The long and short of it

Can anyone please explain why bootlaces are so long? When you buy a new pair of boots, the laces are long enough to tie a normal knot and bow…and still leave about eighteen inches left over! What do you do with that extra boot lace? P started tying his into double knots, putting a half-hitch into his loops, but they were still too long. Then he tied loops in his loops. That worked…but seemed ridiculous.

Now it must be said that P once played semi-pro sports, and he is well acquainted with the traditions of tying your laces in various ways for good luck, better performance, or silly stylistic affectations. Still, these are ridiculous.

So one morning he noticed that the laces were beginning to wear out---right at the knot. So he slid the laces around until he had just enough to tie a decent knot on one side, then pulled the excess through on the other side. It turned out to be about 20 inches long, so he chopped it off and tossed it into his pack. His boots and laces work just fine now.