Planning a Milestone Birthday Party

Mark the Occasion with an Extra Special Party

A milestone birthday should be a happy time since it allows the celebrant to review her life, achievements and friendships and feel good about them. At a milestone party for someone who takes birthdays well, you can play with the over the hill theme presenting the guest of honor with joke gifts that symbolize old age such as reading glasses. You can also organize a small, friendly roast of the guest of honor. Ask a few guests who are good at public speaking to say a few kind but teasing words about the guest of honor.

If you suspect that your guest of honor wouldnt appreciate the gag, consider supportive toasts instead of roasts. Only good things should be said about the past or future, and no jokes made about getting old!

Whichever way you plan this party, these are party suggestions that will work for both.

• Assemble a collage of photos from many phases of the guest of honors life. Or ask your guests to bring their favorite photo of the birthday girl or boy and tack them up on a large bulletin board youve brought along for the occasion.


• Start a scrapbook for the guest of honor. Ask guests to bring a photo for the scrapbook, and after they put it into the book, tell them to write a special message next to the photo recalling a fond memory they share.


• Host a themed costume party that is based on the decade the birthday person was born, or was a teenager. Play music from that time period. Ask guests to dress in clothing from that decade. Play games that were popular during that time.


• Although you should never ask guests to bring a large gift to a party, you can ask guests to bring small items in the quantity of the birthday age. For example, for a 30th birthday party guests could bring 30 pennies; 30 marbles; 30 candies; 30 tea bags; etc.


• Does the birthday girl or boy have a special hobby or interest? Build a party theme around that. Does she love to golf? Guests could bring tees, golf balls, markers, etc. Is he a big gardener? Guests could bring seed packets, garden markers, or a garden journal. Then build the decorations around this theme whether it's putting golf hole flags in the center of the tables, or small pots with seedlings and garden tools as your centerpieces.

Whichever theme you choose, remember to take plenty of pictures of this party because, like it or not, the birthday guest will never be this young again!