It began as a radio show in 1948, and has appeared on television in several countries since that time.
It has even been spoofed on cartoons, comedy shows and other TV specials, and it is sometimes done at the best adult birthday parties!

In the show, the host would read a sort of biography of the guest of honour, who was surprised by “mystery” guests from their past.

We think that doing a “This is your Life Party” as a surprise party is best of all. If the party isn’t a surprise, make sure that he/she doesn’t know the entire guest list That will be part of the surprise!

Make sure that the guests who will take part in the “this is your life” program remain a mystery and stay out of sight! That way the guest of honour won’t know that they are there at the party until the right moment.

When planning a birthday party, seat the guest of honour in a special chair in front of everyone. Have several “surprise” guests from different stages in his or her life hide behind a curtain or outside the room.

One at a time, have each of them tell a story about the guest of honour – some will be funny, some will be touching. Then it is up to him/her to guess who the speaker is.

For This is Your Life Party decorations, you could…

Blow up photos of him/her from different times in their lives – from birth to present!
Decorate with things that the guest of honour loves – for example, gardening, books, travel, etc.
decorate with items representative of the different decades and group them together as a centerpiece, area of the room, etc. Such as stuff from the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, etc.

For birthday party music at a This is Your Life Party, play the favourites from their youth – their teens and twenties. They, and their friends, will love it!

If you wish – tell guests for the birthday party beforehand that a gift isn’t necessary – their presence will be the best present of all!