by Connie Earl Robertson

Created on: December 08, 2009   Last Updated: November 21, 2011

A person's 40th birthday is definitely a reason to celebrate.  Not only has the person finished forty years of his life, but he is entering into a new stage of life.  A fun and surprising birthday theme for this great occasion is an Over the Hill party.

There are a wide variety of decorations available in party stores for this party theme.  If you prefer to make your own, they are really quite simple and can save you quite a bit of money.  Invitations can be a picture of an old tombstone.  Write all of the information such as who the party is for, where it will be, when you will have it and any special instructions the guests should know about.

Invite lots of family and friends that you know the birthday person will enjoy sharing their special day with.  Since this is a once in a lifetime mile marker, try to get some friends and family from out of town to come and help make it extra special.

This type of party is great for a surprise party, and it's nice to plan for a Saturday or for a holiday when people don't have to work.  Send the birthday person on a special errand that will keep them away from the house for a couple of hours the afternoon of the party.  This will give you time to get the decorations in place and allow the guests to arrive.  Be sure to have a special place for them to park their cars so the birthday person won't suspect a thing.

Decorate with black and white crepe paper streamers.  Add lots of black balloons around the room.  Purchase a banner with the words “Over the Hill” to hang on the wall.

Make a large sheet cake, and frost it with black frosting.  Make mounds representing graves. Add tombstones from poster board and write cute things on them.  You can even put some names of other guests who have already turned 40 on them.

If you want to go all out, make the celebration a potluck style dinner, and ask everyone to bring their favorite dishes.  Decorate the tables with Over the Hill tablecloths, or use white tablecloths and drape black crepe paper or black ribbon around the edges.

Ask the guests to each bring a black gift or some kind of gag gift that will go with the party theme.  Everyone will have a great time watching the birthday person open the gifts.  It will be amazing to see the things the guests come up with.

You can make this party a special memory the birthday person will never forget.  Make the guest list include people that have had an impact on the person’s life.  Add the special decorations and hilarious gifts, and the guest of honor will have the time of their life.

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