A Party reader recently wrote in and asked for ideas on what to do for her man's birthday. This is always a difficult one, since most often a guy doesn't want too much attention for his birthday, but might silently be offended if it isn't properly recognized.
A couple of years ago I threw a bash for my husband's 30th. I've been searching old files to see if I could find the ephemera I created for the party, but alas, found none. Then today while looking for something in my closet, I stumbled upon a quiz I created for the event, which I entitled, 'Test Your Charlie IQ'. It was a fun way for his friends to find out how well they really knew him. I kept the questions from being too cheesy or embarrassing. Sample: 'What is Charlie's favorite reality tv show?' Answer: So You Think You Can Dance. The winner won a fifth of nice vodka. There was a tie with two of his guy friends, so we had a bonus round of questions. This was a fun game that everyone got into. I think I was off in the timing, however...I waited too late in the evening and then it was a bit of party stopper. I would recommend doing it in the beginning.
I used a cut-out of Charlie's head from a 3rd grade school picture as the 'theme' that was carried out everywhere (see it vaguely in the upper left hand corner of the quiz?). Charlie's head dangled from paper lanterns, adorned the buffet (I got it catered by a cheap Carribean food place), and was tucked in various areas of the house (such as under the toilet seat). I kept the color palette to bright blues, greens and of course, white. I never had anyone sing him happy birthday- I just had the ice cream cake that he adores. For him, singing would have been too much. I would deem it a success...he was ultimately happy because he got to celebrate the day with friends.
