Having all just come through another Christmas period, there is one irritation of the season that is already probably receding from your consciousness. Here, however, we will bring it back: wrapping presents.
Of course not everyone finds gift wrapping a chore. Some people are almost preternaturally good at it: able to produce what look like professionally-wrapped gifts every time regardless of how awkwardly-shaped the item being wrapped is.
For the rest of us, however, wrapping is – to say the least – tiresome. Nothing is better designed to dent one’s Christmas cheer than an hour or so trying to find the piece of sticky tape you cut and stuck to a surface with one hand while you keep the wrapping in place with another.
Of course there are some workarounds. Shops sometimes offer gift-wrapping services, but these are almost too perfect and one’s loved ones can instantly spot a present you haven’t wrapped yourself. Alternatively, there are gift bags, which certainly make things easier, but can’t be applied to all gifts.
THIS ISSUE’S CHALLENGE
So that is this issue’s challenge: to come up with inventions that make the gift wrapping process easier. That doesn’t mean we’re necessarily looking for a machine that does the wrapping for you (although that would be nice), but instead we’d love to see your ideas for gadgets or gizmos that make the business slightly less of a strain.
