Grandma the master Recycler

I have been trying to remember the funny things Grandma did that not everyone may have heard. One funny memory took place every Christmas day.

It was our family tradition to have a big Christmas Eve Feast. Grandma and Grandpa F were always there along with other families or individuals that would otherwise be spending their evening alone.

After dinner we always had a Christmas Program, a pinata, and then it was off to bed. We kids insisted that Grandma and Grandpa sleep over so that we would not have to wait for them in the morning.

They usually went home thus making the mornings an agonizingly long wait to finally open presents. When the 'production' would finally begin Grandma would be armed with her empty wrapping paper roll.

Unlike most children through out the world, we were not allowed to rip, tear or destroy the wrapping paper on our gifts. We had to carefully un-tape each piece of scotch tape. If we accidentally tore the paper in the process there was a loud intake of breath heard from our Grandma.

There were the times when someone would "accidently" rip the paper and once the damage was done, well there was no way to "save" the paper. So it was those rare moments when we could rip but we had to be careful not to let it happen too often. We learned to appreciate those who used LOTS of tape, it made it easier to get a way with ripping.

The words, "Now honey be careful not to ripe the paper." Will forever be etched upon my mind and feel as festive as the phrase"Merry Christmas."

Once the gift wrap was successfully removed from the package we were to bring it to Grandma. She would wrap it back around the empty roll. This would continue until all the packages were open.

Thus the tradition of opening gifts would last at least three times longer thanks to Grandma's thriftiness. She would leave the used wrapping paper with us thinking it was the choicest gift given. After many years of 'trying' to re-use her (and ours) hard work of recycled paper we realized that once she would leave, the rolled paper made a great fire starter!

I remember having gifts wrapped in paper that had been re-used for so many years that it was hard to make out the picture of the print on the paper due to the marks from previous year's scotch tape. For those of you who have never had to recycle wrapping paper, scotch tape removes the printed color leaving only a splotchy white color. When, us children would get such a gift we would ask with hope in our hearts, "Do we HAVE to save this paper?"

With complete indignation, Grandma would respond, "Yes dear, we can not waste." With a heavy heart we would unwrap the gift painfully slow.

Now when we open gifts on Christmas morning, I not only remember Grandma but there is that instinctive feeling that we need to save each piece of wrapping paper. Thankfully it is a fleeting feeling and I laugh to myself when the kids get a ripping, tearing and a destroying. I doubt Grandma approves of my wasteful and poor recycling skills. I would not be surprised if she has asked herself, "Where did I go wrong?"