Unwrap Your Holiday Gifts Safely

Games
Unwrap Your Holiday Gifts Safely
By Eli Green
December 19, 2008 - 15:30

When it comes to this time of year the one thing on many people's minds, especially kids', is presents. With Chanukah just two days away and less than a week to go until Christmas, we just can't wait to get to those gifts, rip open that wrapping paper and find out what we got (and then dispose of that wrapping paper in an environmentally friendly manor, of course). For gamers though, or anyone who receives a gift contained within some sort of plastic packaging, getting to your gift can be a little more dangerous than you'd prefer.

You know what I'm talking about. It happens every time you try to open a game or accessory, and it's even worse when it comes encased in that sealed hard plastic shell. Maybe that's why they call them blister packs. You've got to figure out how to open up all that packaging without cutting yourself, and you're not always successful. Truth be told, every year people injure themselves trying to open up their gifts, whether it's CDs, DVDs, games, accessories or more, often because they unsafely use sharp objects (knives, blades, etc.) to try and open the package. One slip of the hand and a bad cut, slice or worse are waiting for you, depending on which end you get hit with.

Sure, we know the real reason this happens is because the companies that make these products package them in the most difficult thing to open. It's almost like they designed it all to see how annoyed they can make their buyers, especially the plastic clamshells. But people getting injured from trying to unpack plastic wrapped products is so common that companies like Home Hardware are even selling their own special cutting tools just so you can open them safely.

There are other ways to avoid injury of any kind while unwrapping your gifts, even without purchasing special cutting tools, and you can still use your favourite sharp tools to do it. The first trick is to cut away from yourself, never toward. If your hands slip, you want that pointy object, whatever it may be, to be heading as far away from you as possible. The second trick is to stabilize the package on a solid surface, which will give you more control while cutting. Here's a short video to demonstrate the first technique with a CD.

If you have any suggestions to add, feel free to post them in the comments below. Have safe and Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate.