"Wrapping" the gift of a weekend away - Ideas?

Genghis

So I am taking my g/f to Rome in the New Year as her Christmas present. I know it is what she really wants (hints, hints!), but the trouble is I am trying to find a way to 'present' it to her Christmas morning.

Her tendancy is to buy me one big present and then around 9 smaller ones - so on Christmas morning last year it took me around 20 mins to open mine, hers took about 2. For her, as you can see, the wrapping of the present is very important.

So I am trying to find an original way to surprise her. Last year I made a 'coupon' for a weekend away, so that idea is gone. I thought about getting the Lonely Planet to Rome, but then her brother-in-law did this for her sister last year too (and so it is not original enough). I also thought about buying loads of little things, but my imagination could not come up with much more than pasta ... and we all know pasta is never easy to wrap (even raw).

So, any ideas?

miamee

Wrap a packet of ROMA pasta

Or if you can get some tacky little 'souvenir' with Rome on it, like a mini Colosseum or something.

Or a picture of the Pope

Rome is beautiful btw, she'll love it - and so will you.

Archeron

Its probably a bit late now to dig up the corpse of a dead emporer, so I reckon the pasta is the best idea. Wrap about 40 individual pieces of pasta in their own bit of paper, and when she eventually has them all
opened, use them to spell ROME on the floor. (and make sure no-one slips on them)

Agree with Miamee, its a magnificent city.

Genghis

Just had another idea ... what about an empty photo album, with captions like 'Us at the Colosseum'?

Vorsprung

Get the Lonely Planet for Rome, give it to her and say she'll need it when blah blah blah

miamee

Genghis wrote:

Just had another idea ... what about an empty photo album, with captions like 'Us at the Colosseum'?

Thats actually a great idea, if you have the time I'd deffo do that!

xzanti

Do you have plane tickets? How about putting them in a little box, and then put that into a slightly bigger box and then put that into a slightly bigger box and repeat until she has about 5 or 6 boxed to open, like one of those dolls which I can't remember the name of :rolleyes: but you get the general idea..

miamee

xzanti wrote:

Do you have plane tickets? How about putting them in a little box, and then put that into a slightly bigger box and then put that into a slightly bigger box and repeat until she has about 5 or 6 boxed to open, like one of those dolls which I can't remember the name of :rolleyes: but you get the general idea..

They are Russian dolls (nesting dolls I think)

~Rebel~

Had a similer problem last year (but nowhere near as good a trip away!) but anyway 2 words;

Treasure trail!

Can have a first envelope with a question that has an easy enough answer (what typically goes with bolognase?) and then she goes to where the spaghetti is and theres another one, etc etc

greine

miamee wrote:

Wrap a packet of ROMA pasta

Or if you can get some tacky little 'souvenir' with Rome on it, like a mini Colosseum or something.

Or a picture of the Pope

Rome is beautiful btw, she'll love it - and so will you.

Picture of the pope:D put a beard and a hat on him, or better still, get a picture of the last 3 popes, dress them to look like the 3 wise men:D

jaggeh

phone a strippogram and have him turn up in a toga and deliver it.

Rovi

miamee wrote:

They are Russian dolls (nesting dolls I think)

Matryoshka/Babushka doll

Genghis

Thanks for all the suggestions! I like the treasure trail, will give it some thought.

LOL should've mentioned the girl is not Catholic, and I am. Pictures of the Pope might be taken the wrong way

Karoma

Moved from AH.

Geek Nose

Some great ideas there! Photo Album, Lonely Planet, etc!