Be sure to ask people to make the message as personal as possible, whether lighthearted or heartfelt. The birthday boy or girl will be really touched to hear from so many people in such as personal way. This idea is particularly useful for including friends and family far away, who might not be able to attend the party, or for those that they're only in occasional contact with, such as old school friends. The postcards come with a 'directions card' that asks them to write a favorite memory, kind note, or birthday wish for the birthday boy / girl and mail them back in the week leading up to their 40th birthday party. Make a list of 40 of the birthday boy or girl's friends, family, and co-workers and mail them any one of these blank, pre-addressed, postcards (which can be personalized for any age / milestone birthday). It takes a bit of planning, but it's worth it. This is a really thoughtful idea and I love it because it fits prefectly with the idea of celebrating the person and making their 40th birthday really personal. Instead, make the person you're celebrating the focus who are they? what are the personality traits and quirks that everyone loves about them? what are their tastes and interests? All these things will make for a far more meaningful and memorable celebration. It's fine to include references to the big 4-0 in your decorations-in fact many of the ideas below do-but don't just rely on all those generic sentiments like '40 Sucks', '40 Rocks' or 'Over the Hill'. Therefore, the ideas below are all about celebrating the person, not just their age. If you're going to go to the effort of planning a milestone birthday party for someone, you've really got to make some effort so that it's as personal as possible. It's lazy, unimaginative, and all those store-bought 40th birthday party decorations just look cheap and tacky. I've got to tell you, I hate this approach.

So many 40th birthday party celebrations take the predicatable and obvious default option of just slapping the number 40 on everything balloons, banners, paper plates etc. Below is my ultimate list of 40th birthday party ideas with lots of tips and suggestions for both men and women, including ideas for 40th birthday decorations, 40th birthday invitations, 40th birthday gifts, and even some 40th birthday games.

Secrets of grindea birthday dinner