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Woman asks friends to bring gossip to her party instead of gifts, and wow, did they deliver

The 'tea' party brought people together from all walks of life.

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Everyone brought their own tea.

As you start to get older, it's inevitable that your birthday begins to lose a bit of luster. Sometimes it's because of the other things you have going on in life. Parents usually focus more on their kids' birthdays and holidays, so their own birthdays become a bit of an afterthought. Others just get tired of doing the same kind of things year after year: throwing an unimaginative party to celebrate getting a year older. Yay, I guess? There's also the small matter of our diverse relationships. Most of us have different friend groups, family, in-laws—what are we supposed to do? Mix them all together in an awkward stew of forced small talk?

And let's not even get started on presents. What does a 30- or 40-something-year-old really need when it comes to birthday presents? Maybe something meaningful or thoughtful from a spouse or a close loved one, but certainly most adults have no desire for all their friends to shower them with random gifts they don't want, need, or could buy themselves.

One woman, Liz Migliaccio, decided to reimagine the grown-up birthday party. For her 36th, she invited all her family and close friends and asked them, in lieu of gifts, to bring something far more interesting.

Migliaccio and her wife, Cayla DeRegis, recounted the invitation to Newsweek:

"For my birthday...join me for some cozy wine and please come tell me your insane co-worker gossip or how your boss is the worst," it read. "Regale me with your salacious romantic encounter or unhinged dating story. Get really detailed about someone else's business and we can full form opinions that no one asked for. I'm 36—the world's hottest age and hot people like hot gossip."

It was a clever way of throwing an entertaining party with family and friends from all walks of life, all while giving the strangers in attendance good icebreakers with one another. As seen in a now-viral TikTok from DeRegis, guests took turns spilling their juiciest bit of tea. The party go-ers are absolutely rapt as you can see in the clip:

@cayladeregis

the greatest gift there is ☕️

11 million people watched the video on TikTok, with commenters unanimously agree: The 'tea party' was absolutely genius.

In the interview with Newsweek, Migliaccio said the best story of the night came from a guest who attended a wedding that never happened.

"A friend of a friend went to a family wedding a while back," Migliaccio said. "[She] had to go buy a long-sleeve dress for the wedding. As the receipt is being printed out, she gets a text that the ceremony is being called off, and instead, the bride and groom are just going to 'celebrate their relationship. ... They got there and found out the bride and her family weren't coming anymore so it ended up just being a celebration of him. My friend said it was the most over-the-top, beautiful wedding she'd ever been to but there was no bride."

gossip, gossip girl, leighton meester, rumors, storytelling, entertainment, dramaThis explains the popularity of Gossip GirlGiphy

Other guests brought stories of dramatic breakups and relationship scandal. Others brought their best watercooler gossip from work. Every single person in attendance was entertained. So were the viewers and commenters on TikTok:

"In this economy this is the best gift to bring"

"I can feel how HEAVY the tea is through the screen"

"You know it’s crazy tea when people have empty glasses but are INVESTED in the story"

"I LOVE this concept- this would make me want to go to a party ... just be messy and then go home to my drama free life"

Dozens of users claimed they would be stealing this idea for their own parties in the near future.

Why is the gossip party such a brilliant idea? It comes down to the power of storytelling.

It's really stressful and challenging to mingle with people you don't know well or at all, whether you're dragged along to a spouse's work event or attending a party where the guest of honor has several different friend groups. It can be tough to find enough to talk about beyond just surface level small talk.

But one thing all human beings have in common is that we love stories. Not only is a great story super entertaining (even one about mundane but juicy everyday drama), studies show our brain activity syncs up with others when they tell us a story. That's something small talk and get-to-know-you chat can't achieve. So, the genius of the Tea Party is that it offers every guest a perfect icebreaker with all the others, lots of laughs, and a feeling of having made great connections with the other guests by the end of the night.

I think most people on their birthdays just want everyone to have a great time celebrating them with no drama. Well, maybe just a little bit of drama.

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Community

Mom asks local car community to help surprise son for 4th birthday–and they showed up in droves

He got a parade of police cars and Porsches.

nadjaa_jovanovic_/Instagram

Four-year-old boy surprised with parade of cool cars for birthday.

Most little boys are *obsessed* with cars. From the loud noises they make to the flashy colors and speed, what's not to love?! So when she was thinking of an epic way to surprise her car-loving son for his 4th birthday, TikTokker Nadja Jovanovic (@nadjaajovanovic) knew exactly what to do to make his day even more special.

She reached out on Facebook to her local car community to ask car enthusiasts in her area if they would stop her neighborhood in Winter Springs, Florida, to show off their hot rods to an eager audience of boys. Little did she know, the response would be overwhelming.

"When you post in your town's FB group asking if anyone with a 'cool car' would come by for your son's bday and the community absolutely SHOWS UP," she wrote in the video's caption, adding, "I asked and the community absolutely delivered the best surprise for my son! Happy 4th birthday, my boy- here’s a police escorted, personal Porsche parade for you 🤣🥹❤️."

@nadjaajovanovic

There is so much good in the world!! Thank you to everyone that showed up for our Porshe loving little boy 🥹❤️ @NewChapte #carlover #porshe911 #porsheclub #birthday #cars #fyp #foryou #community

In the video, Nadja's three sons can be seen leaving their house and coming to their front yard, where a police-escorted parade of cars (including Porsches, BMWs, Lamborghinis, Audis and more) start lining up. "What is that?! Oh my gosh! Wow!" she says, and the boys are ecstatic.

Many of the cars vroom their engines as they pass by before parking so the boys can get a closer look inside the cars. The owners proudly show them off, and the boys are in awe as they get to inspect and sit in many of them.

And viewers shared how blown away they were in the comments. "This is the meaning behind community," one wrote. Another added, "That’s the entire reason to have a cool car." Another viewer commented, "All these men WERE these boys. They are living their own dream making these boys’ dreams come true. 🥹🥹" And another joked, "can you guys pull up to a 32 year old kid’s birthday?"

@nadjaajovanovic

Replying to @Nic_Kelod.eon Thank you to everybody that wished my little guy a happy birthday! Keep spreading kindness & positivity ❤️ #viralvideo #porshe911 #porsche #birthdayboy #thankyou #videoreply #fyp

In a follow-up video, Nadja shared exactly what she wrote on Facebook to get all the cars to show up. In her post, she wrote, "Is there anyone that is a Lamborghini/McLaren/Porsche owner that would be kind enough to come to our home March 24 or even 23rd? My son is turning four and is absolutely obsessed with cars. It would make his ENTIRE LIFE if he could just sit inside of one and see it up close. It would be such a special surprise and maybe 15 minutes tops of your time! Please and thank you!"

@nadjaajovanovic

Replying to @Porsche “Porsh-eh” He’s a cultured man 🤌🏼🤣 #porshe #carsoftiktok #carlover #mclaren #sportscar #birthdayboy #viralvideo #fyp

She added that a handful of people messaged her saying that they would love to come out. After she did some vetting to see if they were part of car clubs and could be trusted, she noted that a man named Mike who offered to show off his car was closely connected with their local police department, the Winter Springs Police Department, and asked to be able to join in on her son's birthday surprise.

The best part? Her son was also gifted a set of Hot Wheels cars from the group.

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Humor

Grandchildren hilariously act out iconic real life photos for grandfather's 70th birthday

They've raised the bar for grandkids everywhere.

Image via Canva

Grandchildren surprise their grandpa for his 70th birthday by acting out his old photos.

You only turn 70 once--and the milestone birthday is a big one to celebrate. For grandparents, there is nothing better to commemorate the special day than with their kids and grandkids. And one family went above and beyond to make their grandpa feel special on his big day.

Aimee (@athomeiwthaimee), a stay-at-home mom and certified personal trainer, shared a hilarious video with her followers on Instagram of an epic birthday surprise her family pulled off for her dad, 'Papa'. At his 70th birthday, all of Papa's grandchildren dressed up and recreated old photos of him throughout the years. Each one came out individually to show him to roaring laughter that is contagious.

"Papa's 70th Birthday photo recreations 🤣❤️🤣," she captioned the post, adding, "We surprised our dad for his 70th birthday. All of his grandchildren recreated old photos of him."

In the video, it begins with Papa sitting in the family's living room in front of a mantle covered in 70th birthday cards. He is sitting in a chair, waiting for the first grandchild to come out in costume. And it did not disappoint--the first grandson is dressed in an altar boy outfit, recreating a photo of Papa standing in front of an altar at church as a young boy. "Oh my goodness," he says as his grandson walks out.

The second recreation is a vintage golf photo, and another grandson comes out wearing a red tank top and jean shorts rocking a fake mustache just like his Papa did back in the day. He's also holding a golf club. "That's awesome," he says laughing as he shakes his grandson's hand.


golfMoon Walk Dance GIFGiphy

A third grandson comes out dressed up as Papa posing pensively on a tree in a yellow button down, navy shorts and striped crew socks--with a fake mustache, of course. "I love the mustaches! Look at those socks, they're beautiful!" he says. "I made them," his grandson responds.

For the fourth look, his granddaughter comes out in a bathrobe and fake mustache to recreate a lazy morning photo. The sixth look is another grandson dressed as Papa in a previous Halloween costume--a poker dealer, complete with a see-through visor, bow tie, button-up white shirt and arm band. "I remember that!" Papa says.

And the looks just keep coming. For the seventh recreation, another granddaughter comes out in a midlife outfit of Papa wearing a checkered button-down, jeans and glasses with the mustache. She stands next to him to pose exactly as he did in the original photo, and the family laughs loudly.

snowmobileCriss Angel Snow GIF by DefyTVGiphy

The eighth look is Papa from an old photo on a snow mobile, rocking a retro snowsuit. His grandson comes out in a nearly identical one. "That is awesome," Papa says to him.

There is a ninth look, and for this one Papa was in baseball coach mode. Another grandson comes out in a red polo, red and white ball cap and fake mustache to recreate the photo, and Papa is loving every second.

California RaisinCalifornia Raisins GIFGiphy

For the grand finale and tenth look, another grandchild comes out dressed like a California Raisin to mimic a previous Halloween costume. The family's laughter is boisterous and from the gut, and viewers fully enjoyed watching the family come together to celebrate Papa. "People from background should be hired for sitcoms 😭," one commented. Another wrote, "The moustache was the main character in all this!!! 😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣" And another viewer added, "Now that is a life well lived and a family well adjusted ❤️."

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Love Stories

Wife throws husband epic surprise 45th birthday party at Costco

"I threw my Costco-loving husband a surprise party for his birthday!"

itsdanapollack/Instagram

Wife Dana Pollack threw her husband a surprise 45th birthday party at Costco.

Pulling off a surprise birthday party is a feat that not many can say they've done. But Dana Pollack (@itsdanapollack), owner of Dana's Bakery, definitely can. The mom of two pulled of an incredible birthday surprise for her husband Adam's 45th birthday at their local Costco.

She shared the epic surprise with her followers in a video on Instagram, and it was a success; Adam was totally surprised. ""I threw my Costco-loving husband a surprise party for his birthday!" she wrote in the video's caption.

"He's straight to business," she writes as the video begins with their family walking into Costco and Adam getting his game face on for their shopping trip. "Sumo oranges first, obviously," she writes in the video as they run into the first (of what will be many) friends during the excursion.

"First run in. He has no idea (yet)," she writes in the video as her husband recognizes one of his guy friends and daps him up. Dana plays it off, also exchanging general pleasantries. Soon, they run into another pal. "Second run in. He's catching on but not 100% sure...," she writes in the video as her husband says hello to another one of his friends and his wife. Adam looks at the camera and shakes his head, acknowledging how crazy it was that they saw another friend during their outing.

Meanwhile, the family continues to shop and add items to the cart as they make their way through the store. But by the third friend run-in, she writes, "The gig is up. He's onto us." The camera shows a fourth meeting, then a fifth. Clearly, it's no coincidence at all.

From there, the gang heads towards the picnic tables at the food court, and the video pans to the party's catering: Costco's cheese pizza and hot dogs, of course. "A+ catering," she writes in the video. In the comment section, Dana added that the crew ate 3 pizzas and 10 Costco chocolate chip cookies. It truly was a birthday feast of feasts.

No birthday celebration is complete without a cake, though, and Dana came prepared with a chocolate one with '45' candles. Everyone sings happy birthday to him, and once he blows out the candles, a huge applause goes up. Other patrons in the food court and walking out of Costco cheer for Adam and get in on the celebratory vibes.

Finally, the group poses for a photo at the end of the video. "Success," Dana writes. In all, 23 people came out to celebrate Adam—and her sure felt the love.

The epic Costco surprise birthday party got lots of love from Dana's followers.

"This is the most parent coded event I have ever witnessed. Come for a party, leave with your weekend errands completed 😂😂 and bring the kids," one commented.

"Wife of the year and errands are done ✅ 😂😂😂😂," said another.

"The level of WHOLESOMENESS in this video is infinite. ❤️🙌🔥"

"Lmao this many friends with Costco memberships is insane tbh," still another says, making a great point. Then again, it isCostco, so are we all that surprised?

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