Husband's 50Th - Looking for Ideas

Updated on January 17, 2014
K.S. asks from Chicago, IL
6 answers

Hi everyone, my husband turns 50 next week. Kids and I are taking him to his favorite restaurant for dinner that night (weeknight) then having a dinner party for 35 at our home on the weekend. We are also taking a trip to Italy over the summer to commemorate this milestone. (He is normally very low key about his birthday but this year he really wants a big deal. I'm fearing a mid-life crisis - doh!)

Looking for ideas for:
1. cool creative (not expensive) gift my teens could give him. What have you seen in the past that was memorable and from the heart. My daughter is a creative artist, my son, a decent musician (voice, piano and guitar)
2. creative ideas for nametags or drink tags that are conversation starters among guests. They range from childhood friends, to church/school friends, to neighbors to family

Thanks creative Moms!

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So What Happened?

Wow did this group deliver with some creative ideas. My daughter wrote an essay about her dad and how she knows he loves her and my son played his guitar and recorded one of my husbands favorite Springsteen songs.

For the party we are going to have drink tags with vintage photos of my hubby and conversation starters like "Ask me about the time 'Bob'..."

Thanks all!

More Answers

L.M.

answers from New York on

1. What about the kids creating a video montage. This could be done in a variety of ways - either as a neat slideshow of fun pics of him with friends and family over the years and maybe get childhood photos of him in there, etc. Another way would be as an actual movie type of video where they clip in home movies and do little interviews with people asking fun questions about him, and so forth.

2. As far as dinner party games, here are some good ideas:

http://www.divinedinnerparty.com/icebreaker-games-for-sma...

or google ice breaker games for dinner parties.

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B.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

OOOHHH! Happy birthday to him!!! So sounds like he has everything he needs, so I am thinking a music video - done by the kids maybe.
Or a slideshow of his life including notations from the kids
Or maybe a "50 reasons why we love our dad" sign/poster.

As for the guests, name tags - Hi my name is __________________ ask me about the time that (name of birthday boy) ____________________ (fill in some funny event.
Leave enough name tags out so they can have a couple if they want in case they have a couple of good stories.

How about a game of "who's it" Bingo? Make a bingo card of different events in your hubby's life and your guests have to go around asking the other guests if they were the person that was present when "that" happened.

Have fun!

B.

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O.O.

answers from Los Angeles on

I think the occasion calls for a video tribute of him from baby pictures to current year. Pick some background music that is meaningful & appropriate.

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❤.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

-Have your son write, perform & sing a song just for dad
-Have your dtr paint an 8x10 canvas just for dad to hang in his home offc
-If your husb speaks Italian, you could all learn some phrases in Italian.
You could, also, write a speach then translate it into Italian. At the party,
give the speech in Italian or print it out if you don't think you could deliver
it in Italian.
-Have t-shirts made for each of you in the family with a favorite picture of
him made printed on the shirts. (See your local embrodiery/team printing
shop to have them made.
-you & your kids type out your 50 favorite things about your husb & their
dad. Then print them out & bind them yourself to give to him
-maybe make a photo collage of his life from all of your pictures. Put on
display at the party
-look up some Italian traditions & apply them for him
-make some Italian food for him the week of his birthday
-rent a nice sports car for him to drive for the day

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M.M.

answers from Chicago on

If you have a Mac, your kids could all contribute to making a movie for him. Creative artist can digitize her images for the cover and other decorative areas. Your musician son can do the background music by writing him a song and you can put videos of your husband in "Dad Mode" on there.
I am currently collecting photos from our vast digital library of my husband with the kids and putting together a book on Shutterfly. Once I collect the photos, it is a relatively simple project, but SO cute. I have photos of him with each kid but doing similar things (i.e. sleeping with each one as a baby, playing guitar to each one as a toddler, holding hands with them as they walk, first day of Kindergarten).
Also, your daughter could just buy a nice canvas and do a painting for him that represents (either literally or abstractly) him as a Dad and your son could write him a song and have it recorded (or use Garage Band). Also, I think a letter from each of them telling their Dad just how they feel about him and how he has positively influenced their lives would be pretty special. My Dad has kept things like that over the years - letters we have written to him, poems a few of us have sent to him (wish I had that talent!). Those mean the most because they are hand-written and are speaking directly from our hearts to him.
Have a great time - live it up!

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F.B.

answers from New York on

Not sure, but my friend, who is differently situated than your husband, single male, no kids, and self employed is planning a 40 week sabatical for his 40th anniversary, and a 50 week one for his 50th. He's a year and a half away, and has already started towards this goal.

Congrats to your hubs-
how about some add on gifts-
italian language lessons, italian cooking lessons, a tour of ferrari etc from the kids.

Name tags/ drink tags can have some old pics of him, i.e. youth hockey league, first communion, college graduation, in the school band, at your wedding, sporting rocker hair, etc. you don't need to find 35 photos, unless you want to, you can do 7x5 or 5x7 for your 35 guests. It will get people talking and reminiscing.

Best,
F. B.

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