Special Ways to Celebrate Turning 80
The way that you celebrate your 80th birthday very much depends on your life situation. Important factors to consider are, for example, whether you are in good health, the size of your family and how close, both physically and emotionally, you are to family members, including spouses, children and grandchildren, as well as their in-laws. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
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Create a Life History
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Maya Angelou, who was justifiably praised for her achievements when she reached 80, had her life celebrated in writing by two friends and a niece. They wrote and published a book in her honor, and her close friend, Oprah Winfrey, planned a surprise party for her in Florida.
A Permanent Record
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If you reach 80 and feel that you have lived through memorable times, you might want to write your own life history. Anyone can leave a record of their lives, explaining how they lived, what was important to them, and their views on the great changes through which they lived. After you have it all down, self-publish it for friends and family. The event could be used as a fundraiser, with proceeds going to a charity of your choice.
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Record an Oral History
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Create an oral record of the celebrant's life, recording her thoughts and impressions. This project is probably best done in several sittings, as someone who has reached 80 has had a myriad of experiences. One the recordings are complete, edit them into a cohesive whole. One way to do this is to organize the information in decades, following the timeline of the person's life. Such material is often used by social historians to get a deeper understanding of previous societies. A problem that they face is a lack of records, so this oral data might be treasured not only by future generations of the family but also by researchers of future generations.
Do What Is Important to You
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By the time someone reaches 80, he will have a pretty good idea of what his priorities and passions are, and so will friends and family. One way to honor this is to do what makes the celebrant happy. Anne R.C. Neale enjoys writing poetry. On her website is a photo of her celebrating with a cake, a candle and a balloon, along with three of her poems.
A Few More Suggestions
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If you are planning an 80th birthday celebration for a loved one, always remember that it is their day and the planning should be for them. So if she likes big band music, jazz, rock 'n' roll, or other sounds from the decades through which she has lived, make sure that you provide for her tastes. Be thoughtful. A financially generous present might mean less to her than, for example, arranging for a visit from a childhood friend who lives far away, or surprising her with an album of photographs from her life that you have collected from the family.
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References
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