Looking for fun way to let kids know we are going to universal.

[mya1k9]

So I'm planning this trip as a Christmas present and was thinking about wrapping up our plane tickets and a brochure from universal to give them Christmas morning, but thought someone else would have a better idea how to present this. I did see you can get a personalized letter from Hogwarts but it doesn't really tell them what we are doing. I have 1 potter fanatic and 1 not so much. Any ideas would be great!!!

 

[MeridaAnn]

You could write your own Hogwarts letter - have it say that while they don't qualify for full-time attendance (because they're not British or some other reason), but they have been invited for a special visit to Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley.

You could do something similar using the Marvel stuff in Islands of Adventure - write a letter from Nick Fury saying they've been offered a temporary position with the Avengers or from J Jonah Jamison offering them a position at the Daily Bugle to report on all the superheroes and the other aspects of the parks. Or a similar idea for Men in Black or Transformers or the Terminator, etc, although those are all single rides instead of full "lands".

 

[Seeker615]

Maybe you could get some fun things to put in a box that is Universal related. (Jurassic Park dinosaur, Minions, Shrek, Harry Potter.) Just some hints and then present the tickets.

 

[TheConsciousness]

If they're young enough, maybe a scavenger hunt around your property/house. Leave an out-of-place-looking note with clues, and then MeridaAnn said, a Hogwarts letter for the Potter fanatic and another letter for your other one themed in their favorite movie style. Gotta act disinterested though when they say they've found a weird note, just continue on with your day-to-day while they have their fun.

 

[Patch'sD]

See if you can get some Harry Potter Universal and Other Universal videos. Edit them together with pictures of theme park tickets and Airplane Tickets. Give kids a wand for Christmas with a note to touch the device where the video would play on saying Christmas Gift Expectiousis.

 

[wookiebeck]

I made Hogwarts letters up and put the Uni tickets inside. I also found every-flavor beans and jelly slug candies at the store and jammed it all into their stockings. They loved it, even though that are all teenagers.

 

[cemeb4dk]

A box filled with Helium balloons with the tickets and a letter attatched to the strings of balloons. Then maybe get a souvenier before hand either thru universals website or amazon. I know we got my daughter a harry Potter robe on amazon and saved a bunch verses buying at the park.

 

[Wes1stTrip2016]

My best friend and I are surprising our boys with a spring break trip. We plan to tell them on my son's birthday. Our thoughts are a scavenger hunt, which ultimately leads them back to the house and a box filled with helium balloons. I'm going to tape/glue pictures of park things like Jurassic Park, Spiderman, Transformers & Dr Seuss to the balloons (we are also doing LEGOLAND so they will be included).

 

[mya1k9]

Thanks for the ideas!! I've got some time till Christmas to decide!!!

 

[nighttowll]

I'd vote for some type of scavenge hunt. The Easter Bunny started it one year at our house, and it became such a big hit Santa and his elves joined in, and now it's become a tradition. I think everyone looks forward more to the hunt than they do the actual present at the end.

One variation we've done is to collect puzzle pieces as you go, where you have to work the puzzle to reveal a picture of the surprise. That could be fun depending on kids ages.

Another idea is the box within a box within a box idea, where you keep unwrapping presents until you get to the last tiny box that contains the surprise. It helps build suspense and really throws the kids off because they see this giant present under the tree and don't realize there are twenty smaller boxes inside and that the real gift is a tiny envelope with tickets in it. This also works well with multiple kids as each child can take turns unwrapping a box as they work their way through the layers.

 

[TheConsciousness]

Another idea is the box within a box within a box idea, where you keep unwrapping presents until you get to the last tiny box that contains the surprise. It helps build suspense and really throws the kids off because they see this giant present under the tree and don't realize there are twenty smaller boxes inside and that the real gift is a tiny envelope with tickets in it. This also works well with multiple kids as each child can take turns unwrapping a box as they work their way through the layers.

That's a great idea! Maybe on top of each box is a small clue that they can guess at while opening each one.

 

[cbsnyber1]

You could buy some Universal lanyards, put the tickets in them, and then hang (bury) them secretly on your Christmas tree. And then see if anyone notices them.

 

[mya1k9]

I like the idea of a box within a box and the scanner hunt maybe I'll combine the 2.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

Hedwig brought our kids letters telling them they could come to the Hogwarts American campus. They got a gift certificate for 1 wand each at Ollivanders. They also enjoyed the fact that Hedwig stayed at our house until we went. She was a bit of a troublemaker at night, getting into nuts and cereal boxes.

 

[mya1k9]

Did you get Hedwig on Amazon???

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

Did you get Hedwig on Amazon???

Yep! There are two versions. We got the smaller of the two and she stowed away in our carry on.