The Art of Surprise

The SJG of S.O. has learned so much in the past 60 years that it would be selfish of me to deny you a pearl of wisdom now and then. If I didn't share, you'd probably turn all resentful and give my blog a less-than-favorable Help! review and we can't have that, can we? The answer is no, in case you were wondering. So today my wisdom pearl, as opposed to my wisdom teeth, which went for big bucks on eBay -- so glad I saved them! -- has to do with surprise parties. When throwing such soirees, proceed with caution. Surprise parties are very hard to pull off. Here are some examples of the best, the well-meaning, the sweetest and the most terrifying.

Best:
The surprise party for my grandpa. I can't remember how old he was, but I was little so maybe he was turning 70-something-ish. Lots of people I didn't know, and some I did, including family members we weren't collectively estranged from (yet), gathered in their home on Highland Avenue. The plan was simple. Grandpa would come home from work and we'd whisper, not yell, but whisper "surprise." My Grandma Shorty, who generously shared all her worry genes with me, thought screaming SURPRISE!!!! when he came through the door would cause instantaneous plotzing. So we whispered surprise and the look on his adorable face was wonderful.

Well-Intentioned:
The surprise party I went to a million years ago with hubby, for the wife of one of his work pals. To say she wasn't expecting us would be an understatement. We yelled "Surprise!", she went into shock and started crying and spent the rest of the party locked in the bedroom. The husband was trying to cheer her up after a tough turn of events, and it backfired. A very awkward evening I've never forgotten.

Sweetest:
This surprise party, I didn't attend, it was millennials only, but knowing my wonderful daughter-in-law threw it in honor of the eldest's 30th filled me with enough joy to get me through the entire year and well into the next. Her planning was impeccable. He had no idea what was about to happen when he walked through the door. The youngest recorded the moment and it was 100 percent surprise of the highest order. It was his first surprise party and he loved every second.

Terrifying:
This surprise party, I also didn't even attend, but heard about at the surprise party I did attend last night for a dear friend who didn't look all that surprised when she came through the door. That's all I'm going to say, other than to repeat my previous comment: surprise parties are very hard to pull off. The terrifying tale comes from the guest of honor's hilarious mother, who told me this story as we waited to surprise her daughter: "I'll never forget a surprise party I went to for a friend of mine who was turning 60. She walked in the door, we yelled surprise and she had a heart attack. The paramedics came and took her away. We stayed and ate the food, which I remember wasn't all that good."