Gift ideas for a woman's 40th birthday

alright, my wife's 40th birthday is coming up and I need present ideas.

Obviously it all depends on the type of person, but if it were your 40th birthday, what would you like?!

Steak and a blowjob!

No, how about taking her off for a nice weekend somewhere? Fancy hotel, spa, etc.

I would like a 20 year old man naked in a bathtub waiting for me on my 40th birthday...

But seriously, maybe you could buy her a nice ring or a necklace?

Swarowski

I'm with Keydeck: overnight trip to a romantic city, staying in a great hotel with spa, and an amazing dinner. Bring flowers.

musical. theater. shows or something like that and before hand a nice meal in a high - star hotel

Well, I will be turning 40 in less than six months, and I'm planning on taking an Accelerated Free-fall (AFF) course as a gift to myself.

I like this one

I like the spa aspect of this one -


Don't whisk her away unless you are also getting her something tangible - flowers, jewels, or something nice for work (elegant attache case maybe).

Hm, what else would I want ...

Maybe a combination of all the above - a hot young man naked in a spa in a great hotel out of town

With jewels?

a pearl necklace!

Yep- definitely depends on the person... but here would be a few ideas I'd like OR think would be memorable for someone's 40th (I'm not a big jewelry fan):

- London weekend (concert or musical, nice dinner out and just walking around/hanging out with my SO)- airberlin has cheap tickets right now
- Rent a cabin in the alps and invite your/her friends down for a weekend of skiing or partying (remember your 20s? do they have kegs in germany for keg stands? ahhh, good times, good times!)
- Spa weekend sounds nice- there are castles you can stay at and I'm sure most would include a spa in the castle or surrounding area
- Para-gliding in a cool area (saw some paragliders near Neuschwanstein, and plan to do it the next time we have visitors in town)
- Weekend in Verona, with a hot air balloon ride to watch the sunrise (this rates high on the 'cheesy meter', but everyone should do it once, right?)
- I dont know where, but I heard you can stay overnight in an Igloo!! Ok, seriously- how cool?!
- Take her to the S. of France (juan les pins- hotel helios) and go skinny dipping one night (she should be the adventurous sort, but I feel like most people might 'live a little' more than usual on their 40th)
- Make a week of her birthday- give her small gifts each morning she wakes up and then have a big finale on the Sat/Sun (like a spa day, or super nice dinner and dancing night out, or even just dinner and a movie if you all dont have the chance to do that very often)

I feel like girls generally tend to be the 'planners' in relationships, so if you went out of your way to plan a really great experience (all details covered- transportation, what to do, where to eat, etc), you'd be making it a memorable experience she wont forget.

40 is a milestone in your life, it shouldn't be an average birthday around town.

Good luck!

For my 40th, my boyfriend gave me a weekend trip to Paris. He made a coupon with the Eiffel Tower, a plane, a baguette, you get the picture and gave it to me in a card to take the trip at a later date. He planned the whole thing. Quite romantic. However, I am still waiting for the trip (it is the thought that counts and we can never seem to make the plans).

A friend of mine received something for each decade, each was special to her.

This received so much thanks as so much thought had gone into the present.

I got alot of neat gifts from my friends for my 40th birthday, but if its your significant other, then it should be something special.

If she is a jewlery person, then a nice piece of jewlery in a theme she likes- a butterfly ring or a rose pendant with a diamond,

I think the weekend get away is also a great idea, a weekend in Istanbul or Vienna with a trip around the city center on a horse drawn carriage, or a spa weekend just for the two of you.

Or a night out to an exclusive restaraunt and maybe tickets to the Theater or a nice concert.

Everyone is different, if she knows you put thought into it, then it will be special.

Something extravagant she could use for a long time?

A guy where I once worked sent his wife flowers every day of the week she turned 40. When he asked me what I thought of his line-up of massive bouquet choices, I suggested she might prefer a posh twinset. He laughed and said that was unromantic.

The next time I saw her, she said her office had looked like a morgue.

He also gave her a black Lexus, which she refused to drive.

So whatever you do, it'll probably cost you less and be greeted with more enthusiasm than were this guy's efforts.

I had a great 40th Birthday moment. Went for a horse-drawn carriage ride around the Boston Commons and the driver asked what the occasion was and my partner said, it's her birthday and the driver asked me my name and wished me a happy birthday. After that, he would yell out to the bystanders saying, Hey, it's (insert name here) Birthday! And everyone would wave, say Happy Birthday and clap. It was hysterical. After browsing shoppes and changing for dinner, my partner hired a limo and we stopped for champagne on the way.

The rest of the day sucked but that was my moment that always brings a smile. (No, I'm not telling the rest ).

oh wow, thanks for tips!! god - i just checked the calendar, it's in less then two weeks!! I'm gonna have to blitz this weekend and workout an plan here. But I reckon weekend in London, with some shopping, meals, is a good starting point.

If I was (were?) organising a weekend in London I'd definitely try to get tickets for a show.

Get her a new iron. If you're feeling flush maybe go the whole hog and get her the matching ironing board.

p.s. Make sure for extra romance you wrap with a nice bow.

Information on what happened to the previous 4.5 years?
And Botox.
Probably.

Nah seriously though, it really depends on the person.
While there's some that would love tickets to a musical, some would prefer the football. Some a wine course at a good sellers (Lay & Wheeler are excellent), others an appointment with a top hairdresser booked months in advance. There's so much choice in London, you really can go to town.
Something personal will always win over something flashy, unless the person themselves is so.
Good luck!

Cosmetic surgery

As it happens, what did my wife get from me for her 40th? A phone call from me watching rugby in Australia. Sad but true.

'tis true. My wife would kill me if I took her to see Cats or something. However tickets to a Babyshambles gig would earn me extra bonus points for sure

Anyhow, just having your collection of random ideas helps the brain warm up. Thing is... we really DO need a new ironing board...

You could also plan something super amazing that she'd never necessarily do for herself.

ex.

Plan her a surprise party with her best friend(s) from childhood or family flown in that she hasn't seen in years...

(I did this for my grandmother's 75th birthday - it took 3 months of planning - but we had EVERYONE in the family there and all of her friends from church, home, volunteer orgs, etc. Well over 200 people - everyone chipped in and got her the second idea below -)

Another thought - if you haven't had one in years - take her out for something romantic, and give her a memory book of family portraits and the date/time that you're getting together to have them made.

Both are something tangeable, but also involve time spent together with loved ones and family, letting that person know not only you care - but that there's more than one person who appreciates them.

Of course... the weekend away and/or the jewelry and flowers are always nice too. LOL

the spa sounds, weekend away the two of you (the alps idea), nice dinner, anything special hobbies she likes?
One of my friends received private jumping (horse) lessons with an amazing trainer that it's hard to book with and she's always wanted.
I know my parents have done jewelry, trips, or just special moments that aren't amazing, but they've appreciated. getting the kids out of hte house for a night so you can enjoy being at home the two of you (if there are kids)

I haven't read all the responses but I'd always vote for the spa option. Or if you want to go all out or if she's not the spa going sort, then a trip. You don't have to give her the trip on her 40th but give her a box with a map (if you need to stay in Germany or the EU) or a globe (if you dont) in it and tell her to pick a spot, any spot. Throw in some travel magazines, some brochures of places that are within your budget, whatever else you like, and give it to her over a nice dinner. Then you can both have fun planning it together.

I've never celebrated ANY of my birthdays but Im going o do 40 right. The plan is a destination with a good spa and sightseeing options plus native cooking lessons. Or I might say sod it and follow pike's advice and get plastic surgery. Nothing says happy birthday like getting your face pulled back behind your ears and your ass pulled up over your head.

A toyboy for the weekend?

Are you offering your services there BlueDave?

Is she game for extreme sports? Or even not so extreme, like mountain climbing or diving. Combine that with the new ironing board and take her extreme ironing. Choose a great site like an Alpine chalet or the swimming pool in a fancy spa and have the board and iron waiting there along with the naked 20-yr-old bearing champagne and wearing her pearls in a strategic place where she has to remove them without using her hands.

jml- i like your idea- fun destination, spa, cooking lessons.
i must say, the only thing that interests me at a spa is a massage and being lazy!

i better start saving now so i can afford your cool get-away idea!

Sadly, i hardly count as a toyboy jml

Ah but we know a man who can... where's Bertrand when you need him?

Nothing like a bit of watersports to keep the ladies happy I always say.

Your wife's a very, very lucky lady JE. I think that much is evident.

Thanks mate. Frankly I think Frau English just feels sorry for the other ladies that I was snapped up so quickly. But I guess even I would not have been able to satisfy the level of demand had I continued the batchelor lifestyle any longer.

I know the feeling. Sometimes you just have to withdraw your product from the marketplace before it becomes old hat.

A parachute jump or the less adventurous hot air balloon ride ?

Yeah, it must be exhausting calling hundreds of women from a match. Much better to calm down and only have to ring up one!

And I'm sure that BlueDave is a very toyish boy in some women's books.

hot air balloon followed by a nice dinner or with some hiking and nice dinner could be nice (hiking if she's outdoorsy)

Anything with platinum and diamonds.

must it be something tangible, can't it be something that creates a wonderful memory for the two of them (or even just for her)?

Of course, but it's nice to have the tangible too. To find it and look at it and remember - to pass onto the next generation etc.

I think the main thing is that it has a personal aspect that shows you've thought about it a lot. Jewellry or similar can be fabulous, but it can be a cop-out - i.e. I'll just get her something expensive and sparkly and it'll be ok. If you deiced to take her on a trip, make the location somewhere relevant to you, or somewhere you know she's always wanted to go, or she commented on recently or something. If you go to a spa, book her a treatment that you know she'll like - if she's really into perfumes, scented candles etc, go for an aromatherapy massage, if she's a chocaholic, get her a chocolate massage. You get the picture...

chocolate massage?
do you lick yourself clean?

that is what the boytoy is for!

why let them have the chocolate?! Can't you have a massage and be fed amazing chocolate during it (all by hot boytoys)

Hot air balloon trip with an ironing board/iron in the basket.

Aren't we always telling our partners our heart's desire. Your wife must have told you at some point of time what she had always loved or wanted to have or do * - wouldn't organising that for her then be the best gift ?

* Probably you have forgotten

well, a trip to london it is then! And god help my bank account once the wife hits the shops.

Thanks folks for all your suggestions, they were a great help!