Tuesday 20 December 2011

Present Peekers


My daughter asked if she could open the Christmas present just given to her by her piano teacher. No, I said, Of course not. Why? she asked. Because it isn’t Christmas yet! (It wasn’t our most profound conversation.) I looked at her with a certain amount of incredulity. Why on earth would you want to open your present in advance? She returned the look with a, Why wouldn’t you?

I like surprises so have absolutely no desire to know what’s under wraps until the special day. I’ve always been like this. I never wanted to be hoisted onto a sister’s shoulders to peep over the top shelf in the kitchen cupboard to uncover next month’s stash of Christmas presents, unlike the other three – eh girls? If I do ever stumble across an unwrapped present, the disappointment can hang around for days. So, unless under extreme pressure to do so –a hand-made present from Auntie Ethel, donated with great excitement only moments before emigrating to The Bermuda Triangle, for example- I never open presents in advance.

There’s a superstitious side of me, too, which ensures the Sellotape remains firmly fixed. It’s like turning the page to the next month on the calendar before you’re actually there. I just can’t bring myself to do it. I understand the logic of turning the page; it’s the night before and it would be much more useful to see what was planned next week rather than what we’ve already done. But this tiny part of me just doesn’t want to tempt fate, to be presumptuous that the powers-that-be will decree that we should reach the next day. And it’s the same for me with presents.

I know people who offer a very polite, yet unprompted, request for their inevitable gift. I’m happy to oblige but it is, nonetheless, a slightly alien concept for me, somehow detracting from the joy of giving and receiving, even though I know it stems from not wanting to waste money which is only to be commended.

So, I’ve decided there are peekers and non-peekers, surprise and non-surprise junkies. Just like there are those who’ll read the final page of a book to decide whether it’s going to be worth reading and those who grimace at the thought of even catching the blurb. I think you can guess where I stand on that one. Are you a present-peeker?Were you a present-peeker? And if you read the last page of a novel before the first, do you also sneak to the tree when nobody’s looking to have a peep through a loosely wrapped corner? Come on, you can tell us!

To all my lovely readers, I haven't written my Christmas cards yet so please feel very honoured to receive my first official Christmas wish. Thanks so much for sharing this blog with me this year, it makes me very happy to know people are reading my scribbles. I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a 2012 full of happy times and publishing deals for those who’d like them.

20 comments:

  1. A lovely post, Jackie!
    I am a confirmed non-peeker, and would never flip to the end of a book and sometimes not even the end of the blurb if it's by a writer I know I love. You've made a connection here between present-peekers and last page peeps that had never occurred to me but you're spot on with your characterisation, as always!
    Thank you for entertaining us with your news all year, and wishing you a very merry Christmas and fabulous new year with a publishing deal and many happy times.
    Diana
    x

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  2. In true Gemini fashion I'm both. I love surprises but not necessarily the wrapped variety. I ask for Xmas lists from my nearest and dearest because I hate waste. I would never read the ending of a book but on the other hand if it's not grabbed me by chapter 2 I'm probably not going to finish it. This is the first time I've read your blog but it won't be the last. Merry Xmas :)

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  3. So the others used to peek did they? I know your Dad didn't and drove his sister mad by not even opening all his presents the instant he woke up on Christmas Day.
    I'm with you on not wanting to know what's in my presents. When asked what I want my stock answer has always been - a surprise. And my two seemed happy not to peek, even though they must have known where the stash was.
    Ditto the end of a book. And I hate spoilers on the TV. I don't watch soaps any more, but it's impossible to walk past a shelf of magazines without learning next week's story line. Why then, do you need to watch?
    Love to all of you at Christmas. Cards on Christmas Eve as usual is it? Hope it's fine for Carol singing. XXX

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  4. I'm a reformed peeker. When I was young I used to guess presents by touch, holding up to the light and sneaking inside any poorly wrapped bits. After ruining several surprises, I grew out of it.

    My other half is still a peeker now. She's been known to completely unwrap something, take a peek then rewrap it.

    Merry Christmas yourself, Jax, and all the best for the forthcoming year.

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  5. Thank you for your lovely comment, fellow non-peeker, Diana, and the good wishes. It would be great if I could tell you about a publishing deal next year, wouldn't it! I'm so excited about yours though, let me know as soon as it's in print - I think it's just kindle at the moment?

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  6. Thanks for coming over here, Babs! And I know exactly what you mean, I'm of the - there are far too many books in the world for me to persevere beyond 50 pages if it isn't working for me - variety. That said, some have run it close and I've been relieved I'd carried on. Have a great Christmas!

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  7. Pauline! Absolutely! What is this obsession with revealing the plot lines, isn't wondering what's going to happen the main reason for watching?
    And yes, I'm aiming for the cards to arrive on Christmas Eve, ha ha! I always plan the cards as my last Christmas job, my downfall is that I always think that will happen on 19th December, bless my naive self...

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  8. Charlie, excellent, we have our present-peeker and a fully-fledged one at that. I just love the idea of your wife unwrapping and then re-wrapping the present. Tee hee! Thanks for popping over. What are your writing plans for next year? A handful of books knowing the speed you write!

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  9. Jax
    I have to hide her presents at work or in my car until xmas morning or she tampers with them.
    I've got a few ideas for the next books, should keep me going a while. What about you, are you writing anything new?

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  10. Oh that's brilliant, Charlie! You've got to write her into a character! I'm re-writing my first novel but I call the ms my second as really, only the idea and some of the characters bare any similarity to the first. It was also originally written in 1st person which makes my skin crawl now (not in other people's, it just isn't appropriate for this book), so it's firmly 3rd person this time.I'm 70k words in so I'm hoping to finish the first draft by Easter. Keep us posted on your work!

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  11. Lovely blog Jax and of course you should never, ever sneak a look beforehand! It's cheating, nuff said! Have a lovely Christmas and fingers crossed for the publishing deal, 2012 is the year I am sure.

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  12. Ha ha, thanks Lyn, said with passion! I'm thinking that 2012 would be an excellent year for a publishing deal...

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  13. I'm with your daughter. I'm so impatient. When I was a kid my mom made me a deal. I could open ONE present before Christmas if I promised not to peek at any others. It took days for me to decide which one to choose, so by the time I did, it was already Christmas Eve. Kind of smart, my mom.

    Thanks for stopping in at the Write Game to say hi. Love it when I meet new people who write. Have a wonderful holidayl

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  14. That's clever of your mum, Clee, I like that! I think it's quite sweet to be a present-peeker in an appealingly hedonistic kind of way. I'm just too sensible by half :) It was a pleasure reading your blog. Great post on you writing like Jane Austen!

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  15. I don't go out of my way to look, but I don't mind knowing :)

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  16. I'm a guesser. I don't have to touch the present to have a good idea (based on things I've said in the recent past). One year I guessed every present totally correctly; this year, didn't have a clue.

    I used to justify it to myself because my 'surprise' face looks like everyone else's 'why did you buy me that?' faces. If I know in advance, I will look surprised.

    In writing, that's not much of a justification...

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  17. So, did you get any surprises JR? Thanks for dropping by!

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  18. Hi Annalisa, I think your friends have cottoned on and are now disguising their presents with their wrapping - which would explain the fact you couldn't guess any this year?? I love the justification too. As I would say to my children, nice try, but you're still not knowing what they are in advance! My youngest is very funny about receiving gifts, always has been, she panics about opening them in front of the giver in case she doesn't look happy/ grateful enough. The thing is, I've never known her not be content with a present and she has a very expressive face so really doesn't need to worry about anyone not knowing how happy she is - but boy, does she worry!

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  19. Sorry about the late reply - i think you know which camp i'm in!?!Actually i hate spoiling surprises, so even though i was caught hanging from the present cupboard on christmas eve, i would much rather not know! So there you go! Happy New Year!Hope it's full of nice surprises!

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  20. Hi Antonia, well, I'm glad you chose to peek because we've milked it for all it's worth ever since, haven't we! Wishing you lots of lovely surprises too :)

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