• Simple or sublime, 40th birthday parties are special celebrations.40th birthday 2 image by daniellecolla from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>
  
  The 40th birthday is a special milestone, as it acknowledges the passing of early adulthood while still a couple of decades from the senior phase. Depending on the individual and the host's budget, 40th party celebrations can be grand or laid-back or somewhere in between.
  
  

Sophisticated Celebration

• Consider reserving a favorite restaurant or café to host an intimate party with friends and family. Arrange the menu ahead of time to incorporate some favorite dishes from the menu. Holding a party in a favorite venue is also ideal to make it a surprise party, if desired, as the person would likely not be suspecting anything unusual by going to a familiar place.
  
  

Retro Celebration

• Celebrate the decade in which the person was born. For example, if the birth year was 1973, then make a 1970s theme for the party. For added fun, ask guests to come dressed in attire appropriate for that decade and don't forget the signature hairstyles from that era. Make a playlist of popular 1970s disco and dance music for entertainment.
  
  

Bar and Trivia

• For a more casual celebration, have a 40th birthday celebration with a trivia theme, where the questions are from the celebrant's life or trivia unique to the years in which they grew up. Keep dining easy with barlike foods and drinks. This type of celebration can easily be held in a home or at a bar or pub.