Trying to figure out what to give guests as 40th birthday party favors can be challenging. A 40-year-old is not yet old enough that humorous, over-the-hill favors are really appropriate. However, at 40 the birthday boy or girl has truly reached adulthood and is beginning his or her middle years. For a 40th birthday, party favors can reflect the party's theme, or they can be useful or fun items appropriate for any adult. For this milestone birthday, party favors can also be humorous.
Themed Birthday Party Favors
If you select a theme for the party, the 40th birthday party favors can be related to the theme. For instance, if you select a Hawaiian or tropical theme for the party, give leis, grass skirts, tumblers for tropical drinks, or other tropical items to attendees. If the party has a western theme, provide bolo ties, colorful bandanas, or cowboy hats as favors. If the party has a sophisticated theme, then send home a fancy martini glass, a bartender's guide, chocolates filled with liqueurs, or other alcohol-related favors.
Universal Favors for a 40th Birthday
If the 40th birthday does not have a special theme, your goal is to find a small gift that can be enjoyed by both male and female partygoers. If the party consists of a single sex, then favors with a gender bias can be selected.
Unisex Birthday Party Favors
- Movie tickets (with movie candy) - discounted movie tickets can be purchased through many employers, credit unions, and other organizations. To make the tickets even more fun, consider wrapping them with traditional movie candy, such as Good and Plenty, Milk Duds, Junior Mints, or Raisinets. Walgreen's has a good selection of movie candy, and movie favorites can also be ordered in bulk from online stores, such as HT Market, a home theater website.
- Starbucks or other coffee house gift cards
- Jamba Juice or other smoothie gift cards
- Mini boxes of Godiva, Sees, or other chocolate candy
- Gadgets - Websites such as ThinkGeek.com have a variety of practical as well as humorous items, such as watches, tools, and cell phone accessories. Although some of these items are a bit pricey, they might be just the thing for a small party for a technology geek.
- Unique writing pens or sticky notes - Pens, stationary, and other items from office stores such as Office Depot and Staples are always useful and popular. Staples now lets you select a plastic container full of fancy paper clips, magnets, and similar items and pay for them by container.
Humorous and Playful Favors
Gag gifts also make good 40th birthday party favors. ThinkGeek has a number of techno-toys suitable for this age group. Consider a plush beating heart for a doctor's birthday. A maze pen can be a fun party favor as are singing monkey balls. Other toys that will be popular with adults in their 40s are mini plush microbes, three to a petri dish, or larger plush microbes. Who could resist a giant flu microbe? All of these potential favors are available for less than $10 each.
Some imagination and an Internet search for geek and technology toys will elicit lots of possibilities. A quick search turned up a bogus billion-dollar economic stimulus check. No one wants to be left out of the economic action. At the same website, you can also get a mini birthday-cake hat.
A Party Favor for Everyone
While party favors are not a necessity for adult birthday parties, even people in their 40s will appreciate thoughtful and useful favors. They'll also enjoy laughing at outrageous gag favors. Whether you choose favors that reflect the theme of the party, select useful gifts for your guests, or pick comedic items to entertain them, you should be able to come up with just the right item in just a few minutes on the Internet.
