A dad is every child’s first hero. Fathers are those silent anchors in every storm that life throws at us. While some dads are loud and vocal about how much they love their children, others are stoic and resilient, being by our side, guiding us through every trial and tribulation. Either way, the life lessons they teach us stay with us for a long time, even as we step into adulthood and away from home.
Dads are full of surprises. When you expect them to scold us for something we have done, they laugh about it and brush it off while mom fumes. Sometimes, when you least expect it, they do not stand for your tricks or ‘adventures.’ When a person is so important to us, a birthday cannot just be a day where we say, ‘Happy birthday, Dad, have a good one.’ So, how to surprise your dad on his birthday?
Here are some fun ways to surprise the man who has given you so much.
A Surprise Visit
If you live away from home, the best way to surprise your dad is by making an impromptu trip home. If you cannot do that because of work, you could plan with your mom or someone at home to organise a trip to your place.
As all the wise ones say, our time is our parents’ greatest gift we can give. So, plan a surprise where your siblings and you can get together and spend time with your dad.
You can plan a visit to your house, and a surprise party. Time your arrival at home with the delivery of his birthday cake from Cake Buzz. If all your siblings make it to the party, plan to go home together and give your dad the greatest surprise.
If you plan to bring them over to your place, plan the details with your mother or siblings to avoid delays or mishaps during their journey.
A Vacation
Parents work throughout their lives, both at the office and at home. The second-best thing you can give your dad on his birthday is a vacation. After all the work he has done, the man deserves a break. Surprise him with a vacation to a place of his liking.
Vacations are a great way to relax, wind down and forget the pressures of life. If your dad is working, a vacation is a perfect getaway from the routine. Retired dads who like to stroll around the neighbourhood irritate mom with their constant tinkering or gardening could do with a change of scene.
It could be a trip to the nearest resort, hill station, or beach. If you want to make it extra special, you could plan a trip with your closest friends or family. If your dad is adventurous, you could include a trek, safari or adventure spray. But if he wants to enjoy the breeze, relax.
You can choose a location close to where your parents live or an international location given the various options available. Choose a spot that your dad always wanted to visit and one that he would enjoy spending time in.
Learning Something New
You and your dad could learn something new together. It could be something as simple as operating his brand-new smartphone, making video calls to friends and family, or something that he has always wanted to learn more about.
If you are looking at teaching him something that he has never had the time to learn, or if you plan to learn something new with them, choose one you will enjoy. Again, this is time you can spend together.
A few ideas include
- Learning to play a musical instrument
- Dance classes
- Mobile phone photography
- Creating a terrarium
- Cooking a dish
- Yoga or meditation
Depending on your dad’s taste, you could choose a trial class for a long-term learning goal or a one-day course on baking or cooking. If your dad has always wanted to play a musical instrument, you can combine two gifts in one- you can buy the instrument and sign up for classes along with him. For the recently tech-savvy father, you can sign them up for mobile photography classes. You can also teach them about different applications on their smartphone.
A Hobby Idea Package
A hobby is a great way to unwind and do something outside of work or everyday chores. Gifting a hobby idea package is a great way to get your father to start a new chapter in his life on his birthday.
Surprise your dad with a new tool kit or a gardening kit. If he is artistically inclined, gift him a set of paints, brushes and some canvas, or some pencils for sketching. Your dad will be surprised by the thought and effort into the gift.
What’s more, you can become a part of his new hobby, and even benefit from it. Thanks to the gardening kit you gifted your dad on his birthday, you could enjoy homegrown vegetables from your backyard in due course of time. You could also enjoy some great music or receive custom-made paintings or crafted items from your dad.
The best part? If your dad has retired recently, your surprise gift could help you find a new way to spend your time instead of watching reruns of matches on television or finding new ways to rearrange the furniture in the house.
A Game With His Buddies
If you have ever watched a group of not-so-young men playing football or any other sport, you will agree that this is the best birthday surprise for any dad. As we grow older and our responsibilities grow, we seldom have the time to play or indulge in sports. But, who doesn’t like a game once in a while? So, call up your dad’s friends and arrange a friendly cricket or football match. This will be an excellent way for them to reconnect while you enjoy watching your dad relax and have fun.
Organising a match involves finding the right place, scheduling it, and checking if weather conditions will permit the match. It also involves making sure there is enough to eat and drink after the match. So, your birthday surprise could include a match in the evening, followed by delicious cake from Cake Buzz, and dinner or snacks.
The game will bring back fond memories and give your dad and his friends some needed time to bond.
A Trip Down Memory Lane
Parents grow sentimental and wistful when their children grow up and move out. A collection of photographs, videos, or even a scrapbook containing paraphernalia from some memorable events will be unique to your dad’s birthday.
Go through old albums, find photos that span your dad’s entire lifetime- from when he was a baby to the present, and make a collage of them. You could also create a new album or scrapbook with photographs from different photo albums. If you are more inclined towards digital photographs or videos, create a slide show of the photographs and videos.
Another way to make your father’s birthday special is to rope in his friends and family, people he has not met in ages. If they cannot make it in person, you could request them to create a video and send it over to you. They could talk about their favourite memory with your dad. Secrets, adventures, joyous events, tough times- they could share everything. Create a video that compiles all these memories for a birthday surprise like no other, one that he will cherish for ages to come.
Personalised Gifts
Most people like to have personalised stationery or some personalised gifts. Surprise your dad with a personalised gift and watch his face light up. Personalised gifts include journals, books, pens and other stationery, passport holders, photographs, a chess set (or any other board game he likes), books about his journey through life, etc.
With many illustrators, calligraphers and entrepreneurs in the gifting market, getting personalised stationery is not the herculean task it used to be. If you want a personalised gift for your dad on his birthday, there are many options. Beginning with the easy ones- diaries, journals, pens, office stationery- you can find many freelancers and entrepreneurs who will make a unique product for your dad.
You can also surprise your dad with a customised photo frame, a passport holder that has his name, an apron with a quirky quote, a caricature, and so much more. The best part of this is, your dad knows that it was made exclusively for him. The effort and thought into a personalised gift make the receiver feel special.
A Surprise Party
Though we have already thrown the idea of a surprise party around, we would like to focus on this one because this surprise never goes out of style. A party with his near and dear ones will make your father’s birthday memorable.
Organise a party with your siblings, relatives, neighbours, and every one your father holds dear. Seeing all his loved ones under the same roof will give him a feeling of being cherished and loved, as he should feel. It is also the perfect time to get together with people you have not met in ages. Treat them all to some beautiful food and delicious cake from Cake Buzz, and it will be a party to remember.
A Professional Photo Session
Thanks to our smartphones and digital cameras, creating new memories and capturing them for eternity has never been easier. However, if your parents are old-school, they would love to have a photograph that they can keep on their nightstand or hang up in a place of pride. So, arrange a professional photo session for your dad and the people he cherishes the most- his family.
If you live away from home, arrange for a professional photographer to meet your parents at their home. This way, they do not have to travel to the studio. If you can think of a location that holds a special place in your father’s heart, make arrangements for a professional photo shoot. Gather family members- siblings, children, grandchildren, so your dad has all his favourite people in one frame.
This could also be part of the surprise party you are throwing your dad, but getting everyone in the same frame could prove difficult or tricky for the photographer. So, we suggest you plan the photo session for a day when things are relatively less chaotic or busy.
A Gift Hamper
A personalised gift is great, but a gift hamper is ten times more exciting. A gift hamper gives you the freedom to choose multiple items to gift your dad. Imagine his surprise when he finds a hamper with his favourite goodies- chocolates, snacks, fruits, anything he likes.
There are many ways in which you can put your gift hamper together. You can choose a theme. For example, if you choose food, you can order a few items from Cake Buzz- cookies, pastries, bread and such. If your father is not someone with a sweet tooth, you could create a hamper with his favourite snacks- chips, fries, murukku, namkeen, moong dal, etc. If neither works for you, you could choose from a range of sugar-free goodies. If he is trying to eat healthily, the hamper can contain healthy snacks, fruits and even salad subscriptions.
Your gift hamper can also be a mix of things he likes. You could add some stationery, a mini toolbox with some tools that he is missing, a gardening kit along with organic seeds, something that he needs but doesn’t ask for, like a new pair of glasses. The list of things you could add to your hamper is endless.
The child-like joy you will see on his face when he unwraps his gifts sees his friends and family or gets to spend some time with you will be worth the time and effort you put into planning this party. And there is always cake from us. Cake Buzz loves to be part of your every celebration. So, order from us, personalise your orders and let us know how the birthday surprise went.