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40th Birthday Party Supplies
Hitting age 40 is a major milestone, no matter how you cut it. Leaving your 30s behind, one is fully into adulthood. Most people have had children by this point and have settled into a life. Others have not, according to their own life paths, but irrespective, the common denominator of 40s representing midlife is present. The 40th birthday used to be avoided by many, particularly women, who saw it as the beginning of old age. But not so anymore. This is in part because we are living longer, and 30s and 40s are not as daunting as they once were; 40 can be the beginning of a new life for many people. So, entering the 40s, for many people is a point where they feel at the height of their powers: young enough to feel vital and old enough to have the power to enjoy it.
As with any adult party where alcohol will be involved, it is a good idea to think through how to reduce the risk of irresponsible drinking behaviors without limiting the fun of the event. As you are beginning to plan the event, think about having a special invite for designated drivers, or think about sending messages with the invitation that encourage the young adults to have a good time, but to do so in a healthy way.
Having said that, you can think about your invitation list. The number of people invited to the party is typically a good way to gauge the ultimate cost of the party, and will drive how much food you need to think about, as well as the place. It could also dictate the theme. Suit your desires and budget when it comes to the invitee list. If you want a small intimate dinner party, do that it. If you want to invite everyone you know and rent a big hall to do it, as long as the budget permits, it’s your celebration!
Some people like to have more formal birthday party celebrations at their 40th. These can include sit-down dinners, or some combination of sit-down dinners with dancing. Other people get select friends together for a weekend at a get-away location. There is always the toga party, which connotes the kind of wild celebration. If going this route, think about ways to extend the theme, such as placing cardboard Greek statuary around the party site, and hanging grapes from the walls. You can also employ Greek letters, and other Greek references. There are also other themes like safaris. Decorating with safari animals, jungle scenes, and hunting gear, like nets and guns and pith hemlets. You can also have a Prohibition themed party. Ideas for extending that theme include decorating the room like the 1920s/1940s, playing music from that era, setting up a Speakeasy as the bar area, and making it a costume party so that all the attendees are in the spirit. Another popular theme is the murder mystery party. Decorations will help set the tone. Decorate the room like a mansion, or a train from the early 1900s.
Whatever theme you settle on, setting the tone for it should begin with the invitations. There are preprinted invitations that are appropriate for a wide variety of themes. You can also think about making your own. For example with a toga party, you can cut up an old sheet into little togas and write the invitation with a marker onto the tiny togas. For a safari theme, you can write out the invitations on small stuff safari animals. Whatever you decide, there is a standard set of information that goes into the invite. It should include the name, the occasion, the theme and costume if any, how you want gifts handled, whether the part y will include food and drink, the hours and the location of the party. If you want people to RSVP, put that into the invitation as well.
In terms of supplies, there are options no matter what the theme, or even if there is no theme to speak of. There is a wide array of plates, cups, napkins and table clothes that are designed with the 40th birthday in mind. And there are specially printed balloons and table clothes as well. The same is true for banners and crepe paper.
For games and events, there are a lot of options as well. If you have a theme, think about games that tie to the theme. For example, with the murder mystery theme, stage an actual “murder” and have the attendees go through clues to determine the culprit. There are murder mystery kits available to help you walk through the steps to create a successful murder mystery.
You can also think about putting together a slide show, full of images from the person’s first 40 years. This is a very popular activity as the technology has gotten more accessible over the years. These presentations can be done on a Powerpoint deck, or put together with a slide show software on your computer or cell phone. Think about adding some favorite music, which will help attendees access the memories of the different points of life. With 40 years behind you, there is a lot of music to choose from!
The type of food you serve will connect to the theme (or lack of it), but generally speaking, unless you are holding a dinner party, in which case, you will need to create a menu, think about foods that fit the occasion. If an outdoor BBQ, it’s simple: you rely on BBQ foods. But otherwise, you will need to think about the tone you want to set and apply that to your food.
If there will be gift giving at the party, you can plan the gift opening for later in the party, depending on the type of party you are having. If it is a non-time-constricted party, think about what will be the time when the most people are there, so that you avoid people leaving the party before gifts are opened. If you have a cutoff time set for the end of the party, just plan to do the gift giving toward the middle to the end of the party. Again, the objective is to have as many people enjoying the gift opening portion of the night as possible.
Finally, after all the party-goers have left, plan to write out thank you cards for the attendees. These cards should be thoughtful, and focus on the recipient’s part in the person’s life, as well as they gift they might have brought. This is an excellent opportunity not just to thank them for coming to the party, but to acknowledge their part in helping to make your life special.
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