I like presents, but confess I am a horrible wrapper. No matter how much care I take in positioning the gift, getting the folds just right, even finding a bow that matches, it’s a disaster. The edges don’t line up, the tape bunches up, the corner rips through the paper, I’m still 1/8 of an inch short — trust me, it’s not a pretty sight.

Fortunately, a lesson my mom taught me about wrapping presents for the holidays not only minimizes the paper carnage, but it is a lot of fun as well:

Don’t.

I think it all started when I was given a suit, or some other oversized gift. I opened a small box containing only a slip of paper: GOOD FOR ONE GIFT IN THE CLOSET.

Mom was good about giving directions. Locations, not so much. Um, whose closet?

The hunt was on. It must have been a hit because it seemed that over time there were more of these gifts, even if the actual present itself wasn’t all that big.

Now out on my own with our own family, I realized what a great system this was. Small packages aren’t nearly as unsightly as large ones. (Even mine.) A roll of wrapping paper could last virtually forever, plus there is the the cost savings on paper and tape, not to mention the space savings in the local landfill.

Why stop there? It didn’t take long to realize if I just hid all the presents I could practically eliminate the paper entirely! Soon every gift-giving occasion included “the hunting of the presents” with the each hider giving “hot” and “cold” hints.

All the joy of receiving a gift, combined with the fun of hide-and-seek.

Life can be more enjoyable when you are on the lookout for a new Christmas gift tradition. Or, figure out a way to inject a dose of fun into the familiar ones you may be taking for granted.

Not everything has changed however. Now I tell people, “I like presents, but I’m horrible at finding them….”