On your partner/parent/son/daughter’s fortieth birthday…

A 40th birthday is an occasion to be taken seriously and embraced. Here are some suggestions for you.

Remember that it’s not about you

Of course, you should enjoy planning and preparing for your loved one’s fortieth birthday. The whole thing can be huge fun for everyone. But whatever you plan should be with the person’s temperament, preferences and interests in mind, rather than your own.

Sermon over, let’s get down to some birthday fun

If you live with or are staying with the person about to turn 40, there are many ways you can get his/her birthday off to a great start.

You are going to need balloons, a banner or several, champagne (or cheaper equivalent), a cake and suitable candles, and the birthday girl/boy’s favourite breakfast.

How you play it is, of course, completely up to you but it’s good if you can get the banners and balloons up around the house while the new 40 year old is asleep, so they can be a festive surprise. Bucks Fizz (champagne and orange juice) makes a celebratory breakfast drink and it’s always nice to have something special for breakfast, something you don’t usually have but you know the birthday person really likes.

The cake is probably better kept for later on in the day but if there isn’t going to be another good opportunity, why not have it for breakfast?

Other ideas to make the day special

• Send in a request to a radio show for a birthday greeting to be read out (you don’t have to feel too tied by this these days, with the Listen Again feature on the internet).
• Send a bouquet of flowers or a bottle of champagne.
• Write Happy 40th Birthday (Name) on the sitting-room floor, using individually wrapped chocolates.
• If the person would want this, make sure all his/her friends know about this big birthday and send cards, emails or texts, or ring up.
• Stagger your present-giving throughout the day, so that there’s always more to look forward to.