by Kris Kennedy

Created on: August 23, 2009   Last Updated: August 30, 2009

40th Birthday Party

When a person celebrates four decades of life, we want to acknowledge the past and celebrate the future. With references made to the past and a gift process that offers an opportunity to give advice for the future provides a wholistic party approach.

Invitation

An invitation that states the celebrations of four decades of life from childhood, teens, young adult and adulthood, and preparation for movement into middle age. On the invitation, you suggest a gift that is a tip or hint for the fourth decade. Please include a card with the advice.

Stations

A circulating party comes from having stations that keep the party circulating from many areas. Each of the stations center on the decade they represent. Party planner should place emphasis on the stations representing the life of the individual. You might want to recruit the assistance of a family member if you are not family or have not been around the person four decades.

Childhood decade can be the welcoming station since this is the decade of life's welcome of the individual. This decade might mark the learning of ballet, soccer, martial arts or some other activity. A soccer ball could be a cute autograph item.

The teen years can be in the colors of his home high school with pictures of him at high school. This might be the station with the birthday cake because you can have a computer-generated cake that has a picture of them during this period. In addition, this station could have a cute poster where you ask friends and guests to bring pictures of them during this decade. They do not place their name by the picture, but the birthday person tries to guess as the night goes on. Once they are right they get to place their name under the picture.

If there is going to be a bar the young adulthood station makes the best bar. You could make drinking glasses for this station out of stickers of college graduation, their job, location or many other items that reflect this decade. The drinkers served would be virgin and alcoholic version of his/her favorites.

Finally, the last station can be adulthood, which would be the food. This can be the person's favorite foods and the items he or she should eat for the progression on. This should sit beside the gift table with the items suggesting graceful movement towards middle age.

The evening ends with the planning session for middle age. The final activity, opening gifts, laughs and stories come from the gifts. The under 40 guests might offer unique insight into what they expect of the 40-50 years while they others have experience.

A decade for a 40th birthday has as many options as the years lived. Look at the life and plan an unforgettable party.

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