National Senior Citizens Day is August 21st of every year. This is the kind of holiday that we can’t pass up here at Coastal, so we have created a list of some fun ideas you can incorporate into the day to celebrate old memories and make some new ones!

Recreate a Favorite Memory or Photo

You’ve probably seen people on Facebook or other places around the internet recreate as closely as possible a favorite photo from their childhood. They find similar clothing, pose in the same positions against a similar background, and try to make the exact same faces as the original photo. What old photo could you duplicate from your past?

[Age] Reasons Why We Love You

If you are celebrating a senior in your life, get together with their friends and family members to create a list of things that you love about them. If they are 71 years old, try to come up with 71 different items for your list, or perhaps at least one for every decade they’ve been alive. In addition to giving them a written copy of the list, it could be really meaningful if you gathered everyone together to read the reasons out loud to your loved one.

“When I Was Your Age” Storytime

Gather a group of friends and family members together. For everyone who is younger than you, share a story from your life that happened in the year that corresponds with how old they are now. For instance, if you have a twelve year old grandson, share a story from your life that happened when you were 12. 

“Back in My Day”
Have your friends or family members choose a topic, and then discuss how things have changed in that area over the years. You could chat about things like cars, education, clothing or hair styles, or the city where you grew up.

The “Get Off My Lawn!” Game
Create a list of fun facts about yourself that includes things like your favorite song, meal, or ice cream flavor, your birthday, your first car, the names of your pets, and more. Sit on your porch, and have friends and family members line up on your lawn close to you. Ask them questions about yourself, and every time they answer incorrectly, you can yell “Get off my lawn!” and they have to take a step backwards. The last person remaining on the lawn wins.

A Few Fun Facts About Seniors and National Senior Citizens Day:

• National Senior Citizens Day was started by Ronald Reagan in 1988.

• Wikipedia claims that the term “senior citizen” first came into use during a political campaign in 1983.

• According to the CDC, the average life expectancy in the United States is 73.5 years for men and 79.3 years for women.

• The oldest verified person to have lived was Jeanne Louise Calment, who lived to the ripe old age of 122. This site even says that she sold canvasses to Van Gogh!