{"id":6457,"date":"2016-12-15T06:00:18","date_gmt":"2016-12-15T11:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.elfster.com\/?p=6457"},"modified":"2023-02-10T14:03:42","modified_gmt":"2023-02-10T19:03:42","slug":"keep-them-tied-up-with-laughter-by-disguising-christmas-gifts-in-prank-wrapping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/15\/keep-them-tied-up-with-laughter-by-disguising-christmas-gifts-in-prank-wrapping\/","title":{"rendered":"Keep Them Tied up with Laughter by Disguising Christmas Gifts in Prank Wrapping"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Christmas
Mysteries under the Christmas tree | Image courtesy flick\u2019r user ProFlowers<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cLet me guess\u2026 Peanut M&Ms?!?,\u201d my dad says, squishing the wrapped gift in his hands and shaking it ever so slightly. While they\u2019re still his favorite treat, and a longstanding tradition I always include with his holiday gifts, I\u2019ve had to learn the stealthy art of prank gift wrapping in order to stop dad from another year of, \u201cOh, I bet <\/span>this<\/span><\/i> is my candy,\u201d as he tears into the paper.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sneaky gifting tricks I\u2019ve developed over the years, in an effort to fool my dad\u2019s M&M detection skills, have come in handy now that I also have a snoopy little boy always trying to sniff out his presents under the tree. But neither will be successful in their attempts to guess their gifts this season\u2014I\u2019ve got a few new ideas to outwit them in the gift guessing game, with plans for Christmas gifts in disguise.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cereal Wrapped Sneakiness<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

With the important men in my life continually ruining surprises, I have jokingly threatened to give them groceries from the pantry instead of their Christmas wishes. This year, I\u2019m going to pretend to follow through on my warnings by using a fun little trick with cereal and cracker boxes to mask some of their easiest-to-spot presents.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Christmas
Festive snacks for sneakily gifting | Image courtesy Amazon seller Cap\u2019n Crunch<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Common gifts like DVDs, books, CDs, and video games have shapes that, even when wrapped, are still pretty easy to guess if not disguised. So I\u2019ve figured out a way to hide the obvious squares and rectangles of these gifts by convincing my conniving loved ones I really have replaced <\/span>the new Sam Smith album<\/span><\/a> with a box of Christmas Crunch:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. First, I round up boxes of cereal and snack crackers large enough to fit my gift-to-be-disguised, as well as a few gallon-sized Ziploc baggies.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Next, I carefully open each box from the bottom of the package so that all flaps are free of tears.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Then I empty the contents of each box into two Ziploc bags, leaving out a bit of the cereal or crackers to be eaten so there\u2019s extra space in the box for the gift.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Finally, I sandwich a wrapped gift between the two Ziplock bags and slide it all back into the box.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Once everything is in place, I hot glue the bottom of the box closed and wrap the cereal or snack box to present to my unsuspecting family member.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    This simple prank will leave their gifts looking and sounding like a box of food as they inspect them, trying to guess their contents.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Scaling a Gift Down to Hide Its Size<\/h4>\n\n\n
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    \"Hollowed
    A surprising read | Image courtesy Etsy seller HollowBooksByRP<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    Aside from giving them cereal boxes, literally, one of the simplest ways I throw my boys off the gifting trail is by making things appear out of proportion when wrapping their presents. Large wrapped boxes can be dead giveaways for certain wish list items under the tree, so I shrink things down with a little extra prep work. By only wrapping a small part of the present, I can really keep them guessing. While everyone enjoys a good laugh at the perplexed looks on their faces when they tear open the box, I pull the rest of the gift out of hiding for a big, surprise reveal! <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And to really keep my son scratching his head at his gifts all Christmas morning, I took a little extra time to hollow out a random book he wouldn\u2019t typically choose to read, and hid a new <\/span>3DS Zelda game<\/span><\/a> inside. Bonus, the book also becomes a safe-keeping place for his smaller valuables, <\/span>making the wrapping it\u2019s own little gift<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Presents That Play Pretend<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Another great way to keep my family on their toes is to use some of the awesomely terrible fake-out gift boxes available now. My dad cracked up for a good ten minutes when he thought he opened up an<\/span> iDrive mobile device steering wheel mount<\/span><\/a> last year. Although he wouldn\u2019t dream of driving while using his iPad for real, it was a hilarious switch-a-roo when he discovered his actual gift inside the box. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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    \"prank
    Hilariously unreal gift boxes | Image courtesy Amazon seller Prank Pack<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    This year, I schemed ahead of time and saved a shoebox from a new pair of boots I bought myself to use as a gift box for my son. Being a forever hungry and growing boy, my son loves to get pepperoni sticks and jerky as gifts, but I hate when he figures out that I stocked him up on snacks before he\u2019s even unwrapped them. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To make it seem as though boots are the present hidden in paper, instead of protein packed snacks, I shaped the treats and a few other small gifts into two \u201cboots\u201d by taping them together. Covering the newly formed faux shoes in gift wrap, I masked my crude tape-job. Then I placed the pair of \u201cboots\u201d in the shoebox, folding the original tissue over them before wrapping it all to sit pretty at the foot of the tree. I know my son is going to think I mistakenly gave him the wrong gift when he unwraps the boot box in bewilderment. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For a final <\/span>quick and creative gifting wrapping<\/span> swap, I\u2019ll recycle the DVD cases of crazy workout videos or kooky old cartoons to hide gift certificates or gift cards. It will add a few giggles to our unwrapping fun and make sure my family members are really surprised when their true gifts are discovered.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Concealing Gifts with Confectionaries<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    After getting my son\u2019s favorite treats disguised, I finally decided how I would disguise my dad\u2019s traditional Christmas peanut M&Ms. Instead of the usual great <\/span>lengths I take to conceal his chocolate treasures, I made them a decoy for another gift I wanted to squirrel away for his grand finale: a smartwatch that links to his phone. In order to tie these gifts together, and create the perfect camouflage for his fabulous, gadgety gift, I\u2019m using a sneaky (and sweet) way to hide any small, but special present. To pull off this fun Christmas trick I rounded up: <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n