h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

a few years ago when my mom turned 50, we (dad and my younger bro and sis) decided to throw a big suprise party. actually a gigantic one, with tons of old friends, all her current friends, work people, community people, etc. some of these people were coming from hundreds of miles away. i was only 16 at the time, but being as my dad is rather absent minded, i managed nearly everything.
the most ingenious bit was that we TOLD her there was going to be a party, but that it would be a very low-key dinner with a few friends. then we had an old friend invite her to spend the day in the city, shopping, going to a museum or something. that gave us the whole day to cook, decorate, etc. the only small catch was that the assisstant, who is one of the least punctual people on earth, suddenly got ahead of schedule and called from his mobile from the toilet "what should i do, she's ready to go home?" but he is a genius, and managed to convince her that they had to go to an upscale supermarket to find some exotic fruit that the fruit salad just couldnt live without.
in the meantime, the guests arrived, and i had the presence of mind to get them to park far away (and even to alert the police in our tiny town that a lot of ppl would be parking on the street and not to get their panties in a bunch about it).
the guest of honor and her accompanyment finally arrived, via the back door as usual. all she saw was her children and husband putting the last touches on a few simple dishes. she beamed with joy anyway. then we asked her to get candles from the living room...
i have never heard her scream so loud in my life. and we werent even trying to scare her. no one jumped out of dark corners or anything, she just opened the door to find about 60 of her closest smiling at her.
it was a smashing success though, for everyone involved. (well, except the assistant, who had been so stressed from his day of babysitting that he got, um, smashed, and couldnt drive home)