My family has a quirk that has been passed down to the next generation. I don’t know if it is due to habits or DNA, but it is real. Here is ours.
My Dad used to write us letters. He not only taped the envelopes closed but wrapped the whole envelope in cellophane tape as if it was ready to be placed in King Tut’s Tomb with Mr. Tut. It was almost impossible to open the envelopes. Sometimes I was lucky and found a minuscule place that he forgot to tape and could pry and slice the envelope open. By the way, there was no money included, which could be a good reason for the fastidious taping.
He did the same thing when wrapping gifts. A gift, the size of a shoe box, was probably wrapped in dozens of rolls of tape. Again, they never contained money, but it really was the thought that counted. I sometimes wondered what he thought of the gifts I gave him that only had a piece of tape on the two side flaps? He never complained. I hope he wasn’t disappointed. Did he privately wonder if I was really his daughter?
He would not have been disappointed with his other daughter, because she continued the family quirk. I received a large envelope in the mail from my dear sister. It was wrapped in cellophane tape, just like she learned from our Dad. After turning the envelope over and over, I finally found a small spot where I could slip my little finger in and try to tear it open. Cellophane tape does not tear open. I wrestled with the envelope and finally ripped it into long shreds and was able to fold the enclosed papers and squeeze it out of the largest tear I could make. Again, it included no money.
This Christmas, I will wrap my sister’s gift in yards of tape. If and when she gets it open, she will find a gift of boxes for cellphone tape and two shares of Scotch Tape stock. Our Dad would be proud.
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