These gift ideas and tips will make his 40th  birthday the best one! These gift ideas for men range from elegant to practical, and will help him celebrate the fact that he’s forty.

I also included a few “pranky” gift ideas for your man’s fortieth birthday, just in case you want to lighten things up!
The best birthday gift for his 40th birthday is a Invicta Men’s Chronograph Watch (pictured). It’s cool for many reasons (it’s got a tachometer, calendar, date, and more – check it out) — plus every time he looks at it, he’ll think of you.

A related gift idea is a Mahogany Solid Wood Watch Box. Some men like to wear different watches for different occasions, and they need somewhere to put their watches.

Celebrate His 40th Birthday With These Gift Ideas

The most important tip is to give him something he wants – not something you want him to have (eg, a new suit), or you think he should want (a book like For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women), or you think he should be doing (working out every day). That’s why Alicia King’s gift tip for a woman’s 40th birthday – giving something that involves bucket lists – is such a great idea. If your guy has a bucket list, give him the opportunity to do something on it. And here are a few more gifts for men turning 40…

A battery charger (perhaps too practical?)

A Battery Tender Plus 12V Battery Charger is the most practical gift you could ever give a guy. My husband has one, and he uses it for the car (just two weeks ago, when he left the headlights on and couldn’t start the car), the zodiac (see the next tip), and his other power tools and equipment that I know naught of. Men love this gift – there are over 500 reviews on Amazon, and it’s got a five star rating. I think it’s the most boring gift you could give a man turning 40, but a guy could think differently! I tell ya, my husband loves his.

40th birthday gifts that involve his name

Here’s a gift giving tip from Catherine Strawn, on The Frisky: “In my experience, the best gifts are the ones that show you know the person, rather than this year’s ‘It’ item that everyone wants to get their hands on. The best give I ever gave was when I took black and white photos of street signs with the names of me, my sisters, and my parents (i.e., Catherine Street, Barbara Avenue, etc.) and had them framed for my dad.” ~ from What’s The Best Gift You Ever Gave Or Got? To this, one of my fellow Suite101 writers adds: “A unique 40th birthday gift is a family name history or a framed document tracing his family tree,” says Aleah, who created the Solitary Wanderer. There are dozes of gifts you could engrave or stitch his name on: silver watches, chocolate M & M’s, a bouquet of birthday balloons, cuff links, photo frames, leather briefcases, bath towels, coffee mugs, beer steins, etc. People like seeing their names on stuff! One of the best gifts my husband ever gave me is a sign that says “Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen – The Adventurous Writer” for my office.

An inflatable boat – a zodiac

My father-in-law gave us his old zodiac (inflatable boat), and what a blast we have! It’s changed how we spend our weekends now; we go boating all the time. We’re thinking about buying an actual speedboat – being out on the water is that much fun. Of course, it helps to live in a coastal city like Vancouver, BC. But even if you live inland, there are probably lots of lakes to explore. If your 40 year old enjoys fishing, boating, exploring different lakes, or just floating on the water with a nice cold one, think about a Zodiac Zoom 350S with a Wood Floor and Inflatable Keel. They just deflate and fit into a small container that a man can carry by himself. Since they’re a bit pricey – from $800 to $1,800 – a zodiac would be great group 40th birthday gift, from his family and friends.

One of my most popular gift articles is 40th Birthday Gifts for Women. There are lots of gift giving tips and ideas for a man’s birthday there.

Extreme sports experience

Here’s a gift giving tip from the Gift Ideas Muse: “Get him an experiential gift, such as driving a Nascar racing car or participating in some extreme event. Or get him tickets to an upcoming event he will go nuts over!” ~ 40th Birthday Gift Ideas. Think skydiving, hot air ballooning, sports fishing, a golfing weekend at a gorgeous resort, back country skiing, or even ultra light flying! Of course, if he’s into watching sports, he may love tickets to the playoffs….or even a Football Fanatic Sports Gift Basket.

Bathroom toilet seat lights – a prank 40th birthday gift for men

Here’s an idea from Prank Ideas Central: “If by his 40th birthday he still hasn’t learned to put the toilet seat down, this gag gift will remind him every time! Get him a set of bathroom toilet seat lights – when the toilet seat is up, the toilet bowl will be lit and only go off when the seat is down again. Attach a card saying you hope she can now avoid annoying fall-ins in the dark. This gag birthday gift will be hilarious.” ~ 40th Birthday Gag Gifts. The best birthday gift to give anyone is an experience, not a possession. To see what I mean, read Best Birthday Gifts – Not Flowers or Diamonds.

A Tommy Hilfiger wallet for his 40th birthday

Another best birthday gift for men turning 40 is the Tommy Hilfiger Mens Wallet. It’s as practic
al as a watch, and I know from experience that men don’t buy wallets when they need them.

Here are more gift giving tips and ideas for a man’s birthday:  Best Gifts for Dog Lovers – 9 Woofy Wonders.

If he’s depressed about turning 40, get him a funny t-shirt by CafePress that says “Damn, I make 40 look good!” It’ll cheer him up, especially if you remind him that he looks good partly because he’s so lucky to have you in his life.

Here’s a quip to put in his birthday card:

“Life begins on your 40th birthday. But so do fallen arches, rheumatism, faulty eyesight, and the tendency to tell a story to the same person, three or four times.” ~ Helen Rowland.

If you have any tips or “best gift ideas” for a man’s 40th birthday, please comment below!