A few posts back I wrote about my brother’s fast approaching sixtieth birthday. Well, his birthday is this coming Thursday (30th), but the surprise birthday party was last night.  It took lots of scheming and coercing, (did I tell you my brother is stubborn?) but we did manage to surprise him at his own home.

Thank heavens for Facebook and its event planner feature.  The whole party was arranged, staged, and organized by creating the event on Facebook.  With his daughter in Barrie, me in Ottawa, the birthday boy, and other friends and family members in Ingleside, social media (FB) came to the rescue, keeping us all connected.  I created the event, adding key individuals as cohosts so we could each send out invitations from our own contact lists.  Keeping the surprise birthday party a private event ( an option when creating the event) ensured my brother would not find out as only invited guests could access the details.

From the moment the event was created up to the moment of surprise, we were able to communicate as a group.  Except for the birthday boy, of course, he was excluded from the group. Jobs such as purchasing the party essentials, organizing the potluck food contributions, decorating the venue, and even distracting the birthday boy (definitely the toughest job) were all delegated on Facebook.

It was the easiest party to organize, ever.  Judging by the turnout of all the guests and the delicious food, it was a great success!