There are many unique and sentimental gifts one can give to someone turning 50 years old. One such gift is a fiftieth birthday celebration scrapbook because it focuses on the characteristics of the 50-year-old recipient and their individual lifetime achievements.

The age of 50 is a good time to look back, assess and celebrate special moments ...

The age of 50 is a good time to look back, assess and celebrate special moments that have occurred. There is plenty of material to be gathered, sorted and put into the scrapbook.

Journaling is a very important aspect of creating a scrapbook as this describes the people and the activities that are being portrayed in the photos. With appropriate and thorough journaling, anyone looking at the scrapbook either now or 50 years from now will know who is in a picture, the location, and the circumstances under which the picture was taken.

... collect photographs and memorabilia from various ages and decades of the recipient's life.

To create a great scrapbook gift, try to collect photographs and memorabilia from various ages and decades of the recipient's life. Then to make a unique and sentimental scrapbook, you could divide it into five sections; one section for each decade.

The first decade would address early childhood. Add photos and mementos such as a lock of hair or birth certificate. This section should also include information and journaling about place of birth and family members - including parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters. This section would also include memories of early school years as well as favorite toys and hobbies.

The next section in the scrapbook would be for the second decade. This could include the elementary, middle and high school years.  Be sure to document family vacations and sports activities. Trips and travel make great subjects for a scrapbook as well.

... create a sentimental journey for your friend and their loved ones.

The next section could include college, the beginning of working years, marriage and children. It is important to document all the stages of their life thus far to create a sentimental journey for your friend and their loved ones. Include a page on each child as well as pages for special pets and good friends. Also, include pages on favorite hobbies and activities as well as fulfilled goals and aspirations.

Creating a comprehensive scrapbook is a major undertaking. So, instead of attempting to create a fiftieth birthday scrapbook by yourself, you could pass the scrapbook around to various family members and allow each family member to create a page or a section in the scrapbook using photographs and memorabilia that they have in their possession.

This is a sort of round robin scrapbooking effort that will produce an end result that is far more unique and sentimental than if one person had created the scrapbook alone. A personal scrapbook need not be a surprise. Get the cooperation of the recipient first. Interview them to get their personal history. Interview other family members including parents, children, brothers and sisters to get their viewpoint on events to be depicted in the scrapbook.

Another way to create a beautiful and memorable scrapbook for the 50-year-old would be to gather the family together and have professional photographs taken of the entire family. Then use these photos to create a family tree theme scrapbook.

Showing the family’s history is a unique and sentimental method of scrapbooking that will be saved for years to come.

Perform extensive journaling and research to label each person in the photo and, if possible, trace their ancestry through the past two or three generations. Showing the family’s history is a unique and sentimental method of scrapbooking that will be saved for years to come. All of the future children and grandchildren can benefit from the history of their family. You could also include archived newspaper articles from key dates in the 50-year-old’s life in the scrapbook, thereby highlighting the most important events such as weddings, births and other happy occasions.

To create a distinctive and sentimental scrapbook, don't forget to pay attention to the outside of the book. This is a very personal gift that shows a lot of thought and consideration for the 50-year-old. The outside cover should be personal and reflect the personality or achievements of the person featured inside.

The cover can be of an up-to-date style and fashion.  It need not be old-fashioned just because the person is turning 50. It should be interesting and inviting so as to encourage the person to open the scrapbook and delve into the history inside. Be sure to use acid-free products and papers when creating your special gift scrapbook.  You wouldn't want it to get damaged, would you?  This way, the photos and mementos will last for years to come.

Tags: 50, 50-year-old, 50th birthday, fiftieth, fiftieth birthday, scrapbook, scrapbooking