Ideas for 50th Birthday Party

My wife has organized the gathering of folks for my 50th birthday but has drawn a blank for how to make it interesting in a semi-dignified way. I've read the ideas here and have spun off from them these thoughts:

1. Get jars or containers and stick 50 of the same thing in each of them. However, in many of them, you could have gift cards. As people leave, you could give them one of these containers thereby a) assuring yourself of getting rid of them by night's end and b) giving people a chance to win something.
   

2. Make a list of things you've done in your life along with a few lies. People have to talk to each other and compare notes about what they know of you. Make each person's card different. Not hard to do if you do it in Excel, a little more work in Word. People have to submit their cards when they have written for all the items on their card whether the items were lies or truth. Prize awarded at some point. Downside is there is a bit of time involved checking people's cards but I'm just presenting the concept, details have to be figured out.