Unusual 40th Birthday Party Ideas

You're in charge of planning the best 40th birthday party ever and you have no idea where to start. All those over the hill gags have been done so many times and 40 isn't even very old anymore. What can you do to make the day special?

One great 40th birthday party idea is to simply do everything in 40s. Invite 40 guests, provide 40 different hoer de oeuvre choices and ask all the guests to bring 40 dollar bills as a gift.

If you aren't into the numbers game, try a trip down memory lane. Find a special person from each year of the birthday honoree's life and ask that person to come share a memory with him or her. Ask the speakers to write down the memories, too, so that you can bind them into a book to give as a special keepsake of the day.

A third idea is to create a party around something the birthday boy or girl wants to do. If he or she has expressed a desire to learn golf, create a golf green in a rental hall. Set up 18 umbrella tables minus the umbrellas. Cover them in green tablecloths, pushing the cloths in at the umbrella hole to form an indentation that looks like a golf course hole. For a finishing touch, give golf cart rides instead of pony rides.