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How we do Christmas Part One - Present Security

Sunday, December 02, 2012
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Masking tape/Duct tape. An all-world security device.
You're probably wondering what that thing to the left is. It's duct tape, on our bedroom cupboard.

Let me explain.

We're going to show you how we do Christmas - what it means to us, how we celebrate it, all the little things that add-up to making the season what it is.

If you're from the northern hemisphere, you'll be transfixed at how Christmas for us is less pine trees and snow, and more palm trees and ice in your Coca-Cola. You'll dazzle at the shorts we wear while singing Frosty the Snowman. Sing it, we do.

In the meantime, you'll get a glance at what Brisbane does for Christmas, and how it impacts us.

And so, it starts with the duct tape.

For this, we go back to where we used to live.

Until last year we lived in a similar unit in the same complex here in Brisbane. But whereas our current place has a dual-room loft situation going upstairs, our previous place had three bedrooms, all with their own wardrobes.

which meant plenty of space for hiding presents from each other; Mrs Speech would have one place, I'd have another (the ironing room cupboard aka the third bedroom) and we'd each agree to not look in on each other's turf. Not hard for me, since I rather would have been surprised at Christmas anyway.

But here we have limited space. Our master bedroom has a wardrobe, but upstairs there's just a sort of low closet you can walk into - if you don't mind bumping your head - with some shelves and a rack to hang things. It's an afterthought, really.

Mrs Speech took that space since upstairs is ostensibly her place anyhow. I took the master bedroom cupboard space.

And then SHE LOOKED!!

I'm telling you, it was so egregious I nearly called the cops. She looked one way, then the other, (I captured it all on MrsSpeechCam™) then slowly slid the door open, so I wouldn't hear, and then she rummaged through everything I had bought her...

Okay, not really. She was looking for a top, and opened the door one day without thinking. And, it was before I really had bought anything, so there was only one present there. Mostly covered with a bag. She tells me she didn't see anything.

But it became apparent there was going to have to be some deterring. So, I whacked some masking tape/duct tape on the wall, covering the door. It couldn't be quickly opened; she would have to think about it. And hopefully not peek anyway!

Well, I trust her. I don't think she looked. And if she needed a top, she did always ask me to help her find one instead of just opening the door. At the very least it gave her pause to consider before just charging forward and opening the door.

Tell the truth, it wasn't a huge issue anyway. Usually we buy all our presents then a couple weeks go by before we wrap them and put 'em under the tree.

We went Christmas shopping yesterday, and wrapped them the same day and put them under the tree. So I only had a couple here and there that I had bought.

But that's always one of the first things we think about when we do Christmas. How are we going to hide presents from each other?
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