April Fools’ Day has been around since before the 17th century. It’s a day for pranksters like me. But of course, I did not pick this trait up off the side of the road. It was bred into me by my parents, who never let this day pass without a major prank.
April Fools’ Day “Back Then”
“Is your refrigerator running?”
In the days before caller ID, every year on April Fools’ Day, without fail, my mother would take hold of the telephone receiver and call everyone she could to ask this same silly question. We kids would huddle beside her and wait expectantly for the inevitable reply they would give. Our hands would forcibly cup our mouths in the event that we might give it away.
Invariably, the person on the other end would reply with a yes. Through our muffled giggles, our mother would speak again. In her unwavering voice, she would tell them, “Well, you’d better run after it then!” And hang up.
More often than not, she would surprise herself with how she had forgotten to mention to them that it was April Fools’ Day, no doubt leaving the receivers of these calls a little perplexed if they had not looked at their calendars yet. At the time, to us children, that joke was hilarious. In retrospect it wasn’t so much the joke, but the effort that was put into it.
Growing Up a Prankster
I come from a house full of pranksters. My father was often known to throw out one-liners that would stop the best of them in their tracks. He loved a descriptive turn of phrase and revealed one to a room full of attentive and appreciative ears. I think it would have given him great joy to know that he was buried on this day, too. It’s little wonder that his offspring would be just like him.
I also married a prankster. Not long ago, my son’s guinea pig died. We buried him with great pomp and circumstance in the backyard. We even placed a cross on his grave. After a few weeks, our cleaning lady noticed it and asked my husband what it was. He told her that they were his parents and how he enjoyed having them “around.”
April Fools’ is a big day for us, and this year will be no exception.
April Fools’ Day Pranks for Work or Home
- Place a “Please honk and wave—April Fools’ prank!” sign on the back of your car to either confuse your spouse or roommate on the way to work, or your children going to school!
- Sell your coworker’s car. Or at least place a sign up locally, with a picture and phone number. Watch your friend receive call after call about the car all day.
- Wrap a teacher’s stapler, mouse, highlighters, or laptop in birthday wrapping paper and big bows.
- Stick a foghorn to a coworker’s chair.
5. Grow grass seeds in your coworker’s keyboard. Watch the grass grow throughout the month of April.
6. Strategically place high heels in a locked bathroom stall at work. Watch as people become annoyed at how long the phantom woman is taking in there.
7. Park your kid’s car somewhere else after they go to the gym, so that when they come out, they wonder how they could have forgotten where they parked it.
8. Sing “Happy Birthday” to your friend at a restaurant, especially if it is not their birthday.
9. Send your husband to the grocery store with a list of nonsense items. Eventually he will have to ask a Target employee for the aisle that houses the shark-tooth tampons or extra- large canned bananas.
10. Send flowers to your coworker with a note: “Thanks for last night!” Or this!
Whatever you do on this day, remember that if done without damage, minor pranking is just a bit of fun. Some people do not like April Fools’ Day, but I suspect those same people relish in being miserable. The truth is this: Life can be tedious sometimes, especially during the months leading up to summer. If we can put forth a little laughter into our lives for April Fools’ Day, we should certainly make the effort. Summer will be here soon, but until then, let’s keep this 17th century tradition alive!
