Happy Birthday, Sweet 16

Recalling her Sweet 16 birthday party in 1958, Carol Giuliani paints a picture of friends, innocence, a homemade buffet and pink-and-white party decorations, and a loving family.

The year was 1958, probably one of the happiest years of my life, as I look back now with nostalgic eyes. I had a group of friends that I was part of, loved all the music of the times – the ever popular doo-wop – and had an intact loving family. The last was probably the solid basis for all the rest. Without it I am sure none of the above would have been as stable and happy for me.

This was the year I was turning 16 years old. During this era, having a 16th birthday party in the basement or cellar of your home was the equivalent to the Debutante Coming Out Cotillion Ball held every December at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. It was the poor man’s equivalent to a societal ritual that stated a girl had “come of age.” This of course meant nothing if you were a Catholic Italian girl, as this did not happen until you officially walked down the aisle on the arm of your father!

My Sweet 16 was held on my birthday Oct. 1, 1958, in the basement of my home. I had sent out what I thought were very sophisticated paper party invitations, size 3/5, hand written by me to around 25 of my closest friends. It was on a Saturday night and was being catered and run by the best event planner … my mother. She had all these wonderful creative ideas in her head – some of which she shared with me, others she just went ahead and produced.

No matter what the event, you had to start with a color scheme. Mine was pink and white and then it took off, based on this solid premise of colors.

I was in charge of the music. That’s it.

Then there was the dress … my aunt was a seamstress and she lived down the block, of course, and she made me a brown chiffon knee length dress with two spaghetti straps. I was not sure with my endowed figure how that would look but she did a beautiful job. Not that I loved the dress or the color, hardly ever wear anything brown, but choices were few as were resources, so it became my dress for this momentous occasion.

The whole basement of my modest home was decorated in pink and white crepe paper, with round paper balloons hanging from the ceiling, and regular balloons that my dad blew up hanging all over. My mother made a banner sign, which was up wishing me “Happy Sweet 16, Carol” – in pink and white, of course.

And then there was the food. There was never a “catered” home hot buffet party that I ever remember. It was always cold cut platters with salads, and maybe one hot dish that the family made on the table. For special occasions as this one, my mother rolled each piece of salami, roast beef, and ham into a cannoli shaped cone and arranged them in a cylindrical rotation on a special silver platter. She did the same with the cheeses and made one hot dish of an Italian miach [frittata di maccheroni], which is a baked spaghetti with eggs and cheese that can be cut into pieces.

The thing I remember the most was the centerpiece. My mother took a big round hat box and decorated it with a doll, with the round bottom as the dress. Crepe paper was the most economical decorating accessory, and she made a full dress of the round bottom and had crepe paper ribbons coming off it. She decorated the doll and put a number 16 on it and had it in the center of the food table. It really was so creative, considering her budget, and it was the hit of the night.

All my friends came … all the girls were dressed in knee-length party dresses with “pumps” and all the guys wore suits. My parents stayed downstairs the whole time on the pretense that they had to help with the food serving, my grandmother from next door came down, and I remember my brother popping up and downstairs, as he was only 12 and not so interested in this type of event. I remember my father dancing with me to one song, and I think he was probably thinking that this is how it would be at my wedding … which it was. There was no liquor or any thought of bringing it in. I just did not travel in that kind of crowd. I guess we were somewhat immature and inexperienced for 16, but we were none the worse for it. The cake was the typical sheet cake in white and pink, and I cut it like a bride with my parents standing next to me.

The simplicity and creativity, based on the budget of my parents, made this night one of the best I can remember. Looking back now, I so admire what they did to make this so special for me in their own modest way. And it was … it is never the environment of the event, or the amount of food, or the huge sums of money needed to make a party like this memorable. It is the love and caring of those who value you that matters. This makes the memory so special.

Carol Giuliani is a Licensed Registered Nurse and a former of professor of nursing for a college on Long Island. She has been a nurse for over 52 years and her career has included working as a nurse in a prison, pediatric psychiatry, and Director of Adolescent Programs for a private hospital on Long Island. Since her retirement, she has found an outlet in creative writing, which brings her great satisfaction. She loves writing about nostalgia and the years growing up in a very happy household.

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