The Leaning Tower of Visa

Back when the boys were little, I had a routine for wrapping their Christmas gifts. Of course we had to be secretive, because little Genius would seek out his hidden gifts, while The Pony remained absorbed in playing his GameBoy.

Hick has a "safe room" in the basement. He designed it when we built the house, intending it to protect his valuables, not his most precious possessions of Val and toddler Genius and surprise gift Pony. The safe room is under our kitchen alcove, so has that shape. Its walls are thick concrete like the basement outer wall, and the roof is a sheet of steel I don't know how thick. Hick had a steel door that he got from his old workplace when they remodeled.

Not sure what all the dusty junk is laying around. But that's a Yu-Gi-Oh poster on the door. The Pony insisted. It was one of his favorite cartoon shows, and I guess he got this poster with a game. I know he collected those cards. We don't update our decor very often.

Of course, Hick allowed us to pile in there during tornado warnings. While small, the safe room had a rolly chair for Hick's roll-top desk full of mementos. There was space to wheel in another short-backed, cushioned rolly chair, and a tall stool that sat in front of our slot machine on its outer wall, or a canvas chair that Hick also got from his renovated old place of employment. So we were relatively comfortable in there while listening to the storms rage, although a bit apprehensive about the glass case of special treasures possibly slicing our jugulars if the safe room was breached by a twister.

Anyhoo...back when the boys were little, I kept their gifts locked in the safe room. Late at night, in the week leading up to Christmas, I'd take a few out and lay them on the nearby pool table for wrapping. Most often, I ran out of late nights before I ran out of presents. So I'd be up into the wee hours on Christmas Eve, finishing up, while Hick snoozed upstairs.

Now I don't have to hide the gifts. I can wrap them when I get the urge. Especially since I do most of my shopping on Cyber Monday, and this year the majority of the gifts seemed to arrive on the same day. Yes, that IS our scarred coffee table, that we had less than a week when Genius laid an adhesive-backed mouse pad on it...

I've made a little dent in the wrapping. Five gifts are done. No thanks to Hick. More on that tomorrow.