Help with creative surprising, please.

April 4, 2007 9:06 AM

Creative Gift Giving Filter: I got tix to the Police in Chicago for my husband and his best friend. What's a creative way to tell him?

I don't want to just hand him the tickets and say, "Surprise!" I'm looking for a little more drama than that. I thought about cutting out the letters p-o-l-i-c-e and c-h-i-c-a-g-o and b-r-a-n-d-o-n (the friend) and making him unscramble them... but that could take a while and be frustrating for him. You all are awesome at this stuff. Ideas?

posted by orangemiles to Grab Bag (18 answers total)

Best answer: Maybe mock up a fake traffic ticket for Chicago with Brandon's name on it? And put the date and venue as a court date or something?
posted by the dief at 9:12 AM on April 4, 2007

Best answer: A message in a bottle, naturally.
posted by modernnomad at 9:13 AM on April 4, 2007 [1 favorite]

Yeah, I think modernnomad pretty much nails this one.
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:16 AM on April 4, 2007

Pay a local cop 50 bucks to stop by after his shift, in uniform, knock on the door, and say ominously when your husband answers, "I have to deliver some papers to you, sir. Police business."
posted by ROTFL at 9:17 AM on April 4, 2007 [1 favorite]

I know it's not what you asked, but how about not telling him, and driving him and his friend to the venue with the promise of a surprise when they get there? When he sees the Police advertised outside the venue that'll be a massive surprise, and he'll have got all excited on the drive wondering where he might be going!

On preview I like thirteenkiller's idea too!!
posted by schmoo at 9:20 AM on April 4, 2007

Or make him toast and spaghetti, and spell it out on the toast in alphabet spaghetti!
posted by schmoo at 9:21 AM on April 4, 2007

Just tell him "Doo doo doo, dah dah dah." When he's like "what what what," tell him "That's all I've got to say to you."
posted by ikkyu2 at 9:23 AM on April 4, 2007

Get together to play the Roxanne drinking game, and just before you both lose, flash those tix.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:30 AM on April 4, 2007

Uh, what was thirteenkiller's idea? I see no post from thirteenkiller. Was it deleted?

I've gotta go with the aforementioned message in a bottle though.. it's perfect... Maybe you could even arrange something at lake michigan!
posted by twiggy at 9:31 AM on April 4, 2007

Hot cop stripper delivers the tix to hubby, then stays to perform for you for being such a nice wife.
posted by macadamiaranch at 9:46 AM on April 4, 2007

Tell him to look at the front page of Ask Metafilter and guess which thread relates to his surprise (best to point out beforehand it isn't the libido or heart problem ones.)
posted by fire&wings at 9:52 AM on April 4, 2007

I'd start by staring at every move he makes. When he asks what's going on, take some giant steps toward him, like you were walking on the moon, then stand way too close to him until he gets annoyed, then give him the message in a bottle. You don't have to do this part, but you could also shine a red light in his eyes.
posted by teg at 10:00 AM on April 4, 2007 [1 favorite]

go to the post office, and mail the tickets via certified mail. decorate the envelope like it's some over the top warrant assignment (from the POLICE!), mail it to him, and make him go to the post office to sign for it.
posted by lester's sock puppet at 10:31 AM on April 4, 2007

Have him arrested.
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 11:25 AM on April 4, 2007

Response by poster: I TOLD HIM! YOU GUYS ROCK!!!

He called shortly after I posted this question and said he was available for lunch before he went home for the afternoon (no client today). Well, the tickets are coming via fedex, and that would be a dumb way to find out, so I decided to take a combo of answer 1 and answer 2. I found a Chicago traffic ticket online and filled in a few pertinent details, then printed it out and rolled it up and stuck it in an empty wine bottle we happen to have here in the kitchen place I work. When I gave him the bottle at the restaurant, he knew within a second. You Police fans-- you see a message in a bottle and your mind goes straight to the song.

Thanks again, friends, for the suggestions. You made it very cool.
posted by orangemiles at 11:34 AM on April 4, 2007

I thought about cutting out the letters p-o-l-i-c-e and c-h-i-c-a-g-o and b-r-a-n-d-o-n (the friend) and making him unscramble them... but that could take a while and be frustrating for him.

Also, he could have ended up with "Accordion-phobic Angel" , "Carcinogenic Bald Pooh", or "Heroic Cannibal Cop Dog".
posted by martinrebas at 12:29 PM on April 4, 2007 [2 favorites]

Uh, what was thirteenkiller's idea? I see no post from thirteenkiller. Was it deleted?

I swear thirteenkiller posted an amusing answer to this question...someone please tell me I'm not imagining it in a dissertation-stress induced hallucination!!
posted by schmoo at 1:21 PM on April 4, 2007

Response by poster: thirteenkiller did post a humorous answer, but it had to do with faking choking to the point where husband gave the heimlich. My guess is that the moderators considered it to be in bad taste or something, I don't know. I didn't ask for it to be removed, but I have to say it did make me wince.
posted by orangemiles at 6:41 AM on April 5, 2007