Have something precious for someone special this Christmas? Of course you don’t, you’re a cheap ass. Whatever kind of gift you’re looking to give, this Lump of Coal Box should help raise its surprise factor.
As you can tell from the photo, it’s really just a box disguised as a piece of dark rock. It’s for those moments when you want to see the look of shock and disdain across someone’s face before they realize there’s something inside the stark black lump.
Martha Stewart has a tutorial for making your own Lump of Coal Box, which you can use to make both cheap and expensive gifts look like just a tad more work went into them. Of course, it’s craft, so if you’re not the cut-cut-paste-paste kind or if you think craft is gay (well, it is), you can just skip the whole thing over.
Materials consist of a cardboard box, masking tape, craft glue, card stock, construction paper and black tempera paint. You can finish it any way you like, decking it with glitter or leaving it as ugly as a random piece of coal. Size is just about right to fit a small gift, such as earrings for mom, a ring for the wife and a rolled up piece of fresh underwear for dad. God knows he needs it.
You can check out the steps for the Lump of Coal Box from the Martha Stewart site (link below). Of course, if you’re so inclined, you can modify the instructions a little to customize it according to your liking.