Christmas Wrapper - all wrapped up in Stockholm

It was really a bit of a joke that I answered the ad in the paper to be one of 'Santa's little helpers'.

On arrival at the store I found these positions had been filled but there was another opportunity available for which, I needed to be tested.

There were about 3 others being tested along with me. We all stood behind counters with sheets of Christmas paper, scissors and boxes of various sizes in front of us.

We were each given a box and asked to wrap it and then make a bow with the ribbon provided.

I obviously impressed them with my bow tying expertise as I got the job, so for the 6 weeks leading up to Crhistmas I worked as a Christmas wrapper in one of Stockholm's major department stores.

My days were long but not overly strenuous. I shared a counter with another lady and our jobs were to wrap presents.

We offered two choices of paper, red with some silver flecks and silver with some red flecks.We also had two choices of colour in bows, you guessed it, red and silver.

I did have one lady unimpressed with a bow I tied and requested I re-tie it, but apart from that, I enjoyed the contact I had with the customers.

The pay wasn't overly good but I enjoyed the time while my work partner and I became friends. Given the chance, we could have become the 'Tom Cruise and Bryan Brown' of the Cocktail movie fame, of the gift wrapping scene.

Virginia Weston was studying in Stockholm and found her position as a Christmas present wrapper in a major Swedish department store through the paper.

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