Planning how to reveal a surprise gift to a friend is chock full of possibility. You can really draw out the process, give them a winding trail of clues to follow, or you can thrust it upon them all at once, perhaps in an unexpected way. However you choose to do it, a surprise gift and the work you put into planning the reveal show them how much you care about your relationship. Here are some ideas for your inspiration—after reading, get cracking. Maybe even modify these plans to fit the gift you give.
Treasure Hunt
A treasure hunt is a bona fide classic option. Make a day out of it! Give them cryptic clues that allude to shared jokes and bring you all across town trying to get to the end. If you want to show them what their friendship means, perhaps one of you is moving far away soon, be sure to hit places that were important to each of you. But if you want to have some fun, make your clues embarrassing for them to find. Who knows, maybe you can get them to ask out a random guy to get another clue. Have your clues relate to the gift, too—if they’ve been dying to go to a baseball game, write nifty little sports puns in your clues. Whatever vibe you’re going for, find a way to record their treasure hunt. If you know other friends who want to join in, make it an event and laugh together as everyone struggles through clues.
Give them a Fake
There’s little better than seeing the dumbfounded look on someone’s face when they’re trying to decide how to react to a bad gift. Put your friend through the wringer by giving them a fake gift first, working up your acting skills from that high school play you were in, and trying to convince them you’re serious about the fake. Then watch their face completely change when you give them their real gift. An alternate way to fake them out is by wrapping their gift with a fake box or wrapping paper.
Hide It
Hiding it somewhere is another quality option, and you can film this too. Covertly have your camera going as they’re going about their day, not seeing your gift. This way you can capture the moment they notice the gift—you’ll love looking back on the footage of their eyes going wide. One example—if they’ve been hankering for some unique barware for a while, unpack the gifts ahead of time and find a reason to spend some time around their bar. When they see what’s magically appeared, they’ll have a nice combo of confusion and pleasantly surprise once understanding dawns on their face.
Enlist a Stranger
If you’re worried about being the one to reveal the surprise gift to your friend, ask a stranger to help out. Waiters and waitresses have a lot of training doing this—ask them to come with their gift after you each have finished. You have some enlistment options, such as your local teenage grocery store clerk, librarian, or other honorable public servants.