Celebrating a 100th Birthday (or 80th... or 90th...)
Whether your loved one is celebrating a 80th, 90th, 100th Birthday, or somewhere in between, an acknowledgement is necessary!
Here you’ll find fun party ideas, gift ideas, as well as some helpful hints.
When planning a party for an elderly adult, you’ll want to consider having the honoree in on the planning. While surprise parties are fun, they can be “too much”.
Only you know what your special person will be able to handle. I know some people in this age range who are more spry than I am! And others, unfortunately, who are not. will want a small event, others will love something big!
Also, schedule the party for a time of day that when the honoree will be at his or her best.
If a party will be “too much”, consider throwing a
card party
instead. It is a great way to remember the occasion, but without any stress for the honoree.
Make the 80th thru 100th Birthday Celebration Extra Special…
Present a flag that has flown over the U.S. Capital! They can be ordered from http://www.usflag.org/capitalflag.html. You may even request that your flag be flown on a certain date!
Order a birthday greeting from the President of the United States (not just for a 100th birthday, but for anyone who is age 80 and older) by visiting the White House website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/index.html#, and selecting “Please follow these guidelines for information about greetings” in the Invitations and Greetings Section.
Make sure you take a family photograph at the party!
Some fun party ideas…
Gather photographs and do a slideshow or video presentation with an overview of the honoree’s life. Include memorabilia from the past. To help with a timeline, visit the website www.frontiernet.net/~cdm/age1.html (or Google “Boy the Bear Age Gauge”). Type in the birthdate of the honoree and you’ll get a timeline which tell the age of the person during important world events. Consider doing a “hard copy” of the slideshow in a memory book so it can be enjoyed without the use of a computer, projector or TV.
Before the party, ask guests to tell you something about the honoree – something they did, something they said, something funny…anything special that they remember. Compile these and add them to the slideshow presentation, or read them aloud and mount them in a memory book.
Throw a This Is Your Life Party!
Someone celebrating a 100th birthday will have a lot of rememberences!
Have a sing-along! Try singing gold old-fashioned songs that everyone will know. Have sheets with the lyrics printed for younger guests. Hymns and songs such as “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”, “The Animal Fair”, “The Band Played On” and other similar songs will be fun for everyone to sing. I’ve been to a party where this was done and everyone – young and old – really enjoyed it! Your town may even have a “sing-along band” available to come to your party.
Show a movie. Pick something that is funny or entertaining (and a favorite of the birthday person). How about the Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Hope and Crosby, Red Skelton, Danny Kaye, Abbott and Costello, Lewis and Martin, etc. Classic TV shows, such as “I Love Lucy” are always a hit too, Project it on a wall, a sheet or on a large screen (if a large TV isn’t available) so that everyone can enjoy!
Sometimes it can be difficult to find birthday party games for elderly adults. If you are looking for a fun game that everyone …from young to old…can play, how about Birthday Bingo? To do this, create bingo cards where each square is something that is of interest to the birthday guy or gal, such as “Crossword Puzzles”, “Bike Riding”, “Horror Movies”, etc. Have all the square possibilities written on slips of paper and placed in a bowl, then play like any traditional game of bingo.
Other fun games for older adults include playing trivia games (especially when playing them orally) and games such as Checkers, Bridge, and Dominoes. (These are great fun for any party, not just a 100th birthday!)
A few more things to remember when planning your party…
There are often wide age ranges at these celebrations, as they often include generations of family. Make sure that the youngest participants are entertained. Coloring sheets, playdough, for the littlest ones, and quiet games such as Button, Button, Who’s Got the Button, are great for older kids.
Those wide age ranges also affect diet. Keep in mind that any elderly guests may have special dietary requirements, and if serving a meal plan to have a wider variety, or better yet plan a pot-luck, with the younger family members providing the yummy dishes.
Make sure that you cut the cake, take photos, make any announcements, etc. early in the party so that the honoree, if tired, can depart. Also, don’t schedule a long party. A couple of hours can exhaust a young healthy person, much less those who are 80 and above!
If you wish – tell guests beforehand that a gift isn’t necessary – a card is often cherished much more, because it’s sentiment can be read over and over.
Good luck!
P.S. - You don't have to wait until the 80th...90th...or 100th birthday to celebrate! Any life lived well is worth celebrating!
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