Giant Christmas Surprise! Scavenger Hunt for our Big Trip Reveal to Paris!
I am a mom of muchness. I know that I am over the top. I exaggerate and I overthink. I overbuy and I know it.
This is why when we planned our first international family trip, I knew that I wanted to surprise my kids with it. There was so much excitement about this trip. I had been to Europe and Paris before with a High School class trip. Paul had never been. This year we are celebrating our 10th anniversary and I have talked about doing Europe for some time. In January with our kids was not the way I saw it but we are a family that travels together!
Funny enough, like 2 days before the reveal Amelia told me that she loved France because it is fancy like her and her favorite food is croissants, plus she loves art.
I got to do that silent inside scream that only a mom with a plan understands!!
for more info about our trip, check out our sister site here
https://www.suitcaseprincess.com
Since we planned our trip in mid-October, naturally: we decided to use the Christmas holiday to both acquire supplies and to tell the kids about our plans!
GIANT CHRISTMAS SURPRISE!
I knew that I wanted an elaborate trip reveal to tell the princesses that we were heading to France!
It took me a while to decide just how to do it.
Scavenger Hunt
I thought about a scavenger hunt, with the girls gathering supplies needed for the trip.
Pretty sure this may reveal the prize too soon, I kept thinking.
Puzzle
I finally settled on a puzzle. I have a Silhouette Cameo that has a preset to make a puzzle cut.
I went back and forth on what to put on the puzzle. Again, the problem of how to avoid spoiling the prize too soon.
Then I realized that I needed the puzzle to be of the location of the reveal.
Santa
We enlisted Santa to help fill the trip needs of our family. Long underwear, new coats, and neck pillows arrived like magic on Christmas Eve.
The Actual Scavenger Hunt
Paul and I set out to hide 48 puzzle pieces in 24 locations around our house. Each with a clue to the next location.
I took great joy in running the girls up and down the stairs with each clue.
Finding the Answers
Once all pieces had been collected the girls knew where to go
The Reveal: Scavenger Hunt Conclusion
Heading to the right location revealed the trip
I have always been a bit of a Francophile. This has allowed me to amass a few adorable decorative pieces in the right theme.
with the exception of the food and Paris map, we had all of these knick-knacks and themed things in our house already
Watch the video for their amazing reactions
It may seem like quite a bit but when you gt to tell your kids you are taking them to one of their bucket list places, it deserves a big reveal!
Check out Parisian Disney Fun here and here
Have you ever completely surprised your kids in a fun and unique way? Share in the comments below.
