50th Birthday Gift Guide

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My brother recently turned the big 5-0. He didn't want any fanfare or a big party (a surprise party would have left him walking right back out the door). I wanted to do something fun and meaningful to mark the occasion. It's not every day we celebrate the milestones of the people we love. I decided to do a "Thru the Decades" themed gift for him. I created one box for each decade. Each box contained items that would remind him of each time period along with a one-page printout that included photos of him, major pop culture moments during the decade, and a recap of major events, hobbies, interests, and accomplishments during his life at that time.

I started with the 1970s box. Given that was the start of his life, I knew he wouldn't have a ton of memories from that period so I went with more generic 70's gifts.

He loved the disco shirt and put it on immediately - very John Travolta. He's very much a kid at heart and is still into Legos. Since Star Wars debuted in the 70's, I figured a Star Wars Lego kit would be up his alley. There are a ton of great books you could give that were written during this decade like Sophie's Choice, East of Eden, and Breakfast of Champions. My brother is more of a history buff so I went with Helter Skelter - a novel about the Manson Murders (which technically occurred in '69 but the fallout and trials were in the 70's). And finally - who doesn't love a good pair of retro shades?

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Next up was the box for the 1980s. After watching Stranger Things, my nephew told me that he wishes he was a kid in the 80's. I fully agree! The box features a few things he'd find nostalgic from his elementary and middle school days. An 80's pop culture trivia game is something we plan on playing this summer. Who wouldn't want the friendship bracelets that we all HAD to have? In our house, we were not allowed to watch MTV, but we snuck it anyway. And my personal favorite of all the gifts is a notebook that looks like a mix tape. We spent hours making mix tapes and listening to them on our Walkman.

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Heading into the 1990s, I called out the fact that this was quite possibly the most life-changing era of his life. He went from being a newly driving 16-year-old to the end of the decade, a salaried government employee making his way through the working world.

Anyone old enough to remember knows we sprinted to Blockbuster early on a Friday night to get the most recent releases so a Blockbuster sweatshirt is an ode to those highly anticipated movie nights. Whether or not you liked it, grunge rock was the soundtrack of the 90s - especially Nirvana. Another book (since I LOVE to gift books) for the history buff who lived through the crazy saga of O.J. Simpson, The People v. O.J. Simpson will be a great read. (Note: the hardcover is cheaper than paperback on this one!) And finally - an ode to the classic game we all knew and loved, the Super Mario Bros gaming console.

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The 2000s saw him go from a single guy to a married dad of one. Awwww!

We were crazy for reality TV! Enough that we even hosted our own "Survivor" competitions on the weekends at my parent's lakehouse. He was oddly thrilled with receiving the Survivor bandana. So many fun bands from this decade but I picked a t-shirt featuring The Strokes, one of my personal favorites. I am also a bit embarrassed to admit that I rocked the yellow sunglasses. I don't know if they became popular because of Bono - but quite a few of us had them. And lastly, on a more somber note, 9/11 changed our lives and the world. Giving a book about the story, aftermath and legacy seemed like a fitting tribute to the times.

And finally, my last box to him was the 2010s and beyond. I didn't feel a 2020's box was needed since we are only a few years into it. So it was a mash-up of reminders of the last 13 years.

He had two more children in 2012 and 2014 and all three kids love Taylor Swift (who doesn't?). The In My Dad Era T-Shirt was a massive hit with his children. A hat that references the year he was born, while not an ode to the decade, seemed a fun way to cap off (pun intended!) the end of his gifts. I know a book about the 2016 election and everything it brought in its aftermath seems like a heavy topic for a birthday gift, but he has worked in politics his entire career so it seemed fitting. And finally, if we can't laugh about it, we'll cry, hehe. A final 2020 t-shirt to reference the year that felt like it wasn't.

I hope you find this gift guide helpful! If you want any other ideas, please reach out and I'd love to help you! I ended up making a list of quite a few gifts but only shared the things I ended up giving him. Happy Shopping!!