Help! I need a really great creative birthday present!
MoveCloseDeleteAdmin

TV ClubHouse: Archives: Help! I need a really great creative birthday present!

Bigd

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 06:28 am EditMoveDeleteIP
My brother (who I adore) is having his 50th birthday next week. I am drawing a complete blank for what to give him or do for him. I pulled out all the stops for his 40th birthday, and then just a few years later used what was left of my imagination for my husband's 50th. Now I am lost. I cannot be with my brother on this momentous day, but I would like to make a big statement. Please hit me with your best shots!!!

Admin

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 07:09 am EditMoveDeleteIP
At a recent party I went to for a guy turning 50, someone gave him a Budda. You know, it was about 12" high, made of concrete or some other hard material and was a Budda. Everyone laughed and thought it was great...kinda looked like him!

I'm having the same problem with my sister inlaw for her 30th? She has everything she needs, doesnn't want anything (except her hallway painted). Maybe some coupons for free painting?

Bearware

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 07:11 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Wish you could be there, Had a friend who staged a New Orleans type funeral for her husband on his fiftieth, was a total HOOT.

I'm not incredibly creative, but fifties of things, Fifty m&m's, fifty one dollar bills, fifty minutes on a tape of "his Life" - the old this is your life type production, a Proof set of his birth year coins (that would be an expensive gift, mine is a couple of hundred dollars, and I'm 48). I gave my brother a commemorative basketball from UK (he's a huge fan) for it's 100th cause 100 is 50 times 2 - see, I'm NOT creative! I'll be checking back, as I'm anxious to see the great ideas that roll in! Have fun with it!

Admin

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 09:50 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Is the 50 year old brother married? If he's single, I can think of a few ideas...otherwise I'm blank. :)

Bigd

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 10:09 am EditMoveDeleteIP
oh, he is single - NEVER been married

Max

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 10:14 am EditMoveDeleteIP
What kinds of things does he enjoy? ANy hobbies? Is he traumatized by his 50th coming up or enjoying every day he has?

Bigd

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 11:15 am EditMoveDeleteIP
he enjoys music, fishing, golf.

He won't admit it, but yes, he is traumatized by this birthday

Max

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 11:25 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Well, you've got some options then.

Give him concert tickets to see someone he really enjoys.

Or...

Treat him to a fishing excursion (if you're near the ocean, send him on a charter fishing boat for a day).

Or....

Buy him a gift certificate for a round of golf and cart rental (or caddy, if they have 'em) at the fanciest golf course in town. Somewhere he'd love to play, but can't normally afford.

Or, if you want a more family/friends-oriented gathering, try setting up a mini carnival in your back yard or at a park.

You can find party-rental places who supply miniature golf course setups, or you can create your own fairly easily with practice putting items from your local sporting goods store and make flags using felt (no sew) and dowling from the local Home Depot or Lowes. Have a mini tournament with prizes.

Set up a fishing booth like they used to have at carnivals when I was a kid. All you need to do is put up some poles with sheeting stretched across them so that it makes a box that's open at the top. SOmeone stands inside with a bunch of little toys and fund prizes for the "fishermen". Get some fishing poles or just long sticks, put string on them with clothes pins attached at the end. Folks have to stand behind a line and "cast" their line into the "pool" (the box tent thing you made) and folks inside then attach small items or candy or whatever to the clothespin and toss it back to the fishermen. This is particularly fun if there are little kids.

If you want to cater to more serious fishing, have a casting contest. Set up some small wading pools at different distances and have people use a fly fishing pole to cast and try to hit the pools. Different pools can have different point values. Give prizes to the winners.

Cakes can follow whichever theme you pick. Most bakeries have lots of things to pick from.

Since he's sensitive about turning 50, I'd avoid the over the hill stuff. That can rub the wrong way. :)

Hope that gives you some ideas.

Ddr1135

Thursday, July 31, 2003 - 04:49 am EditMoveDeleteIP
How about a collage of pictures of growing up? I've been collecting our family's old photographs and torment my brother with all the pics of him looking stupid. Just a thought. (I'm picturing the "photo quilt" that was framed that Vern made for the yellow living room, if you watch Trading Spaces.)

Theowl

Thursday, July 31, 2003 - 07:39 am EditMoveDeleteIP
For my 50th this year, my sisters and mom in Mich. started 50 days before my birthday. Every day they e-mailed a group of pictures of me starting with my first picture. The second day, my second birthday year all the way till my last pictures with the family. Then they came down to Tenn. and gave me an album of all the pictures for my birthday. I e-mailed every day to alot of my friends here at TVCH, which I'm sure got alittle boring for them, but it was a way for my friends to get to know me alittle. I know you don't have time for that, but I just thought I'd throw that out for anyone else who might need an idea.

Also, for my sisters 50th birthday, the same sisters and mom bought 50 cards and went to Chicago and had waitresses and waiters, sales people and just people on the street fill out and sign a BD card to Pat (she lives in San Diego) as if she was their long lost friend. They also sent a couple cards to relatives around the country to do the same thing with strangers sending cards to her. She was bomb-bartted with cards from people she thought she had forgotten about, you know, being 50 and starting to lose your memory. She caught on after quite a few cards, but it was funny when she called mom and wondered who these people were. My mom and sisters met many interesting people that way, too.

I have a sister who will be 50 in 3 years, and we need ideas for her now. I don't think anything can beat my birthday present and the memories, so maybe she will get the same thing.

Good luck BigD, and let us know what you decided.

Admin

Thursday, July 31, 2003 - 09:02 am EditMoveDeleteIP
A girl popping out of a cake.

A huge party with all the long lost family members.

Stuff to make you feel young: frisbee, skateboard, baseball cap, tattoo gift certificates.

I guess this is what I would want on my 50th! :)

Eliz87

Thursday, July 31, 2003 - 09:44 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Well...I don't think this is very CREATIVE, but you've given me a chance to plug my new gift basket service -- the website is http://www.boswellsgiftbaskets.com/ -- please check it out and you might find something that your brother would like!!

Sia

Friday, August 01, 2003 - 10:05 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
No matter what else you send or take him for a birthday gift, I think it would be fabulous of you to send him some flowers, as well. My preference is for something that would continue to live (as opposed to cut flowers). Does he garden? Would he love an ornamental tree or bush that he normally wouldn't buy for himself? Good luck. Boy, you're getting lots of creative ideas here!!

Bigd

Monday, August 04, 2003 - 04:58 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I have made Happy Birthday candy bar wrappers, and done a fifty of everything type box of goodies (50 tiny boxes of cereal, 50 Pop Tarts,(he's a cereal and pop tarts freak) fifty diapers, fifty green M & M's and fifty Lottery tickets). I also made a PowerPoint Presentation with 50 slides of him backed up by a comedy birthday song. I have also decided I cannot miss being with him on this day. So I am getting in the car in about 30 minutes to make the 15 hour drive by myself, as a surprise. Thanks again to everyone.

Happymom

Monday, August 04, 2003 - 12:09 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Good for you Bigd! Hope you had a great trip and that the birthday was great fun! Great idea on the gifts!

Kalekona

Tuesday, August 05, 2003 - 11:42 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Bigd - I just did this for my sisters 40th and everyone loved it.
I burned her a CD with the top song from each year since she was born..
It's personel and I had fun doing it. (my nephew just thought it was the coolest gift he'd ever seen.

Ezgoing

Wednesday, August 06, 2003 - 04:34 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Bigd, now THAT's the best present he could ever get I'm sure--YOU! Great ideas you came up with for his gag gifts too..personal, creative, funny. Let us know how it all went once you're back safe and sound!

Lots of other good suggestions, too. Is this a creative bunch or what?!