DEAR MISS MANNERS: Is it OK to enclose a little note with a baby shower invitation asking that guests wrap gifts in clear paper -- or go green and not wrap them at all?
GENTLE READER: Wouldn't it be easier to skip the middle man and just grab the presents out of your guests' hands as soon as they are purchased?
Miss Manners is not impervious to saving the environment, just dismayed at the utter lack of mystery -- and completely transactional nature -- the art of present-giving has become. Not wrapping the gift gives the effect that it just fell off the truck -- and clear wrap serves no real purpose either way; it's just lazy. Surely there are recyclable materials that your guests could use, but that is not yours to suggest. Reusing or recycling the paper whenever possible is the best, most polite recourse.