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The 18th of December is a special occasion in my family. It is my beloved
grandmother's birthday. We always celebrate this special day with a feast and a
birthday cake. Last year, however, Grandma's birthday was celebrated on a grand
scale because it was her seventieth birthday. Preparations for the big
occasion began half a year earlier. However, everything was done quietly because
we wanted it to be a surprise for Grandma. My sister and I were so excited about
the event but we had to act normally around Grandma so as not to
give the game away. Mother and Father made
arrangements for the catering. Mother was
not going to cook because we were inviting all our relatives. The guest list was
quite long. My job was to send out the invitations. I was very happy when one by
one, the guests replied. Everyone was able to come! Even my uncles, aunts and
cousins from overseas were going to come back to Malaysia for the surprise
birthday party.
On the morning of the party, my sister accompanied my Grandma to visit one of
my aunts who had just given birth to a baby. It was part of the plan to get
Grandma out of the house so that we could get the place ready for the event. By
7 o'clock, all the guests had arrived. Father went to fetch Grandma home. She
was a bit annoyed with him for keeping her waiting. As the car approached our
house, she noticed that the street was lined with cars and wondered if one of
our neighbors was having a party. When the car stopped in front of our house,
she was shocked to see the garden full of people.
We lost no time and pushed out the giant birthday cake lit with 70 candles.
Everybody sang the birthday song at the top of their
lungs. Grandma was overjoyed. She looked younger than her years. My
sister and I helped her to blow out the candles. After that came the feasting
and talking. Grandma was delighted to see all her children, grandchildren and
other relatives. It was wonderful for us to meet some of our relatives whom we
had not seen in years. Some of them stayed with us for a whole week before
returning to their homes abroad.
Grandma's grand surprise birthday party was a great success. Seeing her
pleasure and delight made this the most memorable celebration in our family
history. |
