(We use this idea
regularly for retirement parties, but it can be adapted
for any celebration that marks the passage of time, including
birthdays and anniversaries.)
From the 1940s to the 1950s to the 1990s, pop culture
and current events have enveloped our lives. Celebrate
this passage of time with your guest of honor by reliving
a few chosen decades at a fantastic decades party. It takes
a bit of preparation to pull this one off, but the results
are always one-of-a-kind. (And the look back at our lives
is a wonderful trip through time).
Get started by making lists of some of the greatest pop
culture items for each decade you plan to relive. The Internet
is a great research tool, but so are friends and relatives
of your guest of honor. Make the list meaningful, if you
can. Did his daughter love Cabbage Patch Dolls in the 1980s?
Add them and their creator, Xavier Roberts, to the 1980s
list. Was her husband a big disco dancer in the 1970s?
Add Saturday Night Fever, white suits, and the BeeGees
to the 1970s list. One recent decades list we created included
Pop Rocks, the McDonalds' phrase "Two all-beef patties,
special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame-seed-bun",
and the movie Home Alone.
Now use this list to create invitations. Pick up several
small scrapbooks or create booklets on your home computer.
Dedicate each page spread to a different decade, listing
a few of the highlights. Then add some special information
about your guest of honor that pertains to each decade.
Married in the 1960s? Son born in the 1970s? Note the accomplishments
proudly. Be sure to add the current decade at the end,
and don't forget the party specifics.
And here's the fun part, for all of you thrift and antique
store shoppers. Go on a hunt for inexpensive items from
each decade. You will use these items as decorations at
the party. Bring your list along, but be open to anything
you might find. We discovered a large initial "B" (for
retiree Barbara) on one hunt. It was exactly like the "M" in
Mary's apartment on The Mary Tyler Moore Show -- perfect
1970s memorabilia! Keep track of what you find, and make
sure that you have items to represent each decade.
Now start decorating! One great way to do this is to have
one large table for each decade, creating a centerpiece
with items just from that decade. Imagine a 1950s centerpiece
with a 45rpm album, saddle shoes, a hula hoop, and a photo
of Lucy and Desi. Or a 1970s arrangement with a Rubik's
Cube, the book Jaws accompanied by a stuffed shark, and
a bouquet of multi-colored daisies in a handmade 1970s-style
clay pot.
On your thrift store hunt, you might even come across
photo frames in the style of a certain decade. Snap them
up! Use them to frame your decade by printing "1970s" on
a psychedelic piece of paper and tucking it into a 1970s-style
frame, or add a photo of your guest of honor with 1980s
shoulder pads and Dynasty hair to a 1980s-style frame.
Add them to your centerpieces or place them randomly.
Now that your decorations are in place, it's time for
the fun. For a decades party, nothing beats a trivia contest.
Have each table band together to answer a list of questions
spanning the decades, or give each age range their own
trivia quiz -- think 1990s trivia for the teens and 1950s
for older relatives. Be sure to remember the prizes, but
make them unique to the decades as well -- let the winner
choose an item from one of the centerpieces, or reserve
an extra-special thrift store find as a prize.
The fun doesn't end there. The food can be from a specific
decade, and you can even ask your guests to come dressed
in clothing from one of the decades they remember well.
And don't forget the music. A decades party isn't complete
without a 1950s sock hop or a disco dance-off.
Whether you celebrate one decade or five, we promise this
party will result in lots of laughter and reminiscing with
good friends and family. |
