Can you think of some little things to surprise or spoil someone with?
Asked by
Vincentt (
8094
)
November 24th, 2009
My housemates and I have all gotten another housemate randomly assigned, with the idea that, until Christmas, you spoil or surprise that person with little attentives, without that person knowing it’s you, as if little gnome’s having been doing that for you. Think doing someone’s dishes, or sneaking a chocolate bar into his or her pocket, those kind of things.
Now, with Fluther being the nice attentive community that it is, I’m sure it can come up with some creative nice things I could do for the housemate assigned to me. So, any ideas?
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21 Answers
Do their laundry, make their bed, vacuum their room, or mail them a greeting card? Not very creative, but I just woke up!
Keep refilling their sodas and chips in the fridge/cabinet.
Is there some small thing that they really like, that you could leave them as a surprise? I’m addicted to office supplies, and I know that if someone left a new pen on my desk or in my bag for me, I’d be really excited. You could even get a bunch of pens, and leave one a day in different spots all over the house.
Leaving fun notes and cards all over the house is a good one too – I always buy my husband at least 4 or 5 birthday cards and leave them around for him to find throughout the day. I find interesting places I know he’ll go, like in the fridge, leaning against the milk carton, so he’ll find it when he goes to get breakfast. Could you do something like that with Christmas cards?
oh the secret friend… I have not played that in ages!!! I usually do the candy treat, Ieave a snickers or a bag of m’s, stuff like that, but once I got movie tickets, a mixed cd with x+ songs, another mixed cd with the top 10 songs of the year, that was very nice, getting a blank cd and burn some music :D
a handwritten (obviously in your case it would have to be typed) letter telling them all the wonderful things about them, received through the post would be a lovely thing to find imo.
If it snows, and they park outside, clean off their windshield.
Buy their favorite brand of coffee.
Round up all their stray things in common space, and put them in a basket so they can find them.
Doing their dishes and taking out the trash when it’s their turn is also good.
Fix their favorite thing for dinner and invite them to share or leave them leftovers.
On the morning of an exam, get up and fix them a bit of breakfast, even if it’s running out and getting McDs.
Cup of tea brought to them in bed?
Why do people only do this around the winter holidays? Why is it not automatic?
@jfos because it reminds us to be nice and thoughtful… and we all need a reminder, being the inherently selfish beings that we are…
@jfos, because if you do it all the time, there can be a tendency for friends or flat mates to take advantage of your kindness and generosity, and expect you to do their chores, pick up after them, make them supper. You become their parent.
Picking up after yourself and doing your own dishes right after you eat is the gift you give your flat mates the rest of the year.
@PandoraBoxx Yes, but a few favors here and there would dismantle living arrangements?
Hopefully, everyone is kind and considerate to the people they live with (including their parents), and don’t take advantage of them.
i guess you’re at college after what you said.
So give him a really good information(if he must do a research paper etc give him a really good raw source of information?
Clothes to the dry cleaner
New toothbrush
Razor refils
Shoes re heeled/buffed
New towels
Replenish favorite foods/snacks
Sneak change/bills into their purse/wallet
Starbuck’s gift card in wallet/purse
Metro card/ BART pass
Slipper/Slipper socks
Issue of a magazine
Burt’s Bees lip balm
@Christian95 I am laughing at the idea of providing someone with a “raw” source of information as a gift.
I think that may be what I give all my college friends this year come to think of it.
This is the Netherlands and we’re students indeed, so nobody has a car. However, the car ideas did give me the idea of doing something fun with her bicycle :) The other ideas are great too. (One difficulty for me is that I’ve only been living here for almost three months so I don’t know her extremely well yet.)
@jfos It’s not restricted to now, people do take out the trash when it’s not their turn, for example. But yeah, perhaps it’s a funny idea to do this for a whole year, and then after that year get assigned someone else to treat :)
(Oh, and I also didn’t know this was called secret friend, we call it wichtelen :)
cranial massage?
edit: doh…they’d know it was you then wouldn’t they… pfft
I’ve recently discovered the ‘philosophy’ brand bath bubbles, shampoo, etc. Everyone is getting some this year for Christmas from me. Its basically a bubble bath, shampoo, and body wash – all in one. And they smell DELICIOUS! Cookies, fudge, yadda yadda yadda.
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