A little background for you. Growing up my dad liked to make the Holidays (Christmas in my house) a lot of fun. He'd start counting down to Christmas very early, Christmas music starting in October, and going to see and letters to Santa, etc... But what he found the most fun was always playing some sort of trick on my mom. He'd enlist me and my brother to help him but the ideas were always his. One year he gave her a fur coat (sorry PETA peeps) but he took the coat out of the box and replaced it with an old dusty coat from our basement. Another year he gave her a ring and had my brother and I wrap it in a huge box with a bunch of newspaper and a dusty brick inside for weight.
A few times my mom has gotten me back for my collaborating with him. One year she got me a disc man (Remember those predecessors to MP3 players?) but she put it in a Payless box. So when I unwrapped my gift I thought I was getting some Payless shoes for Christmas. Last year for my Birthday I got a little Coach Gift box. But when I opened the box I found a dusty old change purse with a broken zipper. After her laugh she gave me my nice Coach wristlet.
This year I was having a hard time coming up with an idea to make our gift giving extra fun. And then it came to me, A Scavenger Hunt!!! On Christmas day after we had opened our other gifts I gave my mom a little gift bag filed with Hershey Kisses and a note. The note said It's Christmas time let's have some fun, your scavenger hunt has just begun :-) I am brone and made from shoes under me you will find clue #2!!
That clue took her into her bedroom where she has lamp that has a base made from my baby shoes that have been bronzed. There I'd placed a red envelop with a note that red Look in the tree you just might see, a little something called clue #3.
From there she made her way back into her living room to search the Christmas Tree for clue #3. In the tree I had placed a little zip lock bag with more Hershey kisses and another note. She found it after a minute or so of staring at the tree. This clue stated On to the porch where we keep Hurt's (our dog) leach, you may find something that cannot be beat!! :-)
Out onto our porch she went. On top of the cat tower where we keep the dog leashes she found a little box wrapped in gold wrapping paper. I am sure she thought she'd finally got to the gift. Wrong!!! Inside of the little wrapped box was more kisses and another note that said Up the stairs under the coats, you are getting closer to what you want the most!!
Now she heads up the stairs from her apartment into mine. She looks on the banister where I tend to leave my coat when I come in and taped to the post was another, yes another, note with a little Christmas bow on it. The note said Don't be annoyed it's all in good fun. Your scavenger hunt is almost done. In the kitchen, open the door and look inside, there you will find clue #5.
When we were in the kitchen I was really laughing now. Do you know how many doors there are in a kitchen? Cabinet doors, oven doors, refrigerator doors, pantry doors, doors to other rooms, toaster oven doors, and don't for get microwave's door. She was opening everything and I kept saying there are more doors, there are more doors. Finally she opened the door to the toaster oven and found an little piece of paper with a Chrismas bow on it. This was her final clue and it said Go to the other room now open the door. Your Christmas gift is on the floor!! :-)
Of course the first room she opened the door to was my living room door, no gift there. Second she opened the bathroom door, no gift there. Finally she opened the last door to my bedroom, and on the floor she found her gift. A new 22inch flat screen TV to replace the one from her bedroom that had died a few weeks ago.
Santa Hurt helping me wrap mom's TV
I had so much fun setting up and watching her do this scavenger hunt. It can be just as much fun to give as it is to receive.
And in the spirit of giving I know you are waiting to her who won the surprise It's My Blog So I Can Do What I Want #100ActsofJoy give away. The winner is.............. Lynette!!! Congrats Lynette and thanks for Chasing Joy with me!!! Enjoy your chocolates. Below are the results form random.org
List Randomizer
There were 9 items in your list. Here they are in random order:
- Lynette
- signingcharity
- Miranda
- Ms. Positivity
- Lindsay
- Cindee
- Sarah
- Susan Silver
- Shanita
Do you find Joy in giving? What is the best gift you ever gave?
