Advent stories

Christmas camouflage

Every year the surprise had gone by the time he got to Christmas Day. He would put his gifts under the tree, only for his family to size, weigh, shake and squeeze the parcels to be able to guess what they were. Not this year!

He bought the usual collection of items, from lists and other more original ideas, where he had dared to go ‘off piste’! The difference this year was that he had invested in serious wrapping camouflage. That football was now surrounded by scrunched newspaper in a box half a metre square. Those curling tongs had been rammed into a massive triangular cardboard tube that used to contain chocolate, you know; the one from the airport.

A delicate piece of jewellery received the same treatment, packed in so many layers a pass the parcel kid would get bored. There were gifts that came in unassuming square boxes anyway. He wrapped anything and everything, even some food and empty boxes he had left over. He was into the Christmas groove.

“Daaaad! This box is empty!” He smiled at his youngest, under the tree and remembered an old joke.

“That, young man, is an Action Man Deserter”!