it’s from - no other niceties. If it’s for my dh he’d be ok to receive it in the Amazon packet.

tunnocksreturns2019 · 15/12/2020 22:05

I feel your pain. Anything else that arrives from now on isn’t being wrapped. I’m a widowed parent, grateful for gifts but Quite Busy.

Leeds2 · 15/12/2020 22:07

I sent my two great-nephews birthday presents direct to my sister (their grandma) during lockdown, and told her just to give them the parcels to unwrap without wrapping them in actual paper. I don't think either boy noticed! This time, I have ordered from Amazon and paid for Christmas wrapping!
So, I would give the DC their presents in the packaging they arrived in, or buy gift bags. I know these are more expensive, but you will be able to use them again next year. I would though check with each family member what exactly they have bought for each child, if you can't work it out.

MintTpls · 15/12/2020 22:16

We bought some gifts for Dns via Amazon as we won't see them this Christmas.
I made sure to include a gift bag with my order as not every item could be gift wrapped by Amazon.
Per item gift wrap can be expensive also but but an extra gift bag in my order solved the problem so SIL and BIL can just put in bag, seal snd put under tree.

oobedobe · 15/12/2020 23:38

I've been doing this for years, as we live overseas from family. It can be a pain, but they send my kids nice things (and ask me what they want) so I don't mind a bit of extra wrapping.

I know my kids will enjoy opening them all so I just get on with it (speedy wrapper here).

Original poster
nanbread · 15/12/2020 23:44

Did they ask you before they did this? It's odd so assume they did. Next time say no.

No. This is how it went, with all of them, more or less...

"Can I have some ideas on what to get you all for Xmas"

I send some ideas over

"I need more ideas please"

I rack my brains for more ideas and send

"I hope you don't mind but I've had it sent straight to yours. Can you wrap it and stick a gift tag on it, thanks"

Literally all extended family members bar one have done this.

Can't really say no once it's in the post... I did offer to my mum as one gift was very large and would have been impossible to post on.

I have to open all the packages, because I don't know what's in them and they're all bloody addressed to me!

Ironically a gift for me arrived today and was already wrapped - can't possibly expect hardworking DH to wrap something...

OP posts:
Original poster
nanbread · 15/12/2020 23:49

I would though check with each family member what exactly they have bought for each child, if you can't work it out.

This is an hour's work in itself, and more complicated than it sounds for reasons I won't go into because they might out me. And this time of year is significantly busier for us than for any other family member for reasons I won't go into here. I don't have the time for this plus wrapping, literally.

I am getting almost daily emails from them asking if item x has arrived yet or worried that item y won't get there in time...

Gift bags are a good idea. I have some old ones I can reuse.

OP posts:
TheCrow · 16/12/2020 00:56

Sorry but I'm going to have to agree with your family on this one, if they didn't have things sent to your house directly they would have them sent to their house, they would then have to wrap them, put them in even more packaging, go to the post office and send them forwards to you. Especially with the way the post is at the moment, I wouldn't want to risk gifts being in the postal system any longer than usual and not turning up at all. I have family all over the country and they've been sending items directly here too, I have a notebook where I write everything down- who ordered what, who it's for and when it's expected. If you literally don't have enough time in the day to wrap then just dont, it won't be the end of the world. Can DH not help? Or DC if they're old enough

Baileysoncereal · 16/12/2020 01:28

I don’t get why anyone thinks it’s weird people have sent gifts to OPs house
It’s a global pandemic
People aren’t visiting
There are delays in the postal system

I forwarded loads of gifts straight to family homes
I just presumed they’d give the gift in the box it comes in and stick a bow on it or something, just as I’ve done for all the gifts that came straight here

You don’t need to add all the stress on to yourself.
You do need to set boundaries though.

Can I have some ideas
Yes here...
Can I have more
No.. get something off the first list, pick something else, or don’t worry.

I’ve sent them to your house can you wrap them
I’m struggling for time but I’ll make sure they’ve got a nice bow on at least, can you send me a list of what you ordered and who it’s for though so I can keep track
Cheers

Also you say you have a DH. So actually that’s only an extra 16 gifts you need to wrap, not 32

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