Describe an important family celebration
and how you felt about it.

Last Saturday, my family had an important celebration. It was my father’s birthday and we celebrated the special occasion by throwing a surprise party for him. A week prior to the party, we secretly invited our relatives and my father’s friends to the party.

In the afternoon of my father’s birthday, my elder brother Brian requested our father to take him shopping in a shopping centre to buy some sports gear. Our father had no idea that it was just a pretext to get him out of the house. While they were away, my mother, younger brother Austin and I started to get ready for the party at home. After decorating the living room with crepe paper and balloons, we went to a bakery to fetch the birthday cake that we ordered a few days earlier. Not long after we reached home, the caterers arrived and started to set up the food in no time.

About an hour later, the guests started arriving. Just then, Brian called to inform our mother that he and our father would be coming home soon. Mother told him to stay in the shopping centre a bit longer as not all the guests had arrived yet. Brian said that he would try his best. After all the guests had arrived, all of us hid excitedly and waited for their return. Within moments, we heard a car parking, followed by people walking towards the front door.

“You haven’t been a good son today, have you?” my father complained in a slightly cross tone of voice. He then took out the door key from his trouser pocket. Inserting it into the keyhole, he continued, “You know that I dislike shopping, especially for long hours. And yet you dragged me all over the shopping centre. In the end, you bought nothing. I’m so tired now.”

After my father had turned the key and opened the door, all of us jumped out of our hiding places and shouted, “Surprise!” My father was quite flabbergasted to see so many people in our beautifully decorated living room. For a while, he was dumbfounded. When he had recovered from his ‘shock’, he laughed heartily and exclaimed, “OMG! It’s my birthday today. I should’ve seen this coming!”

After the meal, all of us gave my father birthday gifts. Before the party ended, my father made a short speech to thank all the guests for coming and also for their presents. He also expressed that the greatest gift he had ever received is his family. Everyone of us applauded.

I love surprise parties and this is the best that I have ever had so far. I was happy to see my father having such an enjoyable time at the party, not to mention the delicious food served. Although I was glad to celebrate my father’s birthday, I felt a little sadness as he had grown a year older and the number of his grey hairs had increased.

My father has sacrificed so much for the well-being of our family and I love him dearly. As the only daughter of my family, I want him to be by my side, to be there for me forever. But I know that this is impossible. Anyway, I wish him nothing but happiness, health, longevity and many happy returns of the day.