My advice would be to go for something a bit different and a bit more personal, whether that be to mark their 40th birthday or just something personal about them and here are five ideas to get you started.

1. Personalised 40th Birthday Champagne

What better way is there to celebrate the big 40 than with a bang and a bit of bubbly? Well that would be with a bottle of bubbly personalised with his name and a unique message!

Available to buy for £39.95 at Getting Personal.

2. Winning Raceday Package

If your soon to be 40 year old likes nothing more than dressing up and have a flutter, then this Winning Raceday Package is going to be right up their alley.

Allowing them to choose from 9 different racecourses, this will allow them to enjoy an afternoon or night of racing  and includes:

• Entry to the course ’s premier enclosure for two people
• A welcome drink of either wine or a gin and tonic
• An exclusive behind the scenes tour
• An official raceday programme
• Two discount betting tickets
• Free parking

The Winning Raceday Package is available for £47.96 at Buyagift.

3.  Personalised Classic Cars Mug

If the recipient of your gift is as big a classic car fan as they are a tea or coffee drinker, then this personalised Classic Cars mug is the one for them as not only does it look really cool with it’s Cadillac image wrapping round the mug, it also features their name cleverly designed onto the car too.

The Personalised Classic Cars Mug is available for £9.95 at Buyagift.

4. Hotel Vouchers

Want to treat the impeding 40 year old to a trip away from everything to enjoy their birthday in pure luxury but not quite sure what would be right for them? With hotel vouchers from Buyagift, you can leave it up to them as these vouchers last for up to 10 months and can be used at a whole host of locations across the UK.

You can learn more about these hotel vouchers at Buyagift.

5. Film 2 SD Negative Scanner

Being born back in the late 60s means most of the birthday girl’s / boy’s childhood photos are going to be on slides, meaning most are lost as few of us own slide machines any more.

This birthday you can help them regain those youthful times with a Film 2 SD Negative Scanner that will quickly and easily convert those slides into photos to be stored on your SD card or computer.

The Film 2 SD Negative Scanner is available for £109.95 at Firebox.

We’ve all had those “I wish I had had a camcorder to film that” moments in our lives, but there’s a good reason why, and that’s that as small as most cams have got they’re still not that easy to slip in your pocket and take around with you.

Well that’s unless you’ve got one of the new Muvi mini digital camcorders.

Measuring just 5.5cm high and 2 cm wide, this  mini video camera is the world’s smallest camcorder, and is no trouble to take with you, whether you slip it into your pocket or wear it round your neck.

Not that that’s the end to it’s talents, this Muvi mini digital camcorder also makes a nifty web cam, and if you choose to buy the sports kit with it, it can make a great acti0n cam that can be attached to your helmet  or just about anything else for super cool live footage.

What’s The Memory And Quality Like?

The Muvi comes with a 2 GB card, There’s room for 8 whole GB of SD memory which is inserted into the camcorder via a Micro SD card slot.

Any Other Cool Features?

Yep. The VOX mode.

Allowing you to not even have to touch a button, the VOX mode allows you to stop and start your recordings simply with your voice.

Have Is The Muvi Mini Digital Camcorder Charged?

Unlike the Flip Cam which has you keep changing batteries, the Muvi Mini Digital Camcorder is charged via USB, which is also used to upload your footage to be edited with using the inbuilt software.

Personally I think it sounds like a rather nifty bit of kit that’s perfect for budding film makers or extreme sports enthusiasts, but before I make my final judgement I’m going to need to get my dirty paws all over one.

Have you tried the Muvi Mini Digital Camcorder? What did you think of it?

The Muvi Mini Digital Camcorder can be ordered for £79.95 online at Firebox.

1. Newspaper From The Day They Were Born

Things change so quickly these days that looking back 65 years is like looking at another world, and that’s just what they’ll be able to do with this gift of an original newspaper of either the The Times, Telegraph, Daily Mail and Daily Sketch from the day they were born.

Available for £38.17 at Buyagift.

2. Vogue For The Month She Was Born

If it’s a lady you’re buying for who’s more into her magazines than newspapers, then the gift of a Vogue for the month of her birth is going to be perfect and sure to have you all giggling with the fashions and etiquette of the day.

Available for £49 from Buyagift.

3. Personalised Postcode Puzzle

If the recipient of this 65th birthday present is fiercely loyal to the area they live in, and loves nothing more than a good old jigsaw then this Personalised Postcode Puzzle is the one for them.

Made up of 255 pieces, this offers them a glimpse of their local area, with a special house piece for the centre of the jugsaw marking their very own postcode!

Available for £19.53 at Getting Personal.

4. Green Fingers Basket

If you’re soon to be 65 year old is looking to retire and spend some time potting in the garden then this Green Fingers basket is going to be perfect.

Made up of a garden apron to keep them clean, as well as tools, welly warmers,  and a gorgeous chamomile and honey hand cream and a basil and thyme aromatic hand scrub to keep their hands feeling gorgeous, this is gardening on a luxury scale.

Available for £48.89 at Getting Personal.

5. Pedal Power Pump

Convinced that the birthday boy or girl really has all they could want? Well why not help them make a difference elsewhere by spending the money on a charity gift like a pedal pump for Nepal farmers like Anup Kumal to help them water their farms more easily.

Available for £62 at Practical Presents.

You want something a bit different, and Present Ideas is here to help with five present ideas to celebrate a 21st in style.

1. Personalised 21st Birthday Calendar.

This is a calendar that’s different for two reasons. One it doesn’t start on January 1st - it starts when their birthday is.

Two, this isn’t just any calendar it’s one that features their name on every single month, and it’s not some tacky old piece of design. This is graphic design at it’s best and gives the impression that their name really has been written in the sand, grown in flowers and chalked on the playground.

Available for £9.74 at Getting Personal.

2.Classic Makeover Experience

If you’re after a 21st birthday present for a girl who’s always got her head stuck in Hello and the latest fashion mags then she’ll look this Makeover Experience  where she’ll be treated like an A lister as she pampered and prepared for her pro photography shoot.

Currently available for the reduced price of £24.47 at Buyagift.

3. 21st Birthday Personalised Luxury Champagne

What better way is there to celebrate your 21st than with a bottle of Champagne? Well that would have to be with your very own personalised bottle of Champagne, and that’s exactly what you can get them from Getting Personal.

Made up of a gorgeous blend of Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay, this Champagne comes complete with a personalised label containing their name and a message of your choice.

The 21st Birthday Personalised Luxury Champagne is available for £39.10 at Getting Personal.

4. Aston Martin Driving Experience

If your soon to be 21 year old is a big fan of racing and posh cars then this Silverstore Aston Martin Driving Experience will be a dream come true as they do three laps of this amazing track in an equally amazing car - the Aston Martin V8 Vantage.

The Aston Martin Driving Experience is available for £99 at Buyagift.

5. Spy Academy

Looking for a unique way to propose to the love of you life? Not sure you can get the words you want to say out?

Well how about doing it like they do in the films and fly that very important wedding proposal from a plane!

Available for a mere £831.91, this has to be one of the most unique marriage proposal options there are, and one that’s going to be very hard for them to say no to.

The basic banner is made up of the name of your intended and the “Will You Marry Me” message, but you can have it lengthened if you’re willing to buy a bit more.

Advertised as a London service, this can be ordered for throughout the UK, but again will end up costing you more…

You can find out more about this very unique and incredibly romatic way to propose at Buyagift.

Looking for a present idea for someone well and truly obsessed with motor racing? Buyagift have just the thing to have them talking non-stop for hours with their Silverstore Driving Experience.

Designed to allow them to choose exactly what they get to experience, this gift provides the recipient with a Silverstone driving experience voucher that will allow them choose one of five different experiences that they are sure to never forget.

The options are Ferrari Driving Thrill, Lotus Driving Thrill, Rally Driving Thrill, Aston Martin Driving Thrill or the Single Seater Thrill, and the day will start first with in car briefing from your instructor where you’ll get some hints and tips on how to handle the track.

Once that’s done, it’s over to you to do three amazing laps of this world famous track,

And just in case you think people won’t believe you did it, they’re give you a certificate for you to show off too!

The Silverstore Driving Experience can be ordered for £125.00 from Buyagift.

There are loads of novelty beer glasses on the market covered with “witty” jokes and funny jokes, but this Hopside Down glass has to be my favourite.

Styled in the shape of a normal beer glass, this glass starts to get a bit confusing (especially if you’ve already had a drink) because inside the main glass there appears to e the top half of an upside down beer bottle!

Created by a hand blown technique, this beer glass is not only fun, but also incredible quality and sure to keep your beer cold, because due to the space between the bottle inside and the glass, there’s no chance of your warm mitts making that gorgeous ice cold beer luke warm.

The Hopside Down glass is available for £14.95 at Firebox.

Looking for a gift to say thank to your ushers for all the effort they put in to making your wedding day the best day of life?

The Gift Experience have a great selection of Usher Wedding gifts that make perfect thank yous and the best thing is they aren’t going to cost you a fortune.

The gifts range from personalised Pint glasses like the ones above, to hip flasks, tankards, photo frames and cufflinks and prices start from just £9.99.

And if any of these gifts don’t quite seem like the right thing, don’t worry, with a huge range of personalised gifts as well as other gifts for men, I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to find something to suit every usher and every taste!

Click here now to view the range of gifts for Ushers at The Gift Experience.

Looking for a gift to say thank you for all the hard work your Best Man did for your wedding?

If he likes a little tipple every now and then, The Gift Experience might have just the thig with their Best Man Hip Flask.

Made out of  stainless steel, this hip flask is engraved with the words Our Best Man on the front, and comes in a presentation box and funnel to make sure he never loses a drop of his favourite drink.

The flask holds around 4 fluid ounces, so just enough to warm him up after a cold walk outside, and comes complete with hinged screw top to make sure he doesn’t lose it in the undergrowth.

The Engraved Best Man Hip Flask Presentation Set is available for £16.99 from The Gift Experience.

Did you dream of having fireworks to end your Wedding Day but discovered that it’s far too expensive to do alongside everything else?

Me too.

However I have found something that I think is just as nice, a whole lot more personal, and most important of all - a lot cheaper - Sky Lanterns.

If you haven’t come across these before, you’re missing out because they’re stunning.

Made of paper, they act like little hot air balloons, and can be left through the reception for people to personalise.

Then when the evening comes to an end, you can all go outside, lifht the wax fuel cell inside, wait for the flame to appear, then make a wish as you watch your  biodegradable lantern fly away.

And there’s no need to worry about it plopping down at your feet, because these can glow for as long as 20 minutes, rise to 1500 metres and travel for miles.

There are ten in a pack which only costs £24.95 which means each table could have one to release and it’s definitely going to be something people will remember more than just another firework display…

Sky Lanterns can be bought online at Firebox.