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PARTY HARDY FOR THE OVER 60 CROWD!

When you plan a birthday party for a mature adult there are a couple of things to think about.

1.Consider your honored guests ability to cope with noisy environments. Even if your birthday girl/boy had 6 children, chickens in the front yard, a pet goat that invited itself inside the house at will or a crazy peacock wandering the grounds vocally expressing his manliness, they will quickly adapt to the serene surroundings that accompany retirement, children out forging their own lives and the disbanding of their barnyard menagerie. My point is that if the party will involve many people and especially numerous children you might consider an outdoor environment. This allows the children to run and play. Noise is dispersed in the open space so your guest can enjoy the company of his/her guests with out the cacophony that would accompany the same number of people confined in a closed structure.

2.Be considerate of your guest's stamina. If they are a spry and active, then fine! But, if they are beginning to slow down, tire easily or are ill, make sure to keep the time limit of your party to an period that suits the situation.

When planning the party, consider you guests preferences. Are they comfortable in a formal environment or would the be happier at a park setting participating in a family pot luck? Remember it's their party and it should be designed with them in mind!

Consider a theme. Are they a raving Frank Sinatra fan? Music featuring "Old Blue Eyes" would be fabulous. Do they read everything they could get their hands on about WWII (my mother)? Consider putting a different story of a famous WWII battle on top of each place mat. Music could include WWII favorites. Is their favorite color purple? A party presented in all purples from the cake to the table cloths would be a fun idea. When considering a theme, there is no possible way for me to make even a basic list. The examples I have included are designed to show how easy it is to make your party extra special. The person's life that is being celebrated is surely going to be touched by the fact that you considered their individual personality.

Gifts or no gifts, that is the question... Many seniors have everything they need, and if they need it they go get it. As we mature, our drive for the material things, that money can buy, fade into the background. Our priorities change. Family, friends and health become much more important than some cute ceramic genie with an authentic ruby embedded in her belly button.

The party is the gift. The care you took to make it special is a gift. The guest that found the time in their busy lives to come share a special moment with their friend or relative is a gift. Depending upon family traditions, I would encourage less than extravagant gifts.

Gifts of the heart are always welcome. Here is an example of such a gift: As each guest arrives hand them a medium sized piece of lined paper. Ask them to remember a time they spent with the guest of honor, or ask them to tell the birthday boy/girl what it is about them that makes them special. As the party moves on, collect all the papers and put them together in a booklet and present it as a gift of love. Some people think this type of thing is "sappy", but I'd bet my bottom dollar that even a "cranky old fart" who poo-pahs the gift will spend hours in the privacy of his home reading the kind words his friends and family have left him.

Learn more about this author, Pam Hilts.
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