Having a surprise birthday bash is always a fun thing to pull off. Of course the intent here is to make it a memorable one worthy of being remembered and even proudly shared by the celebrant during gatherings. Here are some experiences I have had in this noble undertaking.

THE CODE OF OMERTA

Omerta, the code of silence… secrecy is the lynchpin that will spell the success of your endeavor. If even a word seeps out all will be lost. The novelty of the celebration will rapidly downgrade itself to a pleasant gathering instead of the planned earth shattering surprise!

Last 26 February was the half century marker in my life. A week before, I called by sister in Lake Balboa, California who unfortunately was out. I talked with my brother-in-law and told him that I would visit them on my birthday. Immediately he declares – “Then it is not a surprise anymore!” So dense of me that I replied with a laugh – “Yes it is not as I have just told you so be ready for my visit!” Days later, I learned that he was literally crucified by my sister for his unpardonable blunder.

PLAN AHEAD

Organize. The best kind I always go for is a potluck party where everyone brings a dish to be shared by all. Kindly beware for if you do not plan this properly you might end up with almost everybody bringing chow mien or fried chicken! Main courses, dessert, drinks, utensils, gifts are just a number of things to consider. Of course, think of a way to keep all these out of plain view.

Decide who to invite. If you can, try to bring in people who will really surprise the celebrant by their presence alone. Prepare his favorite dish. All in all, what matters most is being together to wish the celebrant a happy and momentous day.

NOVELTY

Think of a unique way to spring the surprise. Make sure it does not backfire and instead end up surprising you guys (lol). There is the traditional huge present with someone meaningful to the celebrant ready to pop out of the box.

So the 26^th arrived and my son told me to instead visit his mom, my daughter and just have a quiet meal in Azusa. He kept on steering me away and pointing everywhere. (This was to distract my attention from the parked cars of my brothers and sister). Inside, the whole clan was crammed inside a bedroom and one of my sister-in-laws was in a panic as she could not find her 3 year old son. We were met by my daughter outside who even took a photo for posterity. As we entered the house, I suddenly noticed my young nephew! Still utterly dense of me (perhaps it’s because of the aging) I simply asked him “what are you doing here little one?” In an instant, the door was opened and everybody burst out into song and cheers! Well, I was indeed surprised and pretty shook up. It was an emotional moment for me as I saw my brothers, my sister their spouses and kids. In my mind, a thought – “They love me and remembered after all.”

Decades ago, I planned to surprise my former boss in the Philippines. All of the employees were crammed in the male restroom. We simply could not contain the giggling and crank calls inside. Our janitor was outside to act as lookout. Somehow, we managed to stay hidden and undetected in the now sweltering place. Our lookout also performed wonderfully as he let out a series of heart rending coughs to alert us. He also acted genuinely bewildered as he tried to explain the uncanny absence of all the employees. This one is a classic! Well, we did have to wait for a couple of minutes for our boss to decide to use the john. When he did, lo and behold! Instantaneously everybody bursts forth into singing “Happy Birthday”. Our boss almost fainted as he tried to bring his fly up again (hahahaha!).

He did manage to get hold of the organizer and payback time came during my birthday with a cake right smack into my face!

WARNING!!!

I came upon this narrative which has been embellished through the years. I have seen it on TV and in movies. I hope that it serves as a lesson. (I really could not find the original source so that it would be cited properly. Do help me out in this dear hubbers). Source: Anonymous

There was this CEO businessman who wakes up happily on his birthday. He goes down for breakfast but his kids and wife are engrossed in the usual bustle of school and work. Sadly he drives off to work.

He arrives in his office to be greeted by his secretary a happy birthday. At least he snorts, she remembered. They have lunch together, his treat. After the meal, the secretary suggests that they instead take sometime off to relax and have coffee at her apartment. Since it was his birthday, he agreed to make an exemption to this sudden break in work routine.

At the apartment, she excuses herself and proceeds to her room to powder. A number of minutes passes by and the door to the room suddenly bursts open! Out comes his parents, wife, his kids, the other company employees, his business partners, and even his church pastor with a big cake. Amid all the cheering and singing …

There he was,

with a grin on his face,

on the sofa …

…….

…….

…….

Naked!