In the year 2016, on my birthday, a girl decided to surprise me with a birthday cake and a birthday party. She had done this privately with a friend of mine hoping it would turn out to be a surprise. The truth is, even though I was not aware of their plans prior to it, I wasn't surprised. I was grateful but I may not have displayed those emotions that accompanied someone who's surprised.
Surprise gifts or not, it doesn't give me any giggle, but I don't fail to appreciate any act of kindness. There are a few times I've been surprised, giving me things I never expected, but that doesn't add a special layer to the giving because it happened to be a surprise. The excitement is always the same with the ones that aren't surprises.
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On the other hand, I love to surprise people, not because I feel it would mean something more to them, but because I prefer to give out when the other party least expects it. If it's not a surprise, it means I have made a promise to do it and I've learned not to make promises- this is the reason why I prefer to surprise people to making promises.
While people prefer surprises, especially the female gender, I don't. I don't know how to react emotionally to surprises or anything that requires certain reactions and may end up disappointing the other party that may have expected certain reactions of gratitude. To sit on the safer side, with no certain expectations from me, I prefer gifts that aren't surprises.