Once upon a time I loved setting up fun holiday events. I had done a few before, and this was my big one. The one I was so proud of. I did an Easter event. It took me a month to plan in my head and on paper by myself. It was a full on Easter egg escape room scavenger hunt. Before escape rooms existed. I knew the RSVP list of my friends on Easter, and planned the event around those particular people able to attend... Only 6. Perfect. Until the event. One of the six shows up with her two teenaged kids. No notice. Saying they will play for her. I was perturbed because I had not been informed sooner. And the prizes had been especially geared to those that were invited. My roommates as well as myself were fine with the kids playing, my concern was with the aftermath. But I said this is fine; let’s continue, but remember prizes were purchased with the invitee in mind

So we start playing.
My bestie, an adult, hates losing, and starts cheating. Which skips all the steps I spent 2 months setting up and planning. I get it, but not happy. It’s a competition and you’re an asshole that has to come first place, but… The kids follow the winning person, and also cheat. I just watch aghast. All my work and planning going to hell. They get to the next step and are all stuck. Because they cheated and didn’t get the clues they needed. So I just laugh and tell them to figure it out. They eventually back tracked. Did the stuff they were supposed to and got the knowledge for the next action with a little probing from me. Other instances like this occurred throughout the game. I had to give away a couple hints. And eventually the game ended and came down to prize time. Throughout the game, fake money was accumulated. And they got to bid on the prizes. The prizes were purchased by me knowing who had been invited to the game, and knowing what things they liked, wanted, or needed.

The uninvited children had the main amount of auction tickets acquired in the game. Mostly due to adults not wanting to steal their thunder or seem mean and allowing them the accolades.

So when the prize auction came, all the prizes I had bought over the last couple months that I spent almost $600 dollars on, aimed toward the invited participants… were now being auctioned off at the game grand finale. The fucking teenagers said all the stuff was for old people and they didn’t want this shit, can they get money.

My three months of setting up this event, planning it, saving up for the prizes, was decimated in those two comments from teens that weren’t invited.

The prizes were divided. Not as they should be. So everyone traded after. And I have never thrown this type of party since. But my friend tells me her two teen kids, almost two decades later, tells everyone this was their favorite Easter memory ever. My worst ever.

I don’t know what to do with that info.