A Night at the Drive In Birthday Party

A Night at the Drive In Birthday Party

Birthdays are a very special time indeed. One party theme that works well with people of almost all ages is the idea of a movie night. Whether you want to make your movie a drive in movie or you prefer the modern conveniences of air conditioning in the summer or heat in the cooler months then that is understandable you can bring the movie night in. If you'd like something a little new and different then creating a drive in movie is a great way to go and you can invite all the neighbors so that no one chooses the moment your movie begins (hopefully) to start making a ton of noise.

The idea of a drive in movie can be expanded somewhat by the movie you select as well. Screens for playing the movies and DVD projectors can also be rented as well as speakers to play the sound. A good place to put the screen is on a garage door if you are a little lost on that particular matter. Once you've decided the movie you can go about elaborating on the theme. If you choose something that is relevant to a specific time period (such as Grease for the 1950's), Bill and Ted's Adventures (for the 1980's), and the like you can have your guests put on their best 50's or 80's finery and come dressed for the occasion.

Be sure that in addition to the movies you have music that is appropriate for the theme to play before dark arrives and afterwards. Everyone can have a lot of fun dancing and you can set up a concession stand area with pop, popcorn (an absolute must - you will be glad to know that you can even rent popcorn poppers for the evening as well), whole dill pickles, nachos and cheese, hot dogs, pizza (if you're feeling really ambitious) and other favorite movie munchies. The idea is to make the evening a fun evening for everyone.

Great decoration ideas, in addition to the screen of course would be cardboard cut out cars, movie posters, and Christmas tree lights to create rows for 'parking'. You will want to make sure that there is plenty of seating available. Folding chairs work perfectly for an event such as this. You should also make sure that you have plenty of waste bins available for the garbage that may be accumulated throughout the evening and recycling bins if appropriate (people who do not ordinarily recycle often will if presented with the option to do so).

If you take the party indoors you can still accomplish the movie feel but make it feel more like a theater than a drive in. Use Christmas tree lights along the floor and turn off all other lights in the room once the movie begins. You can rent a big screen television for the evening or a projector and a screen. You may also want to consider pushing the furniture back against the wall and leaving the center of the room free for throw pillows that allow guests to sit (or lay) on the floor to watch the movie. Place movie posters throughout the room to set the tone and have the concession stand in another room so that it can be enjoyed and seen without disrupting the movie.

A Circus Birthday Bash Worthy of the Big Top

If you want a very happy child, considering throwing a birthday party worthy of the big top. A circus theme for a birthday party is sure to thrill and excite your little one and guests alike. Be sure to make the event one worthy of its title though and keep the action lively and moving throughout the event so that little minds with short attention spans do not have an opportunity to move on to more mischievous pursuits.

The first thing that is an absolute must for a circus theme is a big top. This may run a little high on the decoration dime but can be done quite nicely without booking a huge back yard with a tent. In fact, you can create a tent in your very own living room if you are so inclined to do so. Helium can be rented quite inexpensively and you can create the illusion of a tent top by filling the ceiling with brightly colored balloons and streamers to match. In addition to this you can have the entrance of the room made to look like tent flaps. Push all the furniture along the wall and allow the little ones to seat themselves on the floor along the "center ring" where all the action will be.

Now, you really should make an effort to have some sort of entertainment for the kiddos with an event of this nature. It can be a clown act, magic show, or simply someone making balloon animals for the birthday boy or girl and his or her guests. Face painting is another great activity to include on your list of events and shows and a lot of fun for the little ones. Be sure to include several great games (ring toss, pin the nose on the clown, and corn hole are great games worthy of a circus theme) and a craft activity or two in the running so that the little ones do not sit idly very long. It is always a good idea to keep them occupied and having fun.

The big top provides some excellent dining delights that carry over quite well into the birthday party theme. Hot dogs are an excellent lunch for a room filled with excited little ones. Candied apples, popcorn, and peanuts are also a great and fun addition to birthday party food that work well with the circus theme. Be sure to enlist serious muscle for the clean up when all is said and done.

Goody bags can be a lot of fun for this particular event by using popcorn bags for the bag and filling them with circus animals, bubbles, glow bracelets, circus themed stickers, and other nifty little items. Oriental trading and local party stores might prove to be an excellent resource for goody bag gifts. Don't forget to include a photo frame with a photo of each child with his or her face painted or balloon animal as a keepsake.

The main thing to remember when planning a party worthy of the big top moniker is that the most important thing is that everyone has a good time. Don't sweat the small details so much that you aren't able to enjoy the event. Other great ideas to make this an even bigger event include things such as renting a moon walk for kids to jump and play in, renting a cotton candy maker, and having a real popcorn popper rather than relying on microwave popcorn. There's something about the smell that just makes it feel like a circus.

Another thing you need to do when planning a big top or circus themed birthday party is plan for contingencies, such as rain if the party was to be held outside. The show must go on whether it is storming or whether the sun is shining brightly so be sure to have a back up plans in case things go awry.

A Casino Night to Remember Birthday Party

A Casino Night to Remember Birthday Party

Life is a gamble. What better way to celebrate that gamble than by rolling the dice or playing cards all night? A great casino night is definitely a lot of fun to be had by all. You can choose. Of course you will not be able to use real money for this but can allow each guest their own set of chips or monopoly money to play with for the evening and have fun prizes for the winners and funny parting gifts for those who do not fare so well. The important thing is that you are celebrating the great gamble that life really is in the perfect style for doing so.

Whether you go for a grand James Bond Style Casino event complete with tuxedos and a full and flowing bar or go for a more tropical sort of casual casino theme it is important that the music and drinks flow freely and that everyone has the opportunity to have a great time. Great decorations for your casino night will differ according to the style of casino you are attempting to incorporate. Needless to say gaming tables, a roulette wheel, and lots of dice are sure to please your guests as great party décor. Otherwise go with the sub theme of your party.

Be sure to let your guests know if there is a dress code for the evening when sending out invitations. You may purchase your invitations online quite easily or print your own. Again you will want to go with the method that works best with the theme of the Casino birthday party you are throwing. If it's an over the hill sort of birthday party you might want to make the invitations humorous with some sort of reference to the fact that lighting the candles on the cake may be a gamble in and of itself. Remember to let your invitations begin the party theme and work from there to build things up.

On the big night you can raid your local party supply store or an online party supply shop for all sorts of gambling related decorations. From fuzzy dice to oversized cardboard cards and hundreds of things in between you can go as elegant as you'd like with your casino night birthday party or go for some of the more 'party' themed casino settings that you will find as well. You are only limited by your imagination and personal tastes when it comes to properly decorating for your casino birthday party. With that in mind, make the decorations as fun or as elegant as you can stand.

As for the food, what sort of self respecting casino wouldn't have a grand buffet prepared. Display your food buffet style and if possible have a catering staff circulating with drinks throughout the room. For your casino night birthday party finger foods are the best. Shrimp cocktail, crab puffs, petit fours, cocktail sausages, meatballs, sausage rolls, pigs in blankets, dips with appropriate bread and crackers, finger sandwiches, and any other great finger food you can think of. Another great addition to your buffet table would be a chocolate fountain with plenty of marshmallows, pretzels, and fruits to cover.

You will want to be sure to have appropriate casino sound effects. While it isn't possible to have a wall full of slot machines, at least not in my neck of the woods, you can get the slot machine sound effect for a more realistic feeling in your casino or you could skip the slots and keep this a table games only section with great music overhead. The choice is yours and the sky is the limit.

Be sure to take plenty of photographs in order to create a scrapbook of the grand event. Not only will this help preserve your own memories of the evening but it also makes a great gift for the guests who have shared moments in your life and make the gamble worthwhile.

A Birthday Party at the Scene of the Crime

A Birthday Party at the Scene of the Crime

Television shows such as CSI (and the subsequent CSI Miami and CSI New York), NCIS, and Cold Case Files have made crime scenes and crime investigations the new murder mystery parties. They are a great deal of fun when properly planned and well executed but leave a lot of room for failure if poorly planned or inflexible. If you are considering a party such as this, a great party for teens and adults alike be sure that you either have an actual mystery to solve as the evening progresses or that you simply use the theme as a backdrop. There is no real right or wrong way to do a birthday party but if you want to throw the party that everyone will be talking about you'll need to create a crime for the scene you're investigating and leave clues all around to help with the investigation.

Decorating your crime scene party can be a lot of fun with crime scene tape and chalk outlines on the floor. Be sure to make them realistic in size by having someone actually lay down for you to draw the outline. You can leave fake footprints, fingerprints, and clue cards throughout the room (not too well hidden unless you want people snooping). You can even enlist plenty of help when leaving the clues and decorating because of the novelty of this sort of party. You do not have to limit the festivities to one room and you can, if you are feeling truly adventurous, have a different case going on in different rooms and have the kids draw numbers for teams and race to solve the crime first.

You might also do well to set up a lab, complete with microscope and tables dedicated to sorting out the evidence and make notes for the shocking conclusion of the crimes in question. Of course you will want to make the crimes simple and solvable by leaving clues that the kids will have no trouble finding or deciphering without making it too easy. Use your favorite episode for inspiration if you must and throw in a red herring or two to keep things fun. Young and old alike, the kids will have a good time arguing over the clues and trying to determine who really committed the crimes (and of course making up their assumptions and stories as to why the crimes occurred in the first place).

For food you can have an actual CSI cake or go with cookies that are shaped like footprints or thumb print cookies for an excellent play on words. Of course by the time kids are old enough to enjoy a party such as this they probably would be happy with good food rather than themed food and pizza, sloppy Joes, finger foods, chips and dips, and cookies and cake will make an excellent food addition to the party without needing to fit in with any one theme. Be sure to have plenty of pop and bottled water on hand though because crime solving is thirsty work.

In real life it is best to leave the jobs of solving crimes up to the men and women who were trained to do so. In the world of birthday parties however, crime solving and crime scene investigating reign supreme as the next great thing in birthday party ideas.

Types of Unconventional Birthdays

Types of Unconventional Birthdays

Keep in mind that a birthday is not just a reason to celebrate your coming into existence, but there are a number of reasons that you would celebrate a birthday. You will find that there are a lot of people who celebrate an unconventional birthday and these types of celebrations are held all over the world. You will find that an unconventional birthday is just one of the many ways that you can celebrate your life.

People use the term -Birthday- to describe milestones in their lives. The term is also used to mark important beginnings or ends in a person’s life.

A lot of people who have joined a recovery group or use a 12-step program will also mark their first day of sobriety, because it was a huge accomplishment.

This day is marked every year with a -birthday chip-, a token to remind you of the hard work done to get through that year and the long road still ahead of you.

Then there is the term a birthday suit. This is something that is well known, but it basically means that you do not wear clothing.

On the day of your birth, you came out of the womb naked therefore being in your -birthday suit- you are naked.

Birthday is also a term that is used when you have created something very spherical. You’ll find that they are celebrated yearly, but perhaps monthly is another option for celebration. This is often done when a business first opens its doors. You will find that the birthday will be created by the company and celebrated for years to come.

Keep in mind that not only do people celebrate birthdays, but birthdays are celebrated all around the world and it represents a day of creation.

Why Celebrate a Birthday

When it comes to birthdays, they are celebrated all over the world and they are celebrated to make the anniversary of many things. You’ll want to keep in mind that most people will mark this special day with parties and gifts, but sometimes it is almost a rite of passage when it comes to those special milestone birthdays.

During birthday parties one of the most popular traditions is the birthday cake. Typically ornately decorated and lit with candles that the birthday person gets to make a silent wish on then blow out.

The number candles tend to go with the age of the person who will blow out the candles. Often, it is used because the candles are too great in number. You’ll want to make sure that you consider using a number candle to pick up the pace of the tradition to “blow the candles out”.

Also it is a common tradition for the birthday person to cut and receive the first piece of cake.

When it comes to someone’s birthday, they are to be respected by their friends and family. You will find that when it comes to receiving gifts, you’ll get special gifts or a special meal.

Children’s birthdays usually include games and sometimes special entertainment like a clown or magician. Parties can include balloons, streamers and party favors for guests.

Sometimes you’ll receive special gifts that include your birthstone. The birthstone is a gem that goes with the month of your birth.

Birthstones often go back to more biblical times, but you’ll also find that there is a list of things that go with a month, such as a birth flower. You will want to consider it to be great luck when you receive your birth flower for your birthday and you’ll want to have the matching number of flowers to your age.

Baby’s First Birthday Celebration

In America, birthdays are something to celebrate. There are numerous hours that is spent on just planning and taking action to throw these parties that will just last only a few hours.

When it comes to having a child, it’s such a joyous moment. When they turn one, it is only right to celebrate it with a big family party and often you’ll invite anyone and everyone.

It is nice to throw a big a first birthday because you are able to celebrate the growth of both mom and baby over the past year. All those people who watched mom grow and give birth, then see how the baby grows throughout the first year now have a reason to get together to celebrate again.

Keep in mind that the child will not remember who came to the party or what they got, but you’ll find that it’s something more for mom and dad.

One important thing that the birthday boy or girl does get to do is celebrate with their own piece of cake, or even their own small cake.

The best part of a first birthday party is when you give a child a piece of the cake or you give them their own cake and you watch the child go head first into their first birthday cake. It is understood that they will make a mess and pictures will be taken. But that is all part of the fun.

Like with all birthdays, gifts are given to the birthday child. Mostly toys and clothes since they spend their first few years outgrowing everything they have.

Often, with a first birthday the child will become overwhelmed and will most likely fall asleep. Then it is up to the family and friends to enjoy the day.

Birthday Party history and facts

Today, we celebrate birthdays with treats, cakes, and tons of fun shared by close friends and family. It was not just a joyous occasion centuries ago. In fact, in Europe birthdays were considered to be something much different.

Originally, a person feared their upcoming birthday. People were fearful, because it was a day that people believed that evil spirits could harm you. 

Birthday parties were devised as a way to keep those spirits away by surrounding yourself with friends and loved ones who often brought small tokens and food to share.

People would try to use noisemakers to scare off the spirits that may be handing around the house.

It was in the middle ages that birthday parties began to take on a more celebratory state and the tone turned more positive. But they were not yet commonplace amongst peasants. When it comes to birthday parities, it was usually only celebrated by royalty or some of the lords and ladies that were very wealthy

It wasn’t until reformation that the birthday party became a more common occurrence in England. Then people would begin to make cakes for the birthday person and they would place hidden fortune tokens in the cake for the guests to find.

It is thought that children’s birthday parties originated in Germany and was called Kinderfeste.

Over the years, the art of throwing birthday parties went form a small party to elaborate parties that are only fit for royalty. The art of throwing parties have come along way.

You will find that people celebrate parities for children. You will find that there are typically milestones that will be celebrated for adults too. When a person turns 21, 30, and 50, it is typically a big deal to celebrate. A cake is typically served and a person is asked to blow out the candles while making a wish.

Egyptian Themed Birthdays

An Egyptian Themed Birthday Party

Ancient Egypt is a fascinating place all these years later. From mummies and pyramids to pharos and scarabs there is plenty of fuel for the fascination pyre. Keep in mind however, that the goal here is for the kids to have a great time, not to be frightened so keep the scary stuff to a minimum if possible (even if your child is brave to a fault that doesn't mean that some of the guests won't be frightened and you want the experience to be pleasant for everyone).

Decorations for this are not as difficult as you may think. In fact, some of these decorations will double quite nicely for Halloween or may already be in your Halloween stash. First of all, if you have a canopy or tent lying around this will make an excellent substitution for a pyramid. You can fill your canopy or tent with relics that are authentic looking for what would be inside an Egyptian pyramid. Use skulls (leftover from Halloween decorations) on the floor, gold coins (or doubloons, which can be purchased rather inexpensively at many party supply stores), sequins that look like jewels, and fake jewelry that might have been worn during the period. Of course the piece de resistance will be the mummy wrapped in the corner (if this isn't part of your Halloween stash it should be after this).

Now, what self respecting mummies home doesn't have a great curse to go along with it? Before allowing the guests into the "pyramid" you need to make sure they are aware of the curse that goes along with it. It's a fun little addition to the theme and a lot of fun to watch their eyes as you tell the tale of the mummy inside and why the tomb is cursed.

If you are still looking for excellent activities you can bury treasure in your sandbox (if you have one) and let them all take turns digging up treasures and/or artifacts that they can take home with them. Make sure everyone has at least one turn and gets one thing to take home from the digging.

You can either barbecue dinner or order pizza or something simple for dinner. I recommend letting the guests eat inside the pyramid for fun (if it isn't too terribly hot) and allow for a showing of The Mummy afterwards (provided the audience is old enough and interested). You could also allow them to play in the tomb for a while or make it an overnight event and allow them to camp in the tomb if it's a tent.

Great goody bag gifts include flashlights, glow sticks, spiders, chocolate coins, stickers, and other candy jewelry. One great game for an Egyptian themed birthday party would be wrap the mummy. Divide the kids into groups of three and have them take turns racing to wrap the mummy (a member of the team) in toilet paper. Do this so that everyone has the opportunity to be wrapped - just be sure to use the cheap brands of toilet paper for this particular project and plan on having plenty in case they get a little overzealous.

Most importantly you want to plan an event that is fun to participate in and that will have all your guests eager to come back for the big birthday bash next year. Just remember you'll be expected to top the current theme and might gain a reputation for throwing the cool parties.

Birthday Cake Facts

Birthday Cake facts

In the US it is very common for you to celebrate your birthday with a wonderfully designed and tasty birthday cake. Keep in mind, it was the Greeks that were the first to make a cake for celebration. It was commonly used in the celebrations of the birthdays for gods and goddesses.

For those who were wondering who came up with placing candles on the cake, well, it was the Greeks as well. It was because if the Greek god Artemis, where the cake was first topped with lit candles.

In the middle ages, the English would conceal symbolic items inside the cake. Each item was a prediction for the finder’s future.

You will find that things like the coins, rings, and even thimbles baked into the cake.
The birthday cake made its way to Western culture in the mid 19th century and has been an important part of birthday celebrations since.

There are some superstitions that believe pertaining to the way it is cut. If the knife touches the bottom, or when pulling the knife from the cake itself there are pieces of cake stuck to the knife, than the birthday person must kiss the nearest person of the opposite sex.

Many people will blow out the candles on their cake while making a wish, however, the trick is to blow them all out. If the candles are blown out in one blow and the wisher keeps the wish a secret, then it is believed the wish will come true.

Typically, a birthday cake is decorated with lots of flowers and balloons, but it is covered in bright colors. For kids, it is popular to have cartoon characters or their favorite them on the cake.

You will find that there are a lot of people who will make their own cake or bake a semi-home cake from a package, or the birthday cake can cost up to a few hundred dollars.

The Happy Birthday Song

Happy Birthday song

When it comes to a birthday, there are a few ways of saying that it is time for cake, but it is known to everyone who is young or old, that all you have to do is start singing “Happy Birthday” and soon the cake and all the candles will appear.

The song is made of four bars and only sixteen words. It is a very simple song, but it has a very deep meaning.

In fact, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, Happy Birthday is the most popular song in the English Language.

Most of the time, it is sung in English, however, you’ll want to keep in mind that there are many languages that translate the song, even if the country or culture is not use to using English celebrations.

The Hill sisters composed the tune, -Happy Birthday To You-, in 1893. Originally the schoolteachers wrote the tune to a song entitles -Good Morning To You- and was sung to
the classroom every morning.

Keep in mind that the version that most people know was copyrighted in 1935, but the copyright will expire in the year 2030. In fact, technically it is illegal to publicly perform –Happy Birthday To You- unless royalties are paid to the Summy Company and its owner Warner Chappell who bought the company in 1990.

Did you know that the value of the song is estimated about $5 million, but the fact is that it is not clear as to who wrote the song?

And because strict copy law issue, many people who are shooting a film will not show the full content of the song, and that is why you’ll often see them singing another song (For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow) instead of singing the birthday song.

The Importance of Milestones

The importance of Milestone Birthdays

You have to keep in mind that with a milestone birthday, it is a special event that no one can ignore. It is just one of the few times in a person’s life where you need to focus on yourself and celebrate your growth.


When it comes to a milestone birthday, you will find that there is some serious partying done, but also that the gifts are very extravagant. Most of these birthdays are a sort of coming-of-age along with increased privileges and responsibilities.

The milestone birthday starts with your first. It tends to be a big deal, because in one year an infant can grow so much. Normally during a child’s first birthday it is more about the family and friends of the parents as opposed to a party for the child’s friends.

Most children on their first birthday are given either their own small cake or their own piece to eat however they like. The first birthday ends to get a little messy, because you usually want to encourage your child to just dig right into the cake.

The next most important milestone birthday is usually the 13th birthday. This is when a child officially becomes a teenager.

The importance of being 13 is that you are considered to be on your way to being an adult and therefore, you are taken more serious. You’ll want to keep in mind that there are plenty of other birthday parties to look forward to after this milestone birthday.

The 16th birthday is the year that most US states allow a teen to legally drive without their parents present.

Then there is your 18th birthday. You are no longer a child (but that doesn’t really make you an adult), however you are able to do many adult things like vote and join the military. In the eyes of the law, you are an adult.


Don’t forget the 21st birthday. It is a milestone birthday because you are legally allowed to consume alcohol.

The next milestone comes at 35. This is when in most countries, someone can run for the highest political office such as President of the United States.

Typically, after 40, you are considered to be over the hill. Then you will still have a milestone birthday, every ten years. These birthdays may not be something that you look forward to, but it is still a big deal and needs celebrated.