{"id":7041,"date":"2017-03-13T06:00:13","date_gmt":"2017-03-13T10:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.elfster.com\/?p=7041"},"modified":"2023-03-29T10:43:00","modified_gmt":"2023-03-29T14:43:00","slug":"april-fools-day-gag-gift-exchange-prank-party-ideas-no-joke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/13\/april-fools-day-gag-gift-exchange-prank-party-ideas-no-joke\/","title":{"rendered":"An April Fools\u2019 Day Gag Gift Exchange and Prank Party Ideas That Are No Joke"},"content":{"rendered":"

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What goes in is up to them | Image courtesy Etsy seller BookLoveGifts<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Maybe the first recorded prank in history was when the Greek army hid themselves in a giant horse and pretended it was a gift to the Trojan people. While the Trojans slept, the Greeks slipped out, yelled \u201cSurprise!,\u201d and\u2026 well, it didn\u2019t go too well for the Trojans. Not funny? Maybe the joke gets lost in translation. Maybe you had to be there (pro tip: you should not have been there). <\/span><\/p>\n

Pranks these days are a little more about silly jokes and tricks, and less about pillage. We also usually reserve them for April Fools\u2019 Day, a day so rife with mischief that everyone is on edge, wondering if everything they hear is a joke. <\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s what makes it such a great day for <\/span>a party celebrating goofy fun<\/span><\/a> with a gag gift exchange. A lot of people don\u2019t like April Fools’ Day because they think it\u2019s just a chance to be cruel\u2014and to be fair, we all know the guy who says, \u201cHey, the boss wants to see you now\u2026 April Fools,\u201d then yuks it up over your irregular heart palpitations. But it\u2019s not meant to be a day for malice or mean-spiritedness. It\u2019s a day to have a good time reveling in the absurdity of everything, of life. It\u2019s wearing mustache sunglasses not to disguise yourself, but to show who you really are.<\/span><\/p>\n

So have a celebration! Exchange gifts! Just don\u2019t invite your friends for a party, and then claim it was just a joke. They might still make you provide snacks. Better use my party ideas instead. <\/span><\/p>\n

No Fooling: Gag Gift Exchange Ideas<\/h4>\n

One year at my office, a buddy of mine decided it would be a good idea to have an April Fools’ gift exchange. At first, I was confused. Were we <\/span>actually<\/span><\/i> having an exchange? Or were we not? And if so, were we swapping real gifts?<\/span><\/p>\n

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Handmade chocolates are no joke | Image courtesy Etsy seller LaviniaWilsonsChoc<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I didn\u2019t understand the goofy (or dark) genius of it all. It was a real gift exchange, but you didn\u2019t know if you were going to get a gag gift or a real one. You didn\u2019t know if your gift was going to actually be a prank, or if you were just so worried that a nice, normal gift was, in fact, a prank that you didn\u2019t want to accept it. It played with the very concept of pranks in such a way that anything was possible, making the unexpected the expected. <\/span><\/p>\n

This was perfectly illustrated by my gift: <\/span>a box of assorted chocolates<\/span>. It\u2019s well-known in certain parts that I love those old-fashioned assorted chocolate boxes. Also well-known is my almost heroic (Homeric) bravery. I never just nibble a chocolate or look at the maps and legends. No, I just bite right in. It could be sea salt and caramel (bliss). It could be coconut (terror). But the point is, you never know. And that\u2019s what made it such <\/span>a good gag gift<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

I was terrified of what could be in them. Was the nougat somehow replaced with mud or castor oil? Was there a mouse? Or worst of all, were they <\/span>all coconut<\/span><\/i>?<\/span> Could such evil exist? I couldn\u2019t eat one all day, so nervous was I. Of course, it turned out to be just a perfectly delicious box of candies. But the joke was the very idea that it could be a joke. It was brilliant. <\/span><\/p>\n

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A terrifyingly unnatural beetle | Image courtesy Etsy seller TheAmateurNaturalist<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now it\u2019s your turn to explore the boundaries of what makes a clever prank. <\/span>Set up a gift exchange<\/span><\/a>, so that whether you\u2019re hosting it in your office or with friends across the country, you can be sure that everyone who wants to be involved can be in an easy and organized way. Save the uncertainty for the actual gifts. <\/span><\/p>\n

Some other great gag gift ideas include:<\/p>\n