MONKEY PUZZLE TREE!!!
For as long as I can remember, whenever a member of my family sees a monkey puzzle tree (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucaria_araucana) we have to let everyone in the world know by screaming "MONKEY PUZZLE TREE!" at the top of our voice, be it in the car, in public, with people who don't even know what monkey puzzle trees are, resulting in "Meh..? Monkey what?".
It's turned ridiculous now, people have driven hours out of their way just to get a point in the longest game ever.
Whenever we approach somewhere that we know has a monkey puzzle tree, you can literally see the sweat dripping off our faces to be the first one to yell out, because if you scream before you actually see the tree you're a dirty rotten bumface.
We've sent texts saying "monkey puzzle tree" from all over the world. My mum's still got some from about 4 years ago in her phone.
(reducedfatLOLcat, Thu 20 Nov 2008, 19:35, 10 replies)

Oh. My. God.
My family also do this... How odd.
( MissHobart, Thu 20 Nov 2008, 20:59, closed)

In my world
The total antithesis of this was that we were told as kids that it was bad luck to talk when passing one!
( Itsallsugar is made up of bits of names, Thu 20 Nov 2008, 21:01, closed)

Yup, silence only
I'm really glad you have that custom too, as i was starting to suspect that my mum just said it to shut me and my brother up :)

e2a: hang on, are you my brother?
(Udidin is chuffed to have made the newsletter, Thu 20 Nov 2008, 23:10, closed)

I am not sure that i quite qualify as a brother
But it is reassuring to think that we are not alone when it comes to these things that you take for granted that everyone else does. I have passed the silence thing on to my son. Would surrounding the house with these trees be taking it a bit too far though?
( Itsallsugar is made up of bits of names, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 8:58, closed)

"Dirty rotten bumface"
made me snort tea from my nose.

It's actually quite a painful thing to do, you dirty rotten bumface.
( Moey, Thu 20 Nov 2008, 22:17, closed)

we do this too
how bizarre? I can remember the first time I did this with Mr P and he looked at me blankly, but yet I still do it. It started with my Grandparents I think. There's one on my way to work and I mutter'mnkpzztree'under my breath sometimes... I have monkey puzzle tree OCD.
( no longer a user, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 6:44, closed)

jesus
years of repressed memories flooding back....
(kebabking - salad and garlic mayo pls, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 11:53, closed)

You think you've got problems......
I spent years looking for the fucking elephant hiding in those trees. Next time you approach one, look, you can see his toenails in the branches. Aaaaaarggghhhhh!!!!!! I had forgotten all about this, thank you bumface.
(Rsoles, Fri 21 Nov 2008, 13:18, closed)

Are you me?
Have I posted this in an insomniac stupor at the dead of night? Hang on, my mother can't operate texts. She separates the words with a dot like a telegram. And dislikes vowels, so monkey puzzle tree would come out "mnky.pzzl.tr.xxx.mum". Phew.
(sags tupac-a-hats, Sun 23 Nov 2008, 19:09, closed)

:)
I didn't know monkey puzzle trees were so popular, I think it's lovely.
(reducedfatLOLcat, Mon 24 Nov 2008, 9:37, closed)