This Is How a Gift Wrapper Changed Her Life

Children begin by loving their parents; after a time they judge them; rarely, if ever, do they forgive them.

-Oscar Wilde

Attitude is everything. No matter what life throws at you, you get to decide how to react. But sometimes, your emotions get in the way of reason and sound judgment. Such was the case for Natalie Parker.

As CEO of a leading advertising and design firm, Natalie was a busy woman. Recently back home from a three day, out of state conference with a new client, Natalie was exhausted. It had been a difficult but successful negotiation.

Christmas was only a week away. There had been no time to shop. Leaving her downtown office late that afternoon, Natalie drove her Mercedes along the boulevard toward the city’s commerce district. She needed to find some gifts for her family.

Calm before the storm

The skies were beginning to darken as Natalie drove downtown. She was still thinking about work when her mobile phone rang. On the speaker was her sister, Michelle.

“Natalie, welcome home! How did your business trip go?”

“It was a long three days, Michelle, but we got the contract. Come January I’m going to be buried with work.” Natalie noticed raindrops on her windshield.

“Well congrats, Natalie. But I’m concerned that you’re working too much. You need to slow down. Oh, and I wanted to ask you about Mom.” Michelle let the statement linger, knowing that their mother was a delicate subject.

“I told you, Michelle, I don’t want to see her. She’s never supported my career. She thinks I’m a bad wife and mother. I’m not gonna have her ruin my Christmas!” Natalie pulled over to the side of the road, too angry to keep driving.

“Ah, Natalie. I know you’re angry at her, but she’s always been old fashioned. I think she just wants you to spend more time with Tom and Steven.” Michelle knew that Natalie loved her husband Tom and son, Steven. But she also knew that the rift between Natalie and their mother was eating away at Natalie.

“Michelle, I gotta go. It’s almost Christmas and I’m running out of time! We’ll have to talk about Mom later. Talk to you soon.” Natalie hung up, closed her eyes and leaned back in her car seat. It was then that she heard the driving raindrops on the hood of her car, followed by lightning and the crack of thunder.

An unexpected detour

Natalie made it downtown and headed into Nordstrom. The place was a madhouse, bustling with shoppers. Holiday music played throughout the store. Despite the pandemonium, Natalie found gifts for her husband, son, and sister. She already bought gift cards and wine for her friends and a few work associates.

Pleased with her productivity, Natalie got in her car and started the long drive home. The storm was raging now, and some streets were beginning to flood. Natalie drove past repair crews and police officers dealing with power lines and downed tree limbs.

Natalie’s husband Tom phoned. “Hey honey, where are you at?”

“Well, I went shopping but traffic is terrible from the storm. I’m trying to get to the bypass.” Natalie noticed a sea of red lights and motorists ahead of her, going nowhere fast.

“The bypass is shut down, Natalie. I heard it on the radio. Some kind of major wreck. You might as well get a coffee somewhere and sit this out for a while. I’ll make dinner for Steven, and we’ll save you a plate for later.” Tom was always thoughtful that way.

“Okay, I’ll take Swanson street and hit Starbucks,” Natalie said.

Big things come in small packages

Natalie’s heart sank as she pulled into the Starbucks. They were closed, due to a power outage. Natalie had time to kill and nowhere to go. It was then that she noticed Lind’s Art Store down the street. The lights were on.

“Good evening, can I help you find anything?” the young woman by the cash register said to Natalie. The art store was busy with shoppers.

“Oh, thanks, but I’m just going to browse. I’m sort of stranded because of the storm. I can’t get home,” Natalie said.

“Well, we’ve got free coffee in the back.” The saleswoman pointed to the rear of the art store. Natalie thanked her and meandered past shoppers toward the coffee stand.

They say that big things come in small packages, and Natalie was about to discover the truth of that saying. Near the coffee stand stood a gift wrapping station.

There were reams of elegant wrapping paper, ribbons, boxes, bows, and in the middle of it all was a short, thin, elderly man. He was smartly dressed in dark slacks, matching suit vest, crisp white shirt, and red bow tie. His name tag read “Stanley.” He sort of looked like an elf.

“There are no strangers here, only friends you haven’t met yet,” Stanley said as he looked directly at Natalie. Then he added, “William Butler Yeats. I wish it was my line, but a guy my age needs all the help he can get!”

Natalie smiled, immediately disarmed by the charm and warmth of Stanley. Another customer approached Stanley, with some items to be gift wrapped. Stanley smiled, took them and got to work.

“I used to be an illustrator for Hallmark,” Stanley told the customer, “But I retired a few years back. I got Parkinson’s and the tremor in my right hand made it impossible to draw and paint. So, I wrap gifts now! Gift wrapping is an art form, too.”

Natalie watched as Stanley expertly wrapped the customer’s purchases. She was struck by the elegance and artistry of his efforts.

“Gifts are expressions of love. Gifts need thought. Purpose. How they’re wrapped matters. There’s no fast way to make a gift look great under the Christmas tree,” Stanley said. “We move too fast these days. We miss things. But when we slow down, life resonates more.” Stanley winked at Natalie, which made her laugh.

This charming old gentleman somehow radiated a comforting calm and generosity of spirit. So much wisdom and kindness in such a small old man.

Smoothing out the raw edges of life

“I like to use 100% cotton rag paper for wrapping. It feels like cloth. The key to good wrapping is proper measuring, and never exposing raw edges. Always fold and smooth them out. And you gotta use double-sided tape, so it’s invisible on the outside. Also, you want to crisply crease all the edges and use colorful ribbons. I sometimes like to tie flowers or tree leaves to the ribbon, so the gift has a touch of outdoor life to it.” Stanley handed the beautifully wrapped gifts to the customer, whose delighted smile said everything.

“You’re such a chipper fellow, Stanley. Do you ever get angry?” Natalie asked.

“Oh sure, when I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. And when my wife Ethel died. But I came to understand that life is too short to hold onto anger. We miss out on what’s important. Life is a lot like gift wrapping. We need to smooth out the raw edges of life.” Stanley smiled.

“I want to believe that, Stanley. But sometimes life is just a mess,” Natalie said.

“Life is a shipwreck but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats,” Stanley said.

“That’s beautiful, Stanley. Poetic.”

“Voltaire. I wish it were mine…” Stanley offered, but then Natalie added, “But a guy your age needs all the help he can get.” And the two of them laughed.

A phone call before Christmas

Natalie picked out a lovely leather day planner and had Stanley gift wrap it. “Is this going to be for someone special?” Stanley asked.

“It’s for me, Stanley. Thanks to you, I’m going to reevaluate a few things. Starting with my schedule this coming year. I want to set aside more time for my family.”

“What a lovely idea,” Stanley said, adding, “Merry Christmas, my dear.”

Just as Natalie thanked Stanley, her phone rang. It was Tom, letting her know that the bypass was open now. “Tom, do you think we could plan a trip in January? Maybe you, me and Steven could get away somewhere tropical?”

“Uh, yeah. That would be amazing, honey,” Tom said. “What brought all this on?”

“The gift wrapper. He’s such a darling man. I guess there are angels on earth if we slow down long enough to experience them,” Natalie said.

“The gift wrapper?” Tom asked.

“Yep, the gift wrapper. I’ll explain later. Oh, and Tom, before I head home, I have one more thing to do. I’ll be home in a bit.”

The rain had cleared and Natalie strolled outside and got in her car. She leaned back. Took a deep breath. Exhaled. She gazed at the perfectly wrapped journal she bought. She thought about missed opportunities and the future. And then she picked up her cell phone and called.

It rang a few times and then, when the voice on the line answered, Natalie said, “Hi Mama, it’s Natalie. I was wondering what you’re doing for Christmas?

Before you go

I’m John P. Weiss. I draw cartons, paint landscapes, and write about life. Get on my free email list here for the latest artwork and writing.

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This post was previously published on Medium.

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