Have you ever secretly unwrapped a gift before the big day?
Submitted by Red Pen.
Preface: I am remembering this 14-ish years later, so I may be painting myself in a rosier light than I should be.
I used to do this all the time when I was a teenager. I was really crafty about it. If the corners could pull open and I could see what was inside without actually unwrapping, I did that. I kept tape nearby for accidental tearings. I was so good at it that no one ever saw snooping related damage, but they knew I was a curious little kitten, and suspected strongly that I was a snooper.
My sister and cousin ruined this tradition for me. Ultimately, that’s probably a good thing, but I was so pissed at the time. They knew I peeked at stuff so they decided to do the same. However, they had no finesse and the gifts were very sloppily taped back together. Worse yet, they got out stuff and *used* it before they rewrapped it. I was horrifed by this lack of respect (since peeking was so much more morally acceptable to me), and I left them to it.
On Christmas Day, when we started opening gifts, my mom realized that someone opened a gift intended for someone else, which was puzzling since the tag was on the gift. As we continued on, we realized that the tags had fallen off almost all of the presents.
My mom was really mad, and blamed me, since I had the snooping reputation. Since there is no code of ethics to present-snooping, I had no problem telling her that it wasn’t me who did the heavy snooping, but it was my sister and cousin, and that they opened boxes and used stuff. I just looked and wrapped things back up again, and wasn’t that a lesser crime?
My explanation didn’t go over well, and I maintained my reputation of snooping for many years. Sean still thinks I’m looking every time, but now I am all about the surprise. Most of the time.
