• by P.J. Bednarski  @pjbtweet, December 6, 2019

Here’s the holiday gift it’s fair to say no one saw coming.

It’s the Reynolds Wrap Wrap, a robe that, if you’re being sugar-cookie nice, looks just like someone wearing a festive holiday shirt on top and wearing jeans from the waist down. A white space in between the legs helps the illusion.

The website Allrecipes.com gushed that once dressed in your Reynolds Wrap,  “everyone will have to do a triple-take to realize that you're wearing a robe to the family Christmas dinner.”

We’d say, well, not everyone.

Reynolds Wrap’s website is possibly more effusive, suggesting that wearing the Reynolds Wrap Wrap will give the wearer “a put-together, yet comfortable, look at any holiday party.”

The robe costs $3.99, through a company website and social media. It’s a limited, first-come/first-serve offer and there’s only one Wrap order per person -- maybe to prevent hoarding?

There is no aluminum in the Reynolds Wrap Wrap, so the garment won’t help improve your WiFi signal the way researchers say aluminum foil can.

But a spokeswoman says that the Wrap tie is made to look like crinkled aluminum, and there’s Reynolds Wrap box “ornaments throughout the design.”

This does seem like an unusual marketing effort. Many people are likely to see the Reynolds Wrap Wrap and ask “Why?”

The spokeswoman basically skirted questions about the internal discussions that led to the robe, but gave an answer of sorts: “As we dive into the season of indulgence and attend many holiday parties focused around food, we know firsthand the struggle of wanting to eat it all -- but tight, uncomfortable pants get in the way,” she said

“With inspiration from Reynolds Wrap’s mission of making life easier in and around the kitchen, our team created The Reynolds Wrap as a fun word play on our brand and a solution to any of your holiday mealtime angst.”

She says it is “the full outfit you need to wear in social settings while allowing you to remain comfortable and eat your heart out without the discomfort of restrictive pants.”

Reynolds Consumer Products, which includes Hefty bags,  might be in the position to have a little holiday fun. When it filed for an IPO in November, it stated in its prospectus that its foil is the “top trusted brand in the market for over 70 years, with greater than 50% market share in virtually all of its categories” and also leads in volume and revenue.

While the prospectus says Reynolds’ growth strategy is to steadily introduce new products, the document was mum about the impending arrival of the Reynolds Wrap Wrap.