THE INVITATION

You can really let your imagination run wild and come up with an innovative card. Look around in the market for products made out of coconut shells and design an invitation on it. Or use an entire coconut and paste the invitation on the side. 

You can also make a thermocol cut out of a palm tree, a coconut or even a pair of sunglasses and paste the invitation on the back. Or make a card paper cut out of a dancing couple or a pair of bright bermudas and right out the invitation on the inside of the card. There are a million things that you could think of. The invitation can read:

GET AWAY FROM THOSE BORING TEXT BOOKS 
AND SPEND A FEW HOURS WITH ME
IN THE LAND OF SWAYING PALMS.

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY
AND I WANT TO HAVE A BLAST.

JOIN ME 
FOR A HAWAIIN PARTY

ON THE 23RD OF SEPTEMBER 2000
AT 4.30p.m.

DRESS CODE: BEACHWEAR,
FLASHY BERMUDAS, T-SHIRTS,
SARONGS OR HAWAIIN SKIRTS

DESTINATION
23,SEA QUEEN, JUHU, MUMBAI 55

GOLDIE SHUKLA
 

THE DECORATION

Once again you can go wild on the décor. If it is being held in the open, on the beach or in your compound, you can make a food and drinks stall with a table under a pole on which there is a thatched roof. A colourful umbrella like shade can cover the seating area. And if it is indoors you can make cut outs of bamboo huts placed in strategic points in the hall. Get a couple of potted palms or once again posters and cut outs of palm trees and have them all over the place. 

You can hang a light blue sari on one wall to give the impression of water or make a miniature sandpit and pour a tonne of surf (because it is blue in colour) in one corner of the room. But this could work out quite expensive. Or else you can simply paint a huge sea on a couple of chart papers and stick them to the walls along with a couple of palm trees. 

If the place and budget permit, have a live band or even a single man playing a guitar. Maybe you can ask someone in your family to do this for you. Make him wear a cane hat as he strums his guitar. Also welcome each guest with a 'lei' (traditional garland) as they enter the hall.  

 
THE ENTERTAINMENT

HOOPLA: get hold of a huge hoopla ring and ask the youngsters to balance it around their waists and dance to folk music. You can give out a prize to the one who manages the hoopla best.

VOLLEYBALL: if it is at the beach, you can play handball, volleyball basketball, or simply throw around a beach ball. 

MUSICAL ARMS: very similar to musical chairs except for the fact that instead of chairs you can have a row of girls standing with one arm akimbo, and gaily swaying the other one as the music is played. Have the boys running around them. (If there are 10 girls, there should be 11 boys). When the music stops, each boy has to interlock his arm with that of one of the girls. And the boy who is left out is disqualified. Also remove one girl from the row. In this manner when there is only one girl left with two boys running around, the one who manages to interlock her arm with his when the music stops, is declared the winner. 

MR./MS. HAWA HAWAII: stage a little beauty contest and have all the girls and boys come forward, preen themselves, say a few words and go off. Give prizes for the best-dressed personalities. Crown the winners and give them the title of HAWA HAWAII.
 

RETURN GIFTS

1. Fluorescent glares
2. Swimming goggles
3. Colourful hand painted t-shirts - this should be personalized with each child's name on it. 
4. Hawaiian scarves and leis.
5. Free size bermudas.
 

THE CAKE

You can choose from a wide variety of ideas here. You could order the cake in the shape of a pair of sunglasses, or even a set of Bermudas. Or it could even be in the shape of a tall palm tree with small coconuts at the top. 

Another option is an open coconut done in chocolate with a creamy coco nutty center.

Or else you could have a dancing Hawaiian couple or even an entire beach scene with palm trees and thatched huts, and Hawaiian girls in floral skirts.
 

THE BIRTHDAY DRESS

A floral printed shirt and colourful bermudas would be ideal for a boy. Make sure that he is wearing a lei. 

And you could be much more innovative if it's a girl as you could dress her up in a sarong or a gaily printed Hawaiian skirt. She should have floral jewellery - a lei round her neck and mogras in her ears and a floral bracelet on her hand.

And if you would like to be more daring you could go in for basic swimwear, which is ideal for a party like this. 
 

AGE GROUP OF CHILDREN

This theme would be ideal for children in the age group of 9 - 15 years.
 

PARTY FOOD

Coconut is a must. / You can serve it in any form. As drinks, sweets and even snacks.

1. Good old 'narial paani' or coconut water served straight from the shell with brightly coloured straws and umbrella stirrers.
2. Virgin Pina colada - the popular pineapple coconut shake with vanilla ice cream.
3. Pineapple-cheese cocktail snacks
4. Corn on the cob - heated with melted butter or even red chili powder, salt and lime.
5. Fresh pineapple - cut in front of your eyes and served with a mild chilly sauce or sugar syrup.  
Whichever way you like. 
6. A barbecue - with cottage cheese, mushrooms, snow peas and potatoes.
7. Crackers with a cheese spread.
8. Corn and mushroom canapés.
9. Chips and dip.  
10. Coconut cakes or good old 'narial ka mithai'.