Ideas for 50Th Birthday Party for Our Son

I don't have many ideas about the party (maybe an 80's theme, if you don't want to make it formal?), but a fun idea would be to have friends and family collect old photos and make a memory book of his life (so far)
Fun!

50 is one of those big milestones to celebrate. If he has a lot of long time friends/family that will attend you could make a slideshow of old pictures. You could have a DJ play old music that he grew up with or make a playlist and program your own music. Have fun! Also get the invites out soon - December is a very busy month for holiday activities and travel.

Definitely bring out the baby pictures and all the hoopla from his past and a few of you too- How nice of you to celebrate! Must bring back wonderful memories as you plan!! Can you find an acquaintance he hasn't seen in a number of years ?

Brunch: crime brûlée french toast, bacon, potatoes, eggs, ham, fruit, breads, muffins, bagels, cream cheeses, orange juice, pineapple juice, mimosas, coffee, tea, sweet pastries.

For milestone birthdays in our social circle, we've asked guests to bring something to celebrate: an anecdote (from adulthood or childhood), a poem, a simple limerick, a song parody, photos, a collage, whatever. Based on people's creative talents, the "entertainment" has been provided by the guests sharing their stuff. It's so much fun having the whole group sing a song or two to the tune of something familiar ("I've Been Working on the Railroad" or "Take Me Out To the Ballgame" or any other tune), listen to a funny limerick, browse a small table display of classic photos (often with funny captions), or hear stories about the birthday person in 3rd grade or whatever. If there is a talented person in your family (maybe a grandchild?) who can do a video complete with photos and previous video footage and maybe a few brief "interviews" of family members, that makes a great entertainment segment as well as a keepsake for the honoree. (It has to be more than "Joe is a great guy who would do anything for you" or it gets repetitive - someone has to be a good editor and take only the best of what each person offers.)

For the table, do a simple tablecloth and get a few bags of "50" confetti to scatter around, and then just set the dishes out. A few balloons can be fun unless you have a bunch of little kids who will want to attack them!

For brunch, my go-to recipes are things that can be made ahead and which keep well on a hot plate or in a chafing dish. Quiches are good because they can be cut in small wedges (important when diners are loading up on samples of many dishes), and because they can be made with meat or vegetables to accommodate dietary preferences. If you do a salad, make sure everything is cut up small so people don't have to use a knife while balancing a plate on their laps if this is a buffet vs. a sit-down brunch. For kids (but adults love it too), I make my own "chicken nuggets" by cutting up chicken breasts or tenders, dipping in flour, egg and a combination of wheat germ and whole wheat bread crumbs, then quick frying in olive or canola oil and (important) putting on a rack on baking sheet and finishing in the oven. I serve those with an assortment of dipping sauces (honey mustard, teriyaki, orange/cranberry, etc.). For a buffet or an appetizer, my go-to fruit salad alternative is fruit kabobs - I scoop out a half a watermelon (wash the rind first - important!) and turn the shell over to drain well. Cube the fruit and then make cubes or small pieces of other fruits (at least 6 of whatever you like, in different colors - other melons, peeled kiwi, any berries that aren't horribly expensive in December, seedless grapes in any color, pineapple, etc.). I poke holes in the green watermelon rind with a skewer or knife point, then I take toothpicks (I prefer the 4" long plastic ones with an arrow point on the end), and thread 4-5 fruits on each one in alternating colors, then stick the toothpicks in the holes of the melon to create a "porcupine" effect. Don't have all kebabs looks the same - just mix them up. This is a good job for kids to do! You can scatter extra fruit around the edge of the watermelon rind and put some paper towels hidden underneath to catch any liquid.

Other fun dishes are sweet & sour meatballs (cocktail meatballs cooked in a mix of chili sauce and melted currant jelly) which keep well in a crockpot and take absolutely no time to make. I've also seen recipes for mini omelet muffins - you put whatever fillings you want into a muffin tin (ham, peppers & onions, tomatoes, cheese, etc.) and then pour the beaten eggs (with or without milk) into the muffin tins, and back until set and golden brown on top. Those look very easy to serve.

Send each guest invited a piece of nice card stock (5x7) & ask them to
put their favorite memory they have of the guest of honor. You will have
enclosed a self adddressed stamped envelope for them to send it back
to you so you can compile all of them in a binder to give your son.

Decorate the house/hall (wherever you are holding it) in your son's
favorite things. For example, if he likes a certain sports team (decorate
in their colors, hang jerseys, baseball helmet etc.), if he likes fishing
(hang fish on the walls, poles & nets), if he likes Hawaii (hang posters
of the beach, have little umbrellas to put into each drink, hang nets,
shells etc.).

Put together a video montage of all of your favorite picture of him that you
can play on a blank wall during the party.

Have music to play at the party to make it festive.

Make a speech or have his best friend do it. Just tell him to keep it clean.

Brunch food is pretty easy:
-sandwich fixings with big loaves of bread cut in thirds
-scones
-scrambled eggs
-bacon
-sausages
-scones, donuts, diff types of muffins
-cooked breakfast potatoes
-mimosas, bottled water, carafes of coffee w/cream & sugar