What was your fave 40th birthday pressie?

[katechristie]

I have a raft of 40th birthdays coming up to buy pressies for over the next couple of years, and don't want to end up buying the same gift every time (candle, relax CD, nice bath bubbles, bottle of bubbly and chocs). What were your favourite gifts please?

Budget is variable, depending on who am buying for, but as we're fairly skint at the moment, the cheaper more thoughtful gifts are of particular interest to me TIA.

Oooh I'm interested in this one too as I'll be in your situation in a few months... so, bump.

A day out with the person giving the present - ie time!

My firend does a fab thing for peoples 40th - she gets them 40 presents. Most are little things can be some free hand cream samples / little gifts from the pound shop, some things that have been hanging round in your present box but all have some thought behind them ie for me lots of girly bath stuff etc , some chocolates, a little bottle of champagne, Farleys Rusks (as we used to eat them at Uni together) and for my dh they got stuff from the joke shop, bottles of beer etc. There is usually one 'nice' present in there ie bottle of champagne / gift voucher / jewelery.
When we've done this recently we've clubbed together and done 20 presents each.

It is lots of fun to open - usually wrapped a bit like a bran tub!

Well tbh it was being taken out by DP for a posh lunch, but that wasn't v. cheap.

Like the 40 pressies idea but it would take ages to do - multiplied by all your 40yo mates!

I don't require expensive pressies though so I would be very happy with a well-chosen book, bubble bath or nice make-up such as benefit dandelion.

Two extremes for mine. A hot air balloon flight which was a joint pressie from mum/sisters.
And a kite from my dd. Like the ones in my much loved Enid Blyton books, in a diamond shape with a long ribbon tail. Not sure which I enjoyed most tbh, still get pleasure from my occasional kite flying although dh thinks I am nuts.
A present that takes us back to childhood is always fun. Retro toys (Clangers, Bagpuss), sweets from here, or books. There are cds in Clintons with music from each year too.

A long weekend in Rome from dh!

But, after that, my favourite two presents from friends were a really lovely terracotta pot for the garden

and a plain silver bangle.