An emotional basket

14th Sept - Raghu's bday. What do you struggle with most when you have a close ones birthday? The perfect gift! and the real task comes in when you don't want to spend much and still give the best. I wanted to do something different yet funny.

I wont tell you right away what was the final gift, I will tell you the whole process and you will figure out the gift for yourself by the end. First I went looking for the correct basket, the kind you get with florist but I wanted an empty one, and the price in which they sell an empty basket I could have gifted him a basket with flowers! Anyways, I found a decent empty basket in Lulu Supermarket. Next I had a small list of things that would go into the basket! So the real shopping began.

Green chillies/Red chillies - A dish without them is not worth a try!
One Broccoli - A pasta can have less pasta in it but Broccoli is a must

Dates - If he craves something sweet, this is his savior these days

Chocolates - He loves them

Dark chocolates - He hates them but this is what he gets when he craves for chocolate

Rasagulla - He likes every sweet, but any one is enough for the basket

Mushroom soup - There's no restaurant where he won't order soup, to the extent that he can even ask for a soup in Sarvana Bhawan!

A box of Plum cake - He would have preferred a chocolate cake, there's already enough amount of sweet happening in the basket so this is it

Nando's Peri Peri sauce - If he goes grocery shopping with me, this is what he buys

Tabasco sauce - Same as Peri Peri

Hugo Boss Perfume - He loves perfumes and I don't knw whats with this particular brand, but his bday after all.....so he gets it

Three ties - Just to remind him, how much ever he hates wearing them he has to :)

There are 50 other things he loves, but sorry my small basket takes in only these many! Next I bought a few ribbons to decorate the basket and two little cards to go in it. I reached home and hid the basket. Mission was 80% successful!

Next day on 13th, I started decorating it with ribbons and red and green chilies around the basket. I arranged the items inside, in a way that everything is visible. Took a small printout of two of us together which went into that tiny card with the message and stuck the card on the basket. Phew! Finally all done but the surprise part was still left. And yes, I had been pretending with some or the other excuse since past few days that I did not buy anything for him, did not even bake a cake....and obviously he would very understandingly say, you don't need to and blah blah! So, very clearly he was not expecting anything the next day.

13th night, I waited for him to sleep so that I could get up and put the basket near the bed, and he sees it first thing in the morning. I got up, kept the basket on his side of the bed on the floor. Put the 2nd card (musical one) over his phone beside the bed. All was set, but I could not sleep the whole night keeping an eye on him, every turn he would make I would think now he would look at the basket, but it was dark. Anyways morning 6:00 am, he opens his eyes sleepily....stretches his hand towards the mobile, obviously expecting birthday wishes! I pretend I am sleeping, but I was half awake. Just to add here whatever little time I took a nap I had a dream that he skipped looking at the basket and started off the morning chores! Anyways, back to where I was He sees the tiny musical card, looks at me wonders how I am awake....and smilingly looks at me again. That tiny cute musical card itself made him so happy & emotional that he did not notice the big basket lying there, I pointed towards the basket and said look there. He was wondering what is this basket with a big broccoli in it!

Well, I can't express in words. I have never seen him more happier than this, he literally had tears in his eyes. An emotional kid at heart! The funny gift with broccoli and chilly effect, turned out be an emotional one! He was surprised the way the basket was done with all the things he loved. I think the effort that went into putting all of it together was visible & touched his heart. I knew he would love the gift, but his reaction was beyond my expectation so I was super happy! I managed clicking some decent pics of the basket from my phone.

Images © Prachee Kapoor & Squeaky Corner