He has always aged gracefully and well, up until the last two years. It seemed like his hair has turned gray almost overnight and he is wearing his glasses more often.

As a typical child, I never thought that I would see my own parents as aging. It is only now that I have began to think of activities for my father’s 60th birthday that my parents’ age has hit me. Turning 60 is supposed to be a huge milestone and a blessing to anyone. I wanted something special for my dad because he deserves it. I begain to plan for a surprise party for him on the night that he turns 60. The preparations were soon underway and I began to browse through birthday party themes, supplies and decorating ideas to suit what I had in mind for him.

Unfortunately, nothing seems to be of my liking. Most party supplies focused on themes like getting old and over the hill. This is not something that I think my father would appreciate, especially since he was already dreading the fact that he would turn 60. I wanted to make his day enjoyable, and not rub his age in his face.

In the end, our family decided to go for a light dinner, owing to our limited budget and the scarcity of appropriate party supplies. We held a reservation with  Isaac’s Restaurant and Deli, who would also cater the party. We were very pleased with the reasonable prices and delicious food. My dad’s birthday comes a few days before Christmas day, so we opted for festive and brightly-colored decorations instead of the over the hill stuff. I wanted to tell the guests beforehand to skip those humourous yet insulting birthday gifts. I am not quite sure yet how to get my word out on this matter, but I am hoping that the guests will be very considerate.

For my father’s birthday, I decided on a cake that was something special and definitely not one of those run-of-the-mill regular types. I ringed the baker who did my wedding cake, who recommended a fabulous design. She did a cake designed like a big gift with a very pretty bow done in fondant icing on top. She placed the number ‘60′ around the cake as an added design. Although this cake ended up to be a little over my budget, I was very pleased with the results. After all, my father only turns 60 once in his lifetime. The cake was worth it, plus, I wanted this celebration to be an event that he’ll surely remember.

Stampin’ Up did the designs for the 60th birthday party invitations, owing to my best friend who is involved there. My friend created a truly unique and adorable design for the invitatons. As you can see, I am constantly trying to put unique touches to this party. No one ever said that a 60th birthday – or any other birthday party – has to be traditional. Of course, it takes effort and a lot of thought to add personalized touches to the celebration. But take my word for it, the birthday celebrant will appreciate your efforts more than you think.

For more useful information, please visit our website: THE KNOWLEDGE BASE, and look for the EVENTS & HOLIDAYS  section.