​April Fools’ Day - The best bedroom tricks for a fun April 1

It’s time again for some lighthearted fun to break up the winter blues and welcome in the Spring.

Many historians trace April Fools’ Day back 450 years, to when France adopted the Georgian Calendar, switching New Year's Day from April 1 to January 1. Simple country folk, slow to get the news, continued to celebrate on April 1 and were labeled “poissons d’avril,” young fish that are easily caught, or a gullible, naive person. In France, the tradition continues today of putting paper fishes on unsuspecting friends’ backs. Here are some ideas to bring the fun into the bedroom this year.

Short sheet your partner’s bed. This camp classic is easy and effective, providing a good laugh at the end of the day. First, carefully observe how the bed is made - pillows, blanket, comforter, sheets - as your target mustn't suspect in advance that their bedding has been tampered with. Turn the cozy down comforter up from the bottom and loosen the top sheet from the foot of the mattress. Fold the loose foot of the sheet under itself and tuck it in, so the target cannot extend their feet completely into the bed.

How much of the sheet to remove and re-tuck is a subject of personal preference. Some prefer to fold the top sheet far up the bed, almost to the halfway point, which actually prevents the subject from getting into bed. Here at Downlite, we like to pull out and re-tuck only about 24” of the sheet at the foot, which allows your victim to get well into bed before realizing they are not going to snuggle into their cooling bedding just yet. (This method is also easier to fix, in case your subject is feeling grumpy about the delay in getting under their hotel comforter.)

Fill the room with paper fishes. Add a bit of French style to the day. Make a few simple patterns and make as many colorful construction paper fish as possible. Put them around the mirrors, on the decorative pillows, peeking out the windows, etc. If you have crafters of any age, enlist them in more ambitious projects, which can be reused annually.

“Ruin” the bedding. Not really, but this trick can really put a jolt into someone who loves their comforter, sheets and luxury hotel pillows. Create a coffee or tea-colored glue by using school glue and gel food coloring. Take your or your partner’s favorite morning cup, turn it on its side, and pour the colored glue in so it looks like it has spilled from the cup onto a flat surface. Let the assemblage dry, and you have a very realistic-looking “spill” to place on your luxurious bedding.

Wake up with a bang. Put bubble wrap under the rug that a person will step on just after leaving their warm and comfy bedding. The right combination of flooring and rug can yield a surprisingly loud pop, and start April Fools’ Day off with a bang.

Plump the down pillows. Remove your target’s soft pillows from their covers and replace them with bubble wrap, a plastic bag full of newspapers, or anything else you can think of that will be crunchy and certainly less appealing than a soft and comfy white goose down hotel pillow. Be prepared for a big reaction, however, because people love our feather pillows!

Here are another few fun April Fool's ideas to consider:

We hope these harmless and fun tricks inspire you to celebrate Spring and the simple joys it can bring. If you need inspiration or help in choosing your next bedding, please contact us for personal assistance. 

Photo by Ksenia Chernaya from Pexels