@MaineLonghorn - no skydiving! Did get him that as a birthday gift a few years ago since it was on his bucket list. He did it and was happy to cross it off his list - no interest in doing it again. And you won’t find me anywhere near that place - I was having a hard time just watching him go through that!
60 yr old scotch - dang - those are expensive. Not sure H would actually appreciate it. He will love a good bottle of scotch though and I am sure one of our friends will get him one.
He is a very social person, loves being around friends/family. His goal for this year was to meet 60 people (friends/family) that are not local. A bit challenging, but he’ll make sure we’ll do as much as we can.
Food, family, friends are his top priorities! So, I will have a party - after his actual birthday (waiting for D to confirm when she can make it). Will invite local friends/family. Hoping to get some of his other friends/family to travel for the party.
I saw somewhere online about doing a 60 memories for 60 thing. Might try that - I think I can get 60 people to write down a short anecdote/memory with him. There’s also putting pictures on a big 6 and a big 0 as decorations for the party - since he’s crazy about pictures, I could do that!
A family member did the following for a spouse’s 50th: actively solicited short video clips from friends and family (both with direct requests and on social media). Then put them together into a movie as a birthday surprise.
@deb922 - you should plan something. Doesn’t have to be crazy big, but even just a weekend away with the two of you should be good.
Last year was our 30th anniversary. We had originally planned to spend the week at a beach side rental, have our close friends/family come up for the weekend and help celebrate. The world had other plans - I lost both my parents just a month before the anniversary and was in no mood to celebrate. H was pretty insistent that we do something though - we drove to Vermont for the weekend - very last minute plans. Had a lovely weekend and some good memories to override the bad.
Since you feel there will possibly be some flying into town, you could plan a weekend season around the same month as his birthday. Plan unique places to visit and eat and do. For instance, we had a family reunion with guys all in their 60s whom we drove to see petroglyphs, went to two national parks, ate at a unique local restaurant each night, and went to farms to pick fruit. I think that what made it fun was planning the varied weekend with activities and places to eat.
I love the idea of doing the 60 memories thing, especially given he’s very social and cares about people so much.
Maybe you could ask people to send him cards with memories, or you could ask them to send e-mails to you or someone else good at putting things together, and you could create a book or something special of all the memories.
For a friend…everyone was asked to donate a new wrapped toy reminiscent of 60 years prior. The birthday girl unwrapped them all…and they were donated to a nearby charity. It was really fun!
@thumper1 - thanks for the good ideas! H is notorious for bad dress decisions - the kids love to make fun of him. Would be hilarious to see the guys try to dress like him ! I like the idea of a present of the olden days - wonder how hard that would be for folks though. H didn’t grow up here, so that makes it a bit more challenging.
I just have to sneak onto his phone now, trying to find the contact info for all those friends he has! Pinged the kids, asking for help - but crickets! It’s silence from their end, so I might be on my own here for the most part.
You need to do SOMETHING that makes you happy… maybe a fancier than normal dinner, a massage, a day to do nothing… whatever works for you. Hopefully you can have your getaway at another time soon.
Just don’t set yourself up for more than you can manage. I can’t remember if it’s supposed to be a surprise or not, but a surprise makes it much harder on you. Maybe coming up with the plan, and then enlisting his help with invite list could work?
My friend did something at a restaurant and served “heavy appetizers” rather than have a sit down dinner (plenty of food for everyone) so people would mingle.
At the party I went to…everyone dressed like the birthday boy….not just the guys. And it was hilarious. This guy was an engineer who did a lot of field work. Lots of folks in flannel shirts with pocket protectors and palm pilots (when that was a thing). Everyone wore glasses…because the birthday boy wore glasses. This guy had a great sense of humor, and we all knew him well.
The toy present party…the husband sent a range of years…so toys reminiscent of about a five year period of time. They didn’t even have to be things the birthday girl played with…just things from the period. So there were Barbie dolls, GI Joe, Legos, some fisher price toys, wooden building blocks…things like that. They took a van load of things to a place that helps displaced families. These were sort of classic toys. Presents to open…but none to keep! Win-win.
We are pretty social (especially my wife). Rather than have one big party, my wife had six dinner parties with ten people each (8 friends plus us). The first were elegant dinner parties. By the end, things were more casual. But it was great to spend time with people in smaller groups so I could talk with them.