It's what's inside that counts

Save the wrapping paper, save the world

Climate is changing. Resources are not inexhaustible. There will be generations after ours, and we have to leave them an inhabitable earth.

We therefore reuse the wrapping paper of our Christmas presents. The presents are opened carefully using a pair of scissors in order not to tear the paper. The paper is then solemnly folded and carefully and put in bags (mentally marked “good conscience”) and stored for reuse the following year.

 We are a large family and for Christmas we were 16 people. The average taking must have been around 15 presents for everyone. Every present is opened carefully, passed around to be admired and added to the receivers’ stack of presents. Many of them will be probably be put aside never to be looked at again.

My brother-in-law apparently was getting a bit upset with the slow progress, the prospect of the exercise having to be adjourned in order to be continued the following day – which seems to have become our private Christmas tradition - and the general overabundance of socks (after all you only have two feet).

He was in such a hurry to get on with the unpacking that he tore the paper. I looked at him disapprovingly.

- Oh! Come on, he retorted.

- This is like flying supersonic from Europe to New York to go out for an evening meal. Walking two blocks from the hotel to the restaurant to save fuel, and then look deridingly at people arriving from their New York home in a taxi.

Secretly I tend to agree with him. The less wrapping paper that is used again, the better for the world. That is, if new wrapping paper is not used instead.