A different twist on a birthday card celebration . . .

[Bucky]

Just thought I'd pass along a fun thing I did this past weekend.  A family friend turns 90 this week.  His daughters sent out an e-mail asking everyone to "shower" Paul with birthday cards.  So, I got this idea - I went to the dollar store and bought a bunch of cards (2/$1.00 - so, it didn't cost an arm and a leg).  I bought cards for all the big birthday events people have - I got:  Congratulations on your new baby, 1, 5, 10, 13, 16, 18, 21, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80 and 90.  Eighteen cards total.  Inside each card, I wrote what year it was and a little about what was happening that year.  I also printed out a sheet of all the highlights of that year that I found on the internet.  I had also written in the card little tidbits of what was happening in Paul's life at that time.  (Serving in the Army, getting married, daughters born, retiring, traveling,etc.)

I didn't get to see the look on Paul's face when he received all these cards - but, I'm sure he didn't get another card shower like the one I gave him from anyone else.   

Plus, it was very interesting to read all the different things that were happening since 1919.   Paul has seen 17 U.S. Presidents serve in his lifetime (I listed who was President at the time on each card).  Needless to say, the prices of things from 1919 to 2009 are quite different.  For example, in 1932 a new house sold for $6,510.  The average wage was $1,650/yr.  You could buy a new car for $610.

So, if you're looking for something "different" to do for a special birthday celebration - you're welcome to borrow my idea.   

Bucky

[lynnmarie219]

Awwwwww  Bucky....that is a wonderful idea! You are so kind and thoughtful! I'm sure that Paul appreciated it too and had a lot of fun going through your shower of cards!

Hugs to you.....

[Patze]

Now that's such a neat idea!  You are such a well of great ideas lady! 


Patze

[proudmom]

What a nice idea. I bet he loved reading it. You always have such nice ideas. Thanks for sharing.
Proudmom

[Poochie]

Bucky, what a wonderful thing you did.  I can only imagine the joy you brought to this gentlemen.  I'm betting he spends more time with your cards than anyone else's.

Take care dear friend, and have a wonderful Christmas. As always, THANK YOU for sharing.
Hugs and God Bless,
Pooh

[Bucky]

Just a little followup to my post.  Today I saw Paul.  He was sitting down and I went up to him and asked how his birthday went.  He looked up at me and said, "I have to stand up and give you a big hug".  He loved my cards I gave him and he said he hasn't read all the information there yet, but what he has read he said, "I had forgotten about that".   I am so pleased that he enjoyed my gift to him and it was soooo worth all the hours I spent on it.  Happy 90th Birthday Paul, and many, many more.     (to date, Paul has received 97 birthday cards!!!    18 from me)

Bucky

[lynnmarie219]

 It's so nice to hear that Paul enjoyed your shower of cards so much! That should make you feel oh so good inside Bucky...you are one special woman!


And yes....A very Happy Belated 90th Birthday sent out to Paul from me too!

[Patze]

Now that's what I call a great gift, and I'm glad to hear that he enjoyed all the hard work that you put into it (way to go Bucky!). 

And please pass my regards too! 


Patze

[KYMOM]

Bucky, This could not have come at a better time.  My father and mother both have 75th birthdays this year and they celebrate their 55th anniversary this year.  My father's birthday is next month so after reading your post last night, I went to Dollar General today and bought 25 cards including birthday cards for all of the special years, baby cards for my brothers and me, grandchild cards, and other cards that were appropriate.  I started with the day and year of his birth in a birth announcement card and included in this card all of the people who he would recognize that were born on his birthday (celebrities, sport figures, and politicians).  I got the first four cards completed today, instead of printing a sheet to enclose information from the year I wrote the info on the cards.  I will start sending by the end of the week.  One a day until all cards are sent.  Thank you so much for a great idea.

Now, please start working on the next great idea.  Mom's birthday is in Sept.

Roxanne

[Bucky]

Roxanne - good for you!!!  Isn't it interesting reading thru all the information from years gone by?  I'm sure it will bring back memories for your Dad as he reads thru the cards and the information you have on them.

The oldest cards I own are several that my parents received when I was born.     It's fun to see what the cards looked like then.

Does your Mom keep her birthday cards from year to year, or her anniversary cards?  (I keep those kind of things.)  IF she did and you could find them - that would be fun to keep them all together and give them to her again.  I love reading thru old cards - especially, if they had notes written in them.  That is one thing I try and do with cards I send out, put a note in the card too, not just sign your name.

I don't remember if I posted this before or not, but my late MIL didn't want us to always go out and buy her a card for her birthday or Christmas each year.  We would give her a card and she would look at it and hand it back to us - "keep it and give it to me next year", she would tell us.  So, we did!  We'd write a little note inside - date it, and give it to her each year - each year, she would give it back to us to reuse the next time.  We used the same card for at least 10 years.  I'm not sure whatever happened to that card that we passed back and forth from year to year.  Chris was in a nursing home when she passed away in '08 - maybe someone tossed it.     I'm going to look thru some stuff of hers to see if I can find it - I'd like to keep it.  Anyhow, that's another idea - reuse the same card year after year after year, but add a note and date it. 

Bucky

[Bucky]

Got another BIG hug and huge smile from Paul today!!     He said that he has read thru all the papers and put them in a binder to keep.  He found the all the information on those sheets "very interesting".

When you find yourself second guessing a gift that will take some time on your part to pull off . . . DO IT!!    Like I said, all the time I spent on Paul's cards and looking up and printing the yearly sheets was SOOOOO worth it to see how happy it has made Paul.  At 90 yrs. old all the happy times mean more and more to him.   

Bucky

[lynnmarie219]

And I'm sure that Paul will pull that binder out more than once to re read all of those papers and cards. It will continue to bring him joy and he can relive many fond memories....good for you Bucky....and lucky Paul to have you for a friend! 

[kimbo]

WOW Buckey,

Once again I am trying to catch up on past post.

You are wonderful and so full of wonderfully sweet ideas. You are a great inspiration. May God bless you for the love you bless others with.

And I always also enjoy your sweet caring spirit personally.

To steal a line from "As Good as it gets" , "you make me want to be a better man" (women)   

Hugs kimbo

[genko_b]

That's a great idea, and worth more than a bunch more stuff or a big celebration when you're 90, no doubt.

Something else worth doing is writing a letter to important people in your life telling them what you mean to them - what has been their unique gift to you. The letters I wrote to both my father and my brother each happened to arrive shortly before they died. My father called from the hospital to tell me how grateful he was. My brother died suddenly and unexpectedly, and when I went to his house, the letter was beside his chair in the living room, and his wife said he had read it through each evening. Don't put off telling people how much they mean to you.

Genko

[Bernice]

That is so very thoughtful Bucky!

Genko, What you did for your father and brother is priceless, especially the timing of it! It really moved me as I thought just how often we don't get to say the things we would like to to our loved ones before they pass! Oh and to know it meant so very much to your brother. PRICELESS!!!

Stories like this makes me cry!