40 Best 40th-Birthday Gift Ideas to Celebrate an Exciting New Decade

If they're a history buff, they'll love this thoughtful 40th-birthday gift! It's a custom puzzle of the front page of the New York Times from the day they were born.

More: These Gifts Are Perfect for Any Friend

For the friend with the biggest sweet tooth, this nostalgic candy box comes with a trip down memory lane. 

It includes 55 pieces of candy from brands that were mega popular in the 1980s, including Big League Chew, ZotZ, and Cow Tails, and even comes with a newspaper-style insert about that year's historical happenings.

You can’t go wrong with a vintage T-shirt, and we especially love the retro colors featured on this pick, too. It’s the perfect 40th-birthday gift for repping their birth year.

Celebrate 40 years with some meaningful jewelry. This simple, elegant, silver necklace has four rings intertwined to represent four decades. The rings themselves symbolize infinite unity and love.

More: 30th Birthday Gifts That Are Fit for Any Fabulous Friend

This personalized wine bottle is the perfect 40th-birthday gift. Plus, the wine inside the bottle is a nice cab sauv, so the recipient will be able to enjoy the vino just as much as the bottle itself.

If you're not looking to spend much, but want a cute 40th-birthday gift that'll certainly deliver some laughs upon opening, this Dr. Seuss book is perfect.

There's so much to love about your special 40-year-old, so share all of your favorite things about her with a printable poster that you can write on and frame. Whenever she needs a confidence boost, this thoughtful gift will give her a little extra mental strength. 

Provide the Etsy seller with your recipient's birth date and location, and they will use charting software to create a personalized sky map design with the exact star and constellation patterns from the moment your loved one was born.

It's a physical representation of their special day that any astronomy lover will appreciate. 

This gag gift goes great with a card and a bottle of wine. They'll be drinking out of it all year long. 

There are candles, and then there are these astrologically inspired candles that represent the readings of the stars. 

Birthdate Candles feature unique scents and insight based on your recipient's zodiac sign and date of birth. The label contains a detailed personality description and a tarot card, plus a ruling number and planet that'll fill their heart and home with good vibes.

If you’re totally at a loss to come up with an appropriate present they’ll adore, this giftworthy set features assorted candies, a fragrant candle, insulated stemless wine cup, and a Minimergency kit for saving them in all sorts of “oh-sh*t” moments. There’s something in it for everyone!

Stick these fun wine labels on their favorite bottles of wine and then wrap them up in a basket. It's an easy, fun, and festive 40th-birthday gift idea.

Any Star Wars fan who's turning the big 4-0 will appreciate this good luck wish, Jedi to Jedi. Coffee and tea drinkers will get a kick out of it every time they take a sip.

Your favorite flower enthusiast will totally flip for this DIY grow kit, featuring fresh blooms that represent their birth month. It comes with everything they need to get growing, so even if they're not naturally graced with a green thumb, they can easily plant their present and keep it alive.

Tiffany Blue isn't just for diamonds anymore! They'll certainly feel fierce and fabulous sipping out of this tumbler as a 40th birthday gift. They can fill it with coffee or wine, or they can get creative with a cocktail.

If you can’t be there to cut the cake with them, these decadent message donuts are the sweetest way to send them good wishes on their special day. 

As if spelling out “Happy Birthday” weren’t outrageous enough, these fresh yeast-raised donuts come in unique assorted flavors, like a Samoa option that tastes just like everyone’s favorite Girl Scout cookie, and an equally nostalgic Fruity-Pebbles-topped variety.

This dainty birthday bracelet features forty 14-carat gold-dipped beads to represent each year of her life. An adjustable cord will accommodate her wrist size, and a sliding toggle provides a super secure closure.

Hopefully, after 40 years, they've been able to get out and explore the world. With this scratchable map, they can mark off where they've been and plan out their next few adventures. 

Treating her to a spa day may be a little out of reach, but this cheeky bath gift set will help her recreate the same soothing experience at home. 

You can choose from four different scents ranging from rose garden to lavender, and each bag comes with biodegradable glitter.

Turning 40 is a big deal, so you should celebrate all year long with a Bouqs premium bouquet subscription. Choose between roses, a farmers market blend, or a classic mix, along with the size of the bouquet. Depending on how much you’re looking to spend, you can have them delivered every 2 months, monthly, every 2 weeks, or weekly.

Treating them to a one-time surprise? The Bouqs Co. recently launched a few new birthday bouquets, and they're all so cheery and bright! Sugar Rush, Celebration, and Once Upon a Time are some of our favorites, but check out their full birthday selection to find the one that's right for your favorite 40-year-old. 

More: The Very Best Flower Subscriptions Out There

This 40th birthday gift is so good, we'd get an extra one for ourselves. They can age their own whiskey to the perfect flavor with a personalized miniature barrel! This one comes in one, two, or three-liter sizes.

No matter how they really feel about turning this milestone year, this sweet letterpress birthday card ensures that they usher in this new age with a smile. It's printed on 100% recycled paper, so it's a guilt-free way to enhance your 40th birthday gift!

Literary lovers will be over the moon when they crack open this book filled with quizzes and illustrations of famous bookstores, portraits of authors’ pets, and mouthwatering fictional meals. They'll learn something new on each page!

Let them enjoy a little more “me time” with this wine glass shower holder. It’ll keep their favorite glass of wine right by their side while they wind down and take a relaxing bath.

Spice things up with their very own hot sauce! This 40th birthday gift comes with the ingredients they need (everything from habanero to ancho!), the tools to make it, and the instructions to turn up the heat with a great hot sauce. According to the rave customer reviews, this gift is lit!

If your birthday bestie is bath obsessed, this wooden tray is the best way to prevent their self-care essentials from getting soaked in the tub. There's a designated spot for everything, so they can keep a book propped up on one side and a glass of wine on the other.

With fragrances inspired by each month's birthstone, these luxurious scented candles will leave your gem of a friend with a uniquely personalized present they can enjoy all year long. They're hand-poured and smell heavenly!

What may seem at first like another boozy gag gift is actually quite a clever and handy accessory. This toothpick set contains four vials with a dozen sticks each, and the toothpicks are each infused with top-shelf single-malt whiskey, which imparts a unique smokey-caramel flavor into each one. 

They're ideal for stashing in a desk drawer or tote bag for post-lunch teeth touch-ups.

Not to hint at the fact that they’re getting old and will start to forget things, but these Tile Pros come in handy at any age.

These Tiles can track — within a 300-foot range — any item they’re attached to, including keys, a wallet, and even the family pet.