My dad wasn’t much for gift-giving. He was a single man for much of his life, and he worked a great number of hours. Living in a small town, he also didn’t have access to much shopping. Even if he did, it would not have mattered. Shopping just wasn’t his thing. Us kids knew and understood that. Even so, he gave cards that often had cash in them, which was never expected but always appreciated. More importantly, Dad gave us the greatest gifts — his time and his love.
On the rare occasions when Dad would give physical gifts, they were wrapped in newspaper that had a slight scent of Folger’s coffee and Raleigh cigarettes. He didn’t have wrapping paper or ribbon or bows, but he did have a subscription to several newspapers, and yesterday’s news came in quite handy. He preferred to use the Sunday comics section so he could add a splash of color, but any newsprint would do in a pinch.
Several years ago, I wrote a column about the volume of wrapping paper that is produced, purchased and immediately thrown away each year. The latest estimates show that, in the United States alone, an additional 5 million tons of waste are generated over the Christmas holidays, 4 million of which are wrapping paper and shopping bags.
So where and how did this ridiculous tradition of using wrapping paper begin?
According to allthingssupplychain.com, it was first documented in ancient China, where paper was reportedly invented in the second century B.C. Gifts were wrapped with paper that formed an envelope known as a “chih pao.”
A century or so ago, gifts were typically wrapped in brown paper or fabric. In 1917, Rollie and Joyce Hall, the brothers who founded Hallmark Cards, sold tissue paper as gift wrap during the holidays in a shop in downtown Kansas City. When they ran out, they used envelope liners until they sold out of those, too. A few years later, they started printing their own decorative gift wrap. As such, they are credited with inventing the modern-day wrapping paper.
In today’s world of repurposing, maybe it’s time to take a page from my father and wrap up this year’s gifts with your newspaper of choice. If you need access to some, just let me know.
Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707