Ideas for Invitations for a 40th Birthday

For a 40th birthday, avoid run-of-the-mill invitations and get creative.

The best way to grow old with grace and dignity is with a sense of humor. Turning 40 is a milestone birthday that marks your foray into middle age, but it doesn't have to be stressful. Embrace it with a smile and a raucous celebration that says you will not go gently into that good night. Invitations to your 40th birthday party should reflect that attitude.

Forty-Year Old Virgin

This invitation idea is a take on the popular 2005 comedy starring Steve Carell. Perform an online image search for the movie's poster. It features a picture of Carell with a vacuous expression and the graphics read: "Steve Carell -- The 40-Year-Old Virgin." Download the picture. With a photo-editing program such as PhotoShop, switch out the picture of Carell for the birthday celebrant. Change "Steve Carell" to the name of the celebrant. Print out enough photos for the number of invitations you will need. This will be the front of the card. Fold some cardstock in half and mount the photo on the front with a glue stick. Somewhere on the front of the card, in the clear area of the poster, write: "Come help Bill celebrate the loss of his..." On the inside of the card, write: "Youth."

"Birth" Announcement

Forty is considered the gateway to middle age. In other words, the birthday celebrant is being born into middle age. Instead of using traditional birthday invitations, use a birth announcement. Buy an announcement that features a stork carrying a baby in a blanket and scan it into your computer. With your photo-editing program, replace the head of the baby with the head of the birthday celebrant. On the inside of the invitation write, "Mr. and Mrs. Jones are proud to announce the birth of their son (or daughter) into middle age -- Feb. 9 -- 200 lbs. -- 72 inches. Come help us celebrate this joyful event."

Obituary Invitation

This invitation is a take-off on a newspaper obituary announcement. Set your word-processing program so the margins are close to create a newspaper-like column. Use a classic font such as Courier New to emulate a newspaper. At the top of the column, in all caps, write OBITUARIES. For the headline, simply write the celebrant's name. Begin the obit by writing, "On Feb. 9, 2011 (or whenever the birthday is) John Smith's youth passed away. It was 40 years old. The youthful Mr. Smith once participated in a variety of sports, including softball, skiing and tennis. It liked to engage in outdoor activities such as hiking as well as workouts at the gym. Those have all died as well. The youthful Mr. Smith leaves behind a disappointed wife and two amused children." Mount the "obit" on some cardstock and include the party details on the back.

"The End of the World as We Know It" Video Invitaton

This is a more elaborate invitation project but it's bound to be remembered. You'll need video-editing software and 20 or 30 images of the birthday celebrant from infancy to the present. Choose some sentimental pictures and some that are goofy. Scan the prints into the computer. With your editing program, create a montage of photos in chronological order and add R.E.M.'s song "It's the End of the World as We Know It." The lyrics repeat the phrase, "It's the end of the world as we know it...and I feel fine." As the song fades out, include graphics that display the party information (time, date, place). Copy the video onto as many blank DVDs as you'll need and write, "You're invited!" on the disk.