There are many mean spirited jokesters out there…..making people extremely uncomfortable and then telling them it’s all a joke. I’m not really into mean. However, if an opportunity presents itself and nobody gets hurt and everybody has fun…well, then….by all means…..
Many, many years ago…probably about 20 years by now, I lived in Pacifica, California with my then husband, Greg. Greg and I were in a wine club. Each month, two bottles of wine would arrive. Included with the billing was a lovely little letter from the club telling you in detail about the grape and its characteristics. Following that description, it would describe how each winery treated that particular grape to make the wine that they made. For example, you would receive two bottles of a chardonnay wine from two different vineyards. The characteristics of that grape would be described and then , as you read the notes, you could actually taste how each winery played around with those characteristics. Very educational.
Jim and Terri, our good friends and neighbors were also in the club. In fact, it was through them that we became members. Often, shortly after the delivery of the wines, Greg and I would find ourselves at Jim and Terri’s reading the Club notes and sampling the wines, forming our own opinions. Great fun.
The wines would always be delivered on a certain day of the month…like the second Friday, something like that. On one particular occasion, Terri called me to see if I’d pick up their wine as they were going to be out of town. Of course, I told her.
The wine arrived. Greg and I gathered the box with our box. He set Jim and Terri’s box by the front door waiting for them to pick it up two days later. It mocked us. Something had to be done. Jim and Terri were such teasers, and here was a perfect opportunity to tease them right back.
I like to think it was my brilliant idea. Most likely Greg thinks it was his. I will have to ask him.
Regardless, we carefully opened the box, took out that month’s wine selection, and replaced it with two of the worst bottles of wine that we could possibly find at the local market. (You know the kind of wine.) Then, we carefully sealed up the box. It was a perfect job.
Next, we steamed open the envelope attached to the outside of the box and pulled out the descriptive newsletter. We made a copy of the letterhead and went to work creating a faux newsletter. I can still remember….our two collaborative heads close together, giggling and typing and creating.
When Jim came over to collect the wine shipment, I had Greg hand it to him since he had the best poker face.
A short while later, we got a phone call. We had been invited over to Jim and Terri’s for a glass of wine.
Oh how THEY played us! Jim had us thinking that they were actually going to serve one of their wine specials. I’m not kidding. He was that good. Made it all the more fun.
I recently joined Winefinders again and posted to Terri on FaceBook the other day that I had and did she remember that time, blah, blah, blah? Not only did she remember, they still had the letter. Twenty years later and she still has that silly letter!
It was the letter that made the prank so much fun. In fact, this whole blog has been a set up for you to enjoy the letter which Terri sent to me in “jpg” format.
Hopefully, you can read it. It still makes me laugh. Greg and I really got into it. It mirrors the wine newsletter so perfectly…..and yet…
Chronicles of Cammy, my Fool's Journey and Travelogue 
Cam, it was all your idea. Credit where credit is due. But a brilliant idea it was! And I never laughed so hard.
But you came up with my favorite description: “positively impish.” Toooo funny!