april fish?

My favorite holiday is just around the corner.  April Fools Day!  I've discovered that they do celebrate April Fools day here in France (sort of).  In France, 1 Avril is "Poissons d'Avril" or "April Fish."  I've read that in the 16th Century, the French switched to the Gregorian calendar which celebrates the new year on January 1st.  Before the switch, the French celebrated the new year on April 1st.  Those who did not know about the change in calendar continued to celebrate the new year on April 1st and were ridiculed and called fools.  Or something like that.

Anyway, I'm a little disappointed that the only prank in France on Poissons d'Avril is to tape a fish on someone's back.  It seems a bit limiting to me.  Not much room for creative expression.  I don't think I can deal with that kind of restriction.  I take my April Fools Day pranks quite seriously.  Here are the top hits from years past:

Christopher falls for this one every year, without fail.  Before he goes to bed on March 31st, I usually say, "Good night.  Tomorrow morning, you are going to get shot in the chest with water, but you are going to forget this warning."  And he ALWAYS forgets.  :)

rubber band on the kitchen sink hose

This one is my all time favorite:

no lather: bar of soap painted with clear nail polish

Other favorites include:

I emailed Christopher a broken link to a bogus article which was supposed to recount how one of the cast of "Queer Eye For the Straight Guy" was actually straight.  He then proceeded to scour the internet looking for the "real story."

Short sheeting the bed.  An all-time classic.

filling Gaius' diaper with M&Ms and watching Christopher change him.

Sending Christopher to work with a "hard boiled" egg that was actually raw.

Another one of my favorites is one that Christopher actually played on me:

filling the white wine bottle with water

Did you know that in England, they only play tricks on each other in the morning?  If you play a prank on someone after noon, you'll have bad luck.  I'm so glad I don't live in England!

Anyway, I have plenty up my sleeve this year, but I can't tell you about any of it until after the day.  Hopefully the pranks above will inspire you to "share the love" with your friends and family this Saturday, April 1st.  ;)

à bientôt!

PS- Uncle Glenn, I kindly left out the prank I played on you a couple of years ago.  :)