I come from a family of pranksters.
From classic food pranks to more elaborate schemes that involve sticky notes and an entire car, I’ve seen it all. There was even one time I froze all of my sister’s clothing overnight in my kiddie pool – but that’s a story for a different day.
Some folks might think that practical jokes like this are kind of cruel, but it was always in good fun in my family, and we actually bonded over making each other laugh.
Because of this, you might say that I’ve become a sort of expert in the art of practical pranking as both the prankster and the prank-ee, which is why I can say with complete confidence that Utah man Ryan Buchanan’s prank on his parents is pure gold.
It all unfolded on Christmas Day, when Buchanan gave his parents a framed portrait of Ewan McGregor as his Star Wars character, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and told his parents that it was a portrait of Jesus.
His parents, Mike and Rashelle, are casual movie watchers and didn’t recognize the iconic character. They really thought that the portrait was of Jesus.
In their defense, Obi-Wan Kenobi does have a little bit of a religious vibe to him. He’s bearded, has long hair and is wearing a humble brown robe over a white robe. If you didn’t know any better, you might truly believe that a picture of the Jedi master is one of many depictions of the Christian messiah.
But it wasn’t just the gift that makes this prank so great. The real kicker is that mom loved her gift – and his parents, who are also devout members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, hung the portrait on their wall.
In the time since Christmas, the prank went viral – and Ryan has told his father what he did but is still unsure of how to handle telling his mom.
“I’ve made a huge mistake,” he posted to Reddit. “Mom loves her Jesus Christmas present and I’m not sure how to get out of this thing alive when she figures it all out.”
Personally, I’d just ride it out and see how long it takes mom to realize that she’s been fooled. After all, both Jesus Christ and Jedi masters believe in forgiveness – plus it’s just dang funny.
Do you think this prank was harmless fun or cold and cruel? Let us know in the comments.
Photo from Business Insider by Pulse, originally from Ryan Buchanan/Reddit
