• A 40th birthday can be a time for reflection and growth.happy birthday image by Deborah Durbin from Fotolia.com
  
  Turning 40 is a milestone birthday not everyone looks forward to celebrating. It can be fun nonetheless. Though 40 may be over-the-hill, life, as W.B. Pitkin said, begins at 40. While gathering ideas for a birthday event for that special someone, budgets, humor and even life-long dreams can help to create a memorable event.
  
  

Party

• Birthday parties are a great way to celebrate the passing of time with friends and loved ones. To celebrate the over-the-hill landmark of turning 40, planners can throw a funeral for youth. Tombstone cakes, guests in black and a eulogy to the guest of honor's previous years complete the theme. For a more sentimental feel, planners can throw a "This is Your Life" style party, and reunite childhood friends or seldom seen loved ones while celebrating the days gone by.
  
  

Adventure

• A 40th birthday represent the first half of life gone by, but there are still plenty of days left. A birthday adventure is one way to celebrate the days to come. Skydiving and bungee jumping work for fans of adrenaline. Others can go to places so far only dreamed of, or explore their heritage by visiting an ancestor's home country.
  
  

Gifts

• Gifts for a 40th birthday can range from silly and small to expensive and life-changing. Joke gifts include a faux prescription bottle full of jelly beans, while a more emotionally charged gift could include a photo album of 40 meaningful pictures. On a bigger budget, Stock Car Driving Experience packages, rock camps or golf lessons with a PGA pro can allow individuals to fulfill life-long goals.