Would you hate it if your S/O threw a surprise party, involving a lot of people (including ones you don't know very well,) for you in your own home?

I’d wonder what’s wrong with him because it would be so out of character. But aside from that… I think it would be fun, as long as he also did the post-party cleaning.
There’s so much more to life than a clean toilet and dusted mantles, and most guests will know that. Don’t let it bug ya.

Yes, for the same reasons and also because my house is TINY and we can only really fit about 4 guests before it gets uncomfortably cramped and people can’t sit down. I’d much rather the surprise party was in the pub.

Surprise parties are such a double-edged sword, aren’t they? They’re often much more fun for the person who is planning it than for the recipient – who often feels dumb, shocked or like their home is being invaded when they weren’t ready for company. I made a 60th surprise party for my husband this summer that I think avoided some of the pitfalls. It was a pool party at a friend’s house. My husband knew he was going to a party and all his sailing firends were there; he just didn’t know and it took him a while to figure out that it was a birthday party for him. I think it worked and he really enjoyed it, but as I said, they can be more for the givers than the recipient.

@Likeradar It didn’t happen to me. But it would bug me. I know there are more important things than a spotless house, but to me, when I’m expecting company, it IS important. I don’t mind friends and family dropping by unexpectedly, even my kitchen might need tending to, and the living room is a little cluttered. I don’t mind that, but….a party? Involving people you don’t even know very well?

I would not like it. Nope…not one bit.

I would rather she put that money toward a trip.

@janbb LOL! Actually, my birthday was about two weeks after we got together, seven years ago. He took me to the river to hang out for a while, while unknown to me, his daughter and my kids threw together a quicky party. I am totally not used to anyone making any kind of fuss over me about anything, that when we drove up into the driveway, and I saw all the cars I said, “Oh cool! Janie came over and so did the kids! They’ll get to hang out!”
Then I took in the banner and the streamers on the deck, and I said, “It almost looks like a party!” I seriously…didn’t realize what was happening!
He looks at me sidelong and says, “Yeeesssssss…...”
EVEN THEN I didn’t know what was going on until I walked up on the deck and all the kids hollered, “Happy Birthday Mom!” THEN it hit me! They were having a party for me. For ME!! I cried. I really did.
And, of course, since then, he never remembers my birthday. I get such a kick out of it when, at some point during the day, it dawns on him that it’s my birthday. He gets so flustered! It makes me laugh!

Yes. I may be an extrovert in most things but a house full of people who are there on my behalf would be a little slice of hell. I can tell you I would be drinking heavily in that situation. And the entire time I’d be thinking of a way to get the hell out.

@Val123 I can’t imagine the lame SO who would invite a lot of people over without doing basic tidying first, but no, I really wouldn’t care and might actually enjoy it.

I wouldn’t mind, I like parties, I like to meet new people. Now all you have to do is talk her into it.

A few years back my g/f at the time threw me a surprise birthday party and yes, she invited people I didn’t know very well and yes I hated it. especially since a few weeks beforehand I suspected she was up to something and I specifically said: Do not throw me a surprise party I will hate it, and she still did. It was aweful…It’s so awkward recieving one gift card from 5 people…like I don’t know someone went around saying: “Hey, who wants to throw in a few bucks to get a gift card since we don’t even know what this guy likes”

Surprise parties are my worst nightmare, in fact, even parties that aren’t surprises have me worried for weeks in advance before I have to attend them. Luckily my SO wouldn’t do that to me because a: he knows how freaked out social gatherings make me (surprise or otherwise) and b: he’s not a huge fan of them himself, I mean, they don’t freak him out like they do with me but he finds them tedious.

@Leanne1986 I am sorry to hear parties freak you out. I used to be that way when I was much younger and cared too much about what people thought of me. One advantage to getting older is the diminished concern you have for other’s opinion.

I don’t mean to say that I don’t care if people like me but realize that not everyone will. When you develop that attitude, you can relax at gatherings. I find people like me more when I’m relaxed. So my advice to you would be to go out with another couple then work your way up to bigger groups. I believe that you will eventually have much better times at parties, surprise or otherwise.

Yes, I would. And he knows that and would never do such a thing, any more than I would do it to him.

I also swore a pact with a woman at work that we would not let each other get caught by one of those horrid office birthday surprises, and we each faithfully tipped the other off over the years.

@Ron_C Thank you but I must admit, I am relieved to be safely indoors this new years eve without having to worry about all the social gatherings!!!

@Leanne1986 consider yourself lucky. I lived in the Philippines and the tradition was to shoot guns into the air at midnight. They didn’t seem to care where the bullets landed. They probably wouldn’t kill you but they still hurt when you get hit. I didn’t shoot and stayed under a roof until the shooting stopped.

Fine by me. Pass the wine bottle

@Ron_C Wow! That’s a bit drastic!!! I’m happy to be here, curled up on the sofa with my dogs :)

I don’t think I’d like it.My sister has threatened to do that to me many times.I’d suprise her by not showing up!lol!

@RonC

It’s not only the Phillipines.

There are idiots in predominantly S. Philly who
still follow that idiotic tradition.

And there have been people with permanent disability and brain damage from the falling bullets, so it’s just not as benign as some people like to think.

And this is despite the fact that the local news stations do stories with people damaged by this in previous years.

Some idiots never learn.

My then SO was supposed to take me for lunch on my birthday. so I only slept a couple of hours after a night shift and dressed up. Then he phoned and suggested lunch at a friend’s pool, so I changed and gathered up swimming things. Turned out to be a surprise party for me with some people I didn’t even like. I tried to enjoy it but it was too much. If he had told me I would have slept until 3 and then enjoyed the party. Also booze on an empty stomach? Gahhh!

I had a surprise party thrown for me and I loved it. When my ex and I were living together we went through a rough patch where we were completely broke, and my birthday fell in the middle of that. I was upset because I knew we wouldn’t be able to do anything, and we had been fighting a lot at the time. Well, I went to work that day and then went out afterward for a birthday drink with my coworkers, meaning I got back about two hours later than expected. When I got home, he had somehow pulled together all our friends (even my friends that he didn’t know that well) for a barbecue in the backyard, gotten a cake, and gotten several cases of beer, and a few really nice presents. It was nice to be surprised because I wasn’t expecting anything at all.

Except for the people I don’t know, it would be fine. Any SO of mine would know better than to let company over into a dirty house.

@Buttonstc It wouldn’t be too bad if they just shot straight up, then the bullets land on them.