Are you planning to celebrate a golden birthday soon? Do you even know what it is? It’s not, as some people understandably believe, a celebration of your 50th birthday. Indeed, if we’re talking about golden birthdays using the absolute strictest definition, a person’s 50th birthday could never be one. That’s because the golden birthday is defined as when your age matches the day of the month. If you were born on March 1st, your golden birthday is also your first birthday. If you were born on October 31st, you’d celebrate your golden birthday when you turn 31. Easy enough, right?

Origin

The golden birthday was coined by American author Joan Bramsch, who put on special celebration parties for her five children when they reached the magic age. The concept spread throughout Bramsch’s St. Louis community in the 1950s and gradually gained steam throughout the country, thanks in part to her later books and columns. The popularity of these celebrations has only grown in the years since, owing largely to the internet and the seemingly-insatiable thirst for new ways to throw gatherings and parties that people can get together and enjoy. Google records show that the concept of a “golden birthday” has risen in the search results year-over-year for the last decade, and the trend shows no sign of slowing.

A Second Chance

It’s only natural for people to get discouraged when they learn about these golden birthdays too late. “Oh, I’d like to celebrate something like that,” you think, before realizing that your golden birthday came and went when you were only four years old!

Fortunately, you get a second bite at the apple – it is tradition to permit “double” golden birthdays, which is when your birth day X 2 matches your age. So if your original golden birthday happened when you were 11, you get another chance when you turn 22. Another alternative version has it that you can celebrate your golden birthday when your age matches the last two numbers of your birth year, so if you were born in 1977, you could celebrate your golden birthday when you turn 77.

The Party Theme: Gold, Duh!

It’s often a struggle for non-professional party planners to put together a coherent theme for a particular event. With so many colors and design themes available, how do you decide? Well, you won’t have that problem when planning a golden birthday, because the theme is self-evident: Gold, gold, gold! Here are just a few ways you can decorate a golden birthday party for maximum fun:

Start With Invitations

To make a golden birthday special, it’s important to integrate the gold theme from conception to follow-through. The first step in any birthday celebration is sending out the invitations, so make sure you begin incorporating the gold theme there; it will give your guests an idea of what to expect and (perhaps) push them towards buying a theme-appropriate gift.

Gold Party Décor

You want the party venue to look as though King Midas took a stroll through the place a few hours earlier and touched everything he could: Use this template to choose the party favors, the gift wrap, the tablecloths, the signs on the wall, the decorations, and more. Get creative: Do you know a baker who can provide the party with gold-flecked cupcakes? Do you have gold jewelry you can hang from the walls? Remember, it doesn’t have to be real gold – the point is to decorate in-theme, not to put your valuable necklaces at risk!

Personalize It

We’re big fans of personalization, as you may have guessed by our name! Studies have shown that the vast majority of people prefer personalized gifts and decorations to those straight off the stock shelf. If you can find a way to customize your party decorations so that they are unique to the birthday boy or girl, you’ll have contributed mightily to the memorability of the event. Who doesn’t like to see their name spelled out in mylar balloons?

Disco Fever

If there will be drinks and dancing at the golden birthday event, try to find a venue that has a gold disco ball hanging over the dance floor. Even if you have to settle for the traditional silver disco ball, you can use lighting to make it appear gold from below. This adds tremendously to the “flavor” of the party, and anything you can use to get people out of their seats and onto the dance floor is undeniably a good thing!

Now that we have the party prep under control, let’s get on to the main event!

12 – A Gold Watch

It’s true that we’ve associated gold watches with retirement parties in our culture, but that doesn’t mean they can only be given as gifts when ol’ Tom in Accounting hangs up his calculator. While most people nowadays rely on their mobile devices for the time, gold watches remain (ironically) timeless in terms of style. If you do want to mix a bit of the old in with a bit of the new, you can always buy an Apple Watch and fit it with a gold mesh band. This is an especially effective gift for a teenager or anyone else who always has to have the latest tech gadget.

11 – Gold Jewelry

A 20-something woman is more likely to appreciate gold jewelry than an 8-year-old boy, but the truth is that people come in all different shades of gray. Some young men would love nothing more than a cool gold necklace to wear daily, and certain young women would blanch at the idea of wearing anything as ostentatious as a gold bracelet. The key here is to know who you’re buying for. We mentioned above the importance of personalization, but that doesn’t just extend to engravings and one-of-a-kind presents. It also means buying gifts that the birthday boy (or girl) will appreciate. That’s a guessing game, sometimes, but with a little bit of forethought, you can get pretty close to the mark.

10 – Shoes!

This is a gift-type that will vary widely depending on whose golden birthday it is. For adult women (and some older teenage girls), you can easily find a great pair of gold high heels that will not only match the theme but the occasion as well. Imagine giving a gift that the guest of honor can put on right away to complement their outfit! If, on the other hand, you’re buying for a boy (or a girl who is too young – or uninterested – in fancy high heels), you can go the sneaker route. Some of the top shoe companies have collections that incorporate gold into their designs, so you can surely find something that will make their golden birthday even more special.

9 – Family Gifts

We’ve mentioned personalization a time or two, but you don’t have to limit the idea of identity to the gift recipient themselves. Some of the best golden birthday gifts are those that stretch beyond the individual to include the family. If you agree, a whole new world of potential gifts is suddenly at your disposal. From customized puzzles to family tree etchings, there is no shortage of personalized gifts that put family at the center of the celebration. If your gift recipient believes in the power of family, one of these presents will make the day complete.

8 – Gold Sunglasses

You may think of the King of Rock ‘n Roll when you see a pair of gold sunglasses, but you don’t have to be an Elvis fanatic to pull these off. Gold sunglasses are actually one of the hottest trends in the influencer community, and – if you have the right skin tone – they can take your look to a whole new level. Kids love gold sunglasses because they’re bright, showy, and fun. Adults like them because they come with just that tiny bit of extra elegance. A great gift, especially for the golden birthday.

7 – Beauty and Makeup

Beauty products and makeup are outstanding golden birthday gifts, and they allow you to play around with various gifts of a single type. You can throw together a bunch of gold-colored makeup, lipsticks, and even bronzers. Or you can expand your net and throw in body lotions, shampoos, sample packs from exclusive beauty companies, and so much more.

6 – Customized Clothing

We’ll be the first to acknowledge that, when choosing a gift to give for this important occasion, you shouldn’t limit your ideas only to gold-colored products. We’ve concentrated on that emphasis in this article, only because those gifts are exceptionally relevant. Even so, you wouldn’t want to focus so much on the color “gold” that you neglect to get them a gift they’ll actually enjoy. Still, as a second gift or even a party favor, we love the idea of customized clothing. You can get personalized t-shirts for a steal these days: Decorate them with gold, customized text, and you have a great theme-perfect gift.

5 – Gold Stationary

No, you don’t need to find notebooks filled with golden paper to fit the theme of the party; although, if you can find one whose pages won’t obscure the text written on them, it wouldn’t be the worst idea! But it’s fine to pay homage to the theme with a notebook or diary with a golden cover and normal pages within. You could even get a stationary book with a leather-bound cover and accent it with gold etching, a personalized gold name on the front, or a golden clasp to keep nosy parkers from thumbing through their secrets.

4 – Champagne

Yeah, yeah, we know: It can only be properly called champagne if it originates from the Champagne region of France. But here, we’re talking about any sparkling wine with that unmistakable golden, bubbly glow. This gift is doubly relevant if the golden birthday in question is taking place on the 21st of the month. Get it? Get it? Yeah, you’re with us. Honestly, though, champagne is not only a fantastic golden birthday gift (when age-appropriate, obviously) but a nice idea for the party itself!

3 – Candle Holders

One great way to find a theme-appropriate golden birthday gift is to stick with products that are naturally gold to begin with. It might be fun to give the gift of a golden baseball bat or a golden cowboy hat, but is the recipient really likely to use these things? They fit great with the theme of the party, but we don’t want to buy gifts that will just wind up relegated to the bottom of the closet! By choosing a gift like candle holders, you’re already in a category that uses a LOT of gold. This way, your gift is less of a novelty and more of a thoughtful “anytime” present.

2 – Gold Silverware

Wait, isn’t “gold silverware” a contradiction in terms? Well, be that as it may, golden knives, forks, and spoons are all the rage these days, especially among people with refined taste. Is the person having their golden birthday a fan of dinner parties and elegant surroundings? Then you can’t go wrong with golden place settings. Warning: Kids don’t like this kind of stuff!

1 – The Big Gold Gift Basket

If you’re struggling to think of a singular theme-matching gift that the recipient will actually like, open your mind and expand the boundaries. In other words, go with an assortment – a beautiful gold gift basket with lots of snacks, lotions, interesting gadgets, alcoholic drinks, and whatever else they have shown an interest in. It’s a cinch to find snacks and candy that come in golden wrappers, so you should have no problem building a gift basket that fits seamlessly into the party.