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Original poster

40 presents for 40th, how to ‘present’?

73 replies

The6thQueen · 23/01/2023 14:10

Husband’s 40th soon. I’ve gone with the 40 presents idea, know what I’m buying him, but no idea how to ‘present’ them!
40 days of gifts sounds like the novelty will quickly run out, 40 presents in one go sounds overwhelming. I don’t think he’d like a gift hunt.

Any suggestions gratefully received?!

OP posts:
MRex · 23/01/2023 14:11

Can't you just get him one nice thing?

pelargoniums · 23/01/2023 14:12

Bin bag to make it easier to declutter later?

Original poster
The6thQueen · 23/01/2023 14:13

I have the 40 gifts; he’ll love all of them, don’t need help with that.
I’m after ideas of how to give them, generally to see how others have done it.

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AllThatFancyPaintsAsFair · 23/01/2023 14:13

Does he need 40 things, these kind of preents seem awfully wasteful to me.

user33 · 23/01/2023 14:15

I did this for my husband's 30th and it was so nice. I wrapped all and placed it on our sofa - it was overwhelming but I put the smaller presents at the front like socks etc and then I brought two big presents that I kept till the end behind all the smaller ones

Original poster
The6thQueen · 23/01/2023 14:15

You have no idea what I have bought, or even made. If they are edible, plants or tools. I haven’t intimated budget etc. I could have bought him 40 Bugattis for all you know. Or I could have given him 40 trips away.

Let’s just stop with the judgement; if you don’t like it, don’t post.

If you can help and not judge, I’d love to hear from you 🙄

OP posts:
MiddleParking · 23/01/2023 14:15

If you think doing it gradually will be boring and doing it all at once will be overwhelming I honestly don’t know what anyone could suggest. Other than buying him a non-overwhelming number of presents instead.

Original poster
The6thQueen · 23/01/2023 14:17

Thank you for your help; it was so insightful 🤷‍♀️😵‍💫

OP posts:
Original poster
The6thQueen · 23/01/2023 14:17

That was to @MiddleParking

OP posts:
Disneyforaweek · 23/01/2023 14:17

I've seen quite a lot of people do this on tiktok on they seem to give one a day in the run up to the birthday so I've a present a day for 40 days

To make it so the novelty doesn't wear off you can get number then and then get him to pull a number out of a hat and that's the one he gets that day?

I think this sounds like a nice idea :)

BoringLittleMe · 23/01/2023 14:17

Some at breakfast, some interspersed throughout the day, some near bedtime?

Fileexplorerrrr · 23/01/2023 14:18

When I did this for my partners 40th, I bought a giant gift bag and put the majority in that and left a few of the bigger items out.

Original poster
The6thQueen · 23/01/2023 14:18

Thank you @disney, that may work. I think it may be too spread out though.

@BoringLittleMe - I like this. I’ll have a think of how I could split them.

OP posts:
Disneyforaweek · 23/01/2023 14:18

Oops sorry there was lots of typos there! I meant to say you could give one a day for 40 days with the last one being opened on his actual birthday, then to stop the novelty wearing off you could number them, then have him pull a number out of the hat each day

Wishimaywishimight · 23/01/2023 14:19

Spread it throughout the day, so 5 gifts before breakfast, 5 after, same with lunch and dinner, save the remaining gifts to open in bed?

FlamingoOfDoom · 23/01/2023 14:20

How big are they? Could they be presented like an oversized selection box of chocolates? Or wrapped in boxes and lined up like books on a bookshelf? In either case he could pick and choose which to open (and how many to open at once) or there could be a menu card or index card with a guide to a good eating/reading order

Original poster
The6thQueen · 23/01/2023 14:22

@FlamingoOfDoom I love this! I could write a little synopsis of each (sort of like a book blurb) and he could dip in or out as he wants 😊😊

OP posts:
Eyerollcentral · 23/01/2023 14:22

Will your husband like this however you present the gifts? Seems a way to make his 40th all about you tbh. Who wants to be watched opening 40 different things and say Wow/that’s great/I’ve been wanting one of those for each one. You are setting yourself up for disappointment OP.
If you insist on doing it - I wouldn’t - a gift hunt seems your only option with say four groups of ten gifts.

MsSquiz · 23/01/2023 14:22

I'm doing something similar for my best friend's 40th. Although some of her gifts are "experiences" (afternoon tea, spa day, trip away) as well as surprise elements to a birthday party (not a surprise party) so that's helping me spread them throughout the year. Along with a "this is your life" scrapbook with notes, funny stories and photos from those closest to her.

I think 40 gifts on the day could be overwhelming, could you pick one day a month to give 1 or 2 gifts?

Hollyhocksauce · 23/01/2023 14:23

I think you should hide them around the house and he has to look for them.

pizzaHeart · 23/01/2023 14:24

I would leave the main present or the main few presents (no more then 5) for the evening and give the rest in the morning. It depends what the presents are but trips and tickets need more time then socks to process.
Also you could do in topics so if the main present is about his hobby everything related to this goes together. Like : pampering presents in the morning, DIY in the evening.

PeskyYeti · 23/01/2023 14:24

I did 40 presents for 40 days for my husband. Me and the kids decorated a big lucky dip box and put some packing noodles and glitter and stuff in and everyday he dug in for a gift. There was never 40 gifts in the box, so I could control making sure he didn't get all the best stuff first. It was great fun and the whole family came around every day to see what daddy and got and who had chosen that gift as lots were suggestions from the kids.

My 40th this year so has to go big to set the scene for my own Wink

Outtasteamandluck · 23/01/2023 14:29

Sounds tiresome. He's not 5.

BlackeyedSusan · 23/01/2023 14:29

The6thQueen · 23/01/2023 14:15

You have no idea what I have bought, or even made. If they are edible, plants or tools. I haven’t intimated budget etc. I could have bought him 40 Bugattis for all you know. Or I could have given him 40 trips away.

Let’s just stop with the judgement; if you don’t like it, don’t post.

If you can help and not judge, I’d love to hear from you 🙄

yeah but some of us are insatiably nosy...

(my kids have loads of presents in stockings, many are useful stuff for school as well as wanted stuff, so just because there are 40 of them does not mean they are killing the planet with their consumerism. )

ClearRunning · 23/01/2023 14:30

My friend has just done this for her husbands 40th. She just did them all at once. He didn’t get overwhelmed, he loved it. Presents ranged from silly, to sentimental to a holiday. She took a photo of him with each one and has made a photo collage of them. It’s very sweet.