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Happy 90th birthday: 50 wishes + 5 longer messages

To make your 90th birthday wishes special, we’ve put together some quotes, poems and messages for you to use, and as a bonus, we have a few individual gift ideas too.

Whether for friends, family or acquaintances – our birthday quotes, poems and messages are perfect for congratulating someone on their 90th birthday. Write them in a beautiful birthday card or frame them as a gift.

The best ways to say happy 90th birthday

Happy 90th birthday

The best way to wish someone a happy birthday is to tailor your congratulations to him or her. The better you know the person, the easier it will be for you and the more personal your messages can be.

A birthday card, phone call or even both are appropriate for wishing anyone you know a happy 90th birthday. If the birthday boy or girl is still fit and lively, a small celebration with their closest friends and relatives could also be arranged.

About 16 percent of men and 34 percent of women in the U.S. live to be 90, so even though the average life expectancy has increased in recent years, this age is still a rarity.

How to Choose the Right Tone for a 90th Birthday Message

A 90th birthday is a rare and remarkable milestone, and the tone of your message should reflect the unique life of the birthday boy or girl. For someone who enjoys humor and lightheartedness, a playful or witty message can bring a smile to their face.

On the other hand, if the celebrant appreciates sentimentality and reflection, a heartfelt and thoughtful tone will resonate deeply. Consider their personality, health, and preferences—whether they’re still full of energy or enjoying a peaceful, quieter pace of life.

Above all, be genuine and respectful, ensuring your message conveys appreciation for their wisdom, accomplishments, and the love they’ve shared over their many years.

Short 90th birthday wishes

Short 90th birthday wishes

Sometimes a few short words express as much as several sentences. That’s why we have put together some short ways of saying happy 90th birthday for you here. They are suitable for gift tags and smaller cards, or even the blank side of a standard birthday card.

  1. Youth is happy because it has the ability to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.
    (Franz Kafka)
  2. On your 90th birthday, remember – age is only important if you’re a cheese.
    (Unknown)
  3. You are like a fine wine: the older you get, the better you will be.
    (Unknown)
  4. May your 90th birthday be filled with magic moments … and lots of merlot!
    (Unknown)
  5. Happy Birthday to you, my dearest grandma/grandpa!
    (Unknown)
  6. Just think of 90 as 9 perfect 10s!
    (Unknown)
  7. Thank you for existing. I wish you a wonderful 90th birthday.
    (Unknown)
  8. With you, the world is a better place, stay as you are!
    (Unknown)
  9. I send you only the best wishes from my family and I!
    (Unknown)
  10. God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.
    (Voltaire)

If you choose a short phrase, you can also add a few personal words afterwards. If you choose a quote or pearl of wisdom, for example, you could then follow this by explaining what it means to you.

Heart-warming birthday wishes

Heart-warming 90th birthday wishes

Below we have put together some heart-warming ways of saying happy 90th birthday for you. They are well-worded and positive, and some of them also contain quotes. You can also always use them as inspiration for writing your own message.

  1. The best ingredients for a long life are good friends, family, daily exercise and fun in life – you taught us that. Happy 90th birthday!
  2. When you look back over your 90 years, I hope that your memories are warm ones. When you celebrate today, I hope that your heart is filled with love and joy. When you look forward to the future, I hope that all your dreams and wishes come true.
    (Unknown)
  3. We will draw upon your life experience for a long time to come. We thank you for that and wish you all the best for your 90th birthday!
  4. I don’t know anyone who deserves such a wonderful day with family and friends today more than you. Happy Birthday!
    (Unknown)
  5. I wish you 365 days of joy, 8,760 hours of health and 525,600 minutes of happiness and contentment until your next birthday.
    (Unknown)
  6. A full life is like a treasure hunt, where every now and then you come across small treasures and great jewels.
    (Unknown)
  7. I hope your 90th birthday is just as special as you are.
    (Unknown)
  8. May you have a happy and healthy 90th birthday! I hope you enjoy many more beautiful days ahead of you.
    (Unknown)
  9. We shall find peace. We shall hear angels, we shall see the sky sparkling with diamonds.
    (Anton Chekhov)
  10. Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.
    (Abraham Lincoln)

Pearls of wisdoms for celebrating 90

Pearls of wisdoms for celebrating 90

Below you will find some wise sayings and pearls of wisdoms for celebrating a 90th birthday. You can share them with the birthday boy or girl, even though there definitely won’t be much they haven’t heard before.

Make sure what you say doesn’t lean too much towards the future and focus instead on phrases about fulfilment and being content. You can also give people encouragement to persevere on, as well as to have fun in their life as they get older.

  1. The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.
    (Mark Twain)
  2. Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.
    (Abraham Lincoln)
  3. God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.
    (Voltaire)
  4. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.
    (Confucius)
  5. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.
    (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)
  6. Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.
    (Mark Twain)
  7. We love life, not because we are used to living but because we are used to loving.
    (Friedrich Nietzsche)
  8. Good habits formed at youth make all the difference.
    (Aristotle)
  9. The time for action is now. It’s never too late to do something.
    (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)
  10. It is not necessary that whilst I live I live happily; but it is necessary that so long as I live I should live honorably.
    (Immanuel Kant)

90th birthday wishes for her

90th birthday wishes for her

In this section we have put together some 90th birthday wishes especially for women. They are suitable for saying happy birthday to your mom, grandma, sister, girl pal, neighbor or acquaintance. Just pick the one that suits her best!

  1. Nobody is perfect, but at your 90 years of age you’re very close!
    (Unknown)
  2. Congratulations on your 90th birthday! You are truly an inspiration, and I feel so blessed to have you in my life.
  3. Thank you for always being by my side and enriching my life with your love. You continue to be a beautiful woman – inside and out.
  4. All that you have experienced lives on in the many generations after you. You can be very proud of your age and what you have overcome. Here’s to you. My warmest congratulations on your 90th birthday.
  5. You are what I call a true friend for life! It’s incredible how long we have known each other and even more incredible that I was allowed to meet you at all. All the best for your 90th birthday!

90th birthday wishes for him

90th birthday wishes for him

If you’re looking for a great way to say happy birthday to your grandpa, dad, neighbor, guy pal or any other male family member, you’ve come to the right place, but always make sure that the birthday wishes you choose suit the recipient and their personality.

  1. You don’t stop laughing when you get old. You get old when you stop laughing. So keep on laughing and you won’t age a day. Happy Birthday!
  2. The world needs heroes and you are one of them. Happy 90th birthday!
  3. May the joy that you have spread in the past come back to you today. Wishing you a very happy 90th birthday!
    (Unknown)
  4. You’ve gathered 90 years of amazing memories. I hope your birthday is a day full of new fun and surprises.
    (Unknown)
  5. Happy 90th birthday to the greatest man in the world: my friend, my protector, my father.
    (Unknown)
Interesting fact
There are more than 300,000 people worldwide who are over 100 years old. The record for the oldest person in the world is 122 years and 164 days, set by Jeanne Calment from France.

Classy ways to say happy birthday

Classy ways to say happy birthday

In this section you will find a selection of 90th birthday wishes that are well worded and suitable for your different contacts, such as former colleagues, acquaintances, neighbors or old friends who you have not spoken to for a long time.

Regardless of how close your relationship, you’re sure to find a refined way of saying happy birthday to honor the occasion here.

  1. May you be gifted with life’s biggest joys and never-ending bliss. After all, you yourself are a gift to earth, so you deserve the best. Happy birthday.
    (Unknown)
  2. Count your life by smiles, not tears. Count your age by friends, not years. Happy birthday!
    (Unknown)
  3. Cheers to you for another trip around the sun!
    (Unknown)
  4. I hope your celebration gives you many happy memories!
    (Unknown)
  5. Health, happiness and prosperity – so it should continue into the next year of your life.
    (Unknown)
  6. Our age is merely the number of years the world has been enjoying us!
    (Unknown)
  7. Happy birthday! I hope all your birthday wishes and dreams come true.
    (Unknown)
  8. 90 years are something special and deserve to be honored. Congratulations and happy birthday!
  9. Be happy! Today is the day you were brought into this world to be a blessing and inspiration to the people around you! You are a wonderful person! May you be given more birthdays to fulfill all of your dreams!
    (Unknown)
  10. Only ten more years and it’ll be a real centenary! I wish you good health, joy and serenity on your 90th birthday.

Poems for saying happy 90th birthday

Poems mean more to people from the older generation than they do to us today.

For one thing, poems often had to be learnt by heart in school and many of the elderly can still remember them to this day and for another thing, people still appreciated elaborate, embellished language back then.

What’s more, poems have a beat and melody, so they create momentum when being read and lift the mood.

Funny birthday poems

Funny birthday poems to wish someone a happy 90th birthday

Below we have put together a selection of funny poems which you can use as 90th birthday wishes. They can stand on their own in a birthday card or you can follow them with a personal message.

1)

Growing older

The ageing you would like to postpone,
But today you sit upon a throne.
We know you would rather run,
But do not worry, even at 90 you’ll still have a lot of fun!

(Unknown)

2)

Happy birthday, my dear friend
I’ll be there for you, till the end.
Your love and kindness shine right through
Our midnight talks are never few.

(Unknown)

3)

Here’s to a happy 90 years,
And cheers to many more.
Who cares that you are greying?
We love you to the core!

(Unknown)

4)

Birthday pride

With pride you can look back on your life today,
And enjoy the happiness it has brought into play.
You have accomplished so much and worked so hard,
And rejoiced at the successes in which you have starred.
If you look back today on all that has passed,
The sun shines on the memories you have amassed,
Enjoy this time, with a glass of wine.
For it shall not be your last!

(Unknown)

5)

It is so unfair that you manage to wear
Ninety years in a youthful way!
For your healthy glow and the spring in your step
Take many of those years away!
You age almost not with hardly a spot,
I can scarcely believe my eyes.
Please share how you manage, if only with me,
How you stay both good-looking and wise.

(Unknown)

Longer messages for celebrating 90

Heart-warming longer messages for celebrating 90

In this section you will find ten longer messages. You can rewrite them in a birthday card simply as they are or rephrase them as you need. They do justice to the special occasion that is a 90th birthday and are sure to make an impact.

Personal messages

The following messages are worded in a personal, emotional way and are suitable if you are close to the person celebrating. It is especially nice for children or grandchildren to write a personal message to their parents or grandparents to say happy 90th birthday, but friends can also take the opportunity to pour their hearts out on this beautiful occasion.

1)

90 years – I can hardly believe it. You can look back on a wonderful and full life, full of ups and downs. How on earth did you manage it? You overcame every crisis and have always remained young in spirit. You can be really proud of that.

2)

Dear Grandma/Grandpa,

Thank you for being there for me for so long and for letting me learn so much from you. You will always be a role model for me and I will take your life philosophy to heart. Have a wonderful day today.

I love you. Happy 90th birthday!

3)

Do you know how grateful I am for you? And how much you have taught me? You’re not just my mom – you’re also my teacher, my friend, my role model, and my pillar of support – and have been for as long as I can remember.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Mom, for allowing me to have such a wonderful person like you in my life.

All the best and love on your 90th birthday.

4)

N – Ninety years old.
I – I love you so much.
N – Never tired.
E – Eighty with ten years of experience.
T – Time cannot harm you.
Y – You are my favorite person on earth!

Happy 90th Birthday.

5)

On one person I can always rely.
This person I can trust to be my ally.
One-of-a-kind, dear mother, that’s you!
With you I always find comfort, I’m never blue.
When something didn’t go right,
I was in doubt or had a fright,
You were always ready, you never did flee,
You were the person who always had time for me.
From the bottom of my heart, dear mother, I thank you for all this,
A happy birthday I wish you and a long life in bliss.

(Unknown)

Thought-provoking messages for celebrating 90

Thought-provoking messages for celebrating 90

The following messages reflect on the great achievement of having turned 90. In most cases, it is not only genetics that play a role, but also leading a certain lifestyle, being health conscious and, of course, taking a certain attitude towards life.

These messages exude serenity and harmony. They are free from wit and are also easy to read.

1)

Old age also has its beautiful sides. You can look into the future with serenity and into the past with pride. Nothing can surprise you anymore, you are prepared for everything. Stay as young and happy in your heart as you are today.

I wish you all the best for your 90th birthday.

2)

You have learnt a lot about life in 90 years. No one can take the wisdom you’ve earned away from you and we appreciate that you always have some good advice to give whatever comes our way.

3)

Throughout your life, you have radiated calmness and managed to cope with any problem. This wonderful quality has led you here and so we celebrate with you today. You are a great role model and such a great person. I wish you only the best and good health on your 90th birthday.

4)

Today is your day. All your life you’ve taken care of others, now it’s your turn. Fulfill your every wish today – I’ll be happy to help you.

Congratulations on your 90th birthday – what an achievement!

5)

Even if you don’t like to celebrate your birthday, we want you to know how much we love you. You have already achieved a lot in your 90 years and can be proud of it. May you live many more years to come and stay healthy and lively. Happy birthday!

(Unknown)

90th birthday gift ideas

90th birthday gift ideas

When someone turns 90, it’s not always easy to find a suitable gift. After all, the person has celebrated their birthday so many times that they have surely already received all sorts of great gifts.

Nevertheless, there are some ideas that are particularly suitable for such a milestone event. We have put together a selection of the most beautiful 90th birthday gift ideas for you. They are personal and show the birthday boy or girl that you have thought about them.

  • Historical newspaper from the year or day of their birth
  • Memory book with photos of the whole family
  • Framed saying, pearl of wisdom or poem to hang on the wall
  • A "What I like about you" box containing strips of paper with the birthday boy’s or girl’s good qualities written on them
  • Homemade or purchased "Tell me about yourself" book with questions about their childhood, teenage years and adulthood
  • Engraved bench for the garden or comfortable chair for indoors
  • Engraved champagne glasses, wine glasses, carafe or breakfast board
  • Printed mug, cushion or T-shirt with a saying or photo
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