The Family Sticking Point of Christmas

The Night before Christmas,
We couldn't escape
the ugly reality,...
We'd run out of tape.

The packages we'd bought
with such thought were all here
languishing and naked,
with no paper or bows to adhere.

Our children lay sleeping,
certain in their deep doze,
the gifts would be dazzling
and bedeckled with bows.

My anxiety and fear
at what we should do,
made us scramble through the art box
for every stick of glue.

We used all the address labels
and some post-its, it's true.
and before honey, we failed with staples
and gum we pre-chewed.

So with the hour growing later
and the choices ever more dire,
we turned to alternative adhesives
and our solution, childhood inspired.

Flour and water we remembered from pre-school
the measurement is vague but true.
and the 3-1 ratio we made turned gummy
but in the late hours, it would do.

We spackled the wrapping with brush and with trowel.
We hoped it would stick and I did pray.
just when we thought about throwing in the towel,
the clock struck twelve. It's Christmas day.

In the morning, our prayers answered
But not as we expected.
We'd layered on that stuff pretty thick
Every present wrapped became a piñata,
only openable with a saw or heavy stick.

Merry Christmas!
*Inspired by the midnight run to 7-11 to fork over way too much money for last minute scotch tape and I promise, it wasn't in 2017. 
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