When someone turns 50, create a lighthearted atmosphere by giving a half century novelty gift. Novelties are usually small humorous gifts that are intended to make the person laugh and not take themselves or the fiftieth year too seriously.

Novelty gifts are widely available to purchase on the internet as well as at dollar stores, discount stores and party stores. Since half century novelty gifts are so inexpensive, you could give more than one or even a big bag of novelties to really bring cheer and fun to the occasion.

There are several points to remember when selecting a novelty gift. First, you really do not want to offend the recipient. The intention is to bring humor and fun with the gift, not to offend and insult someone due to their age. Secondly, it is not necessary to spend a large sum of money on a novelty gift. These types of gifts are not likely to be treasured and saved long-term.  Rather, they are a short duration way to make someone laugh and let them know that you are thinking about them.

There are many standard half century gifts for the 50-year-old, including printed Over-the-Hill novelty gifts. These include coffee mugs, mouse pads, t-shirts, and hats. Since this is a common novelty gift, it may be best to avoid this in favor of something more unique and interesting.

There are many gadgets available that do not necessarily have a slogan printed on them that convey that the person is over the hill or getting older, but that statement can still be made through the gift itself. For example, if you were to give a gadget such as an electric can opener, this would in effect say that he or she is now too weak to open a simple can. An added benefit of a gadget type gift is that it can actually be useful and not be soon discarded.

Another half century novelty gift that reminds the recipient that he is aging is a magnifying glass.

Another half century novelty gift that reminds the recipient that he is aging is a magnifying glass. Perhaps you could include some extremely tiny printed material with the magnifying glass. Before presenting the novelty gift, first ask the person if he can read the print, and let him know that you can read it just fine. When he says the print is just too small to read, then produce the magnifying glass.

There are many novelty gifts that refer to problems with aging and hormones.

For women who are turning 50, there are many novelty gifts that refer to problems with aging and hormones. There are emergency hormone replacement “pills” which are actually chocolate candies. Slippers are always a fun novelty gift idea especially when they resemble huge pink bunnies or cartoon characters. There are also many novelty toys available including racing grannies which are plastic figurines that push their walkers along, or boxing grannies and even fighting granddads wielding umbrellas. Many of these fun novelty gifts are readily available on line for a nominal cost.

... a face-lift kit, which is actually just a roll of duct tape ...

As people age there are inevitable problems with hair growth; not enough hair on the top of the head, and too much hair in the nose and ears. A funny novelty gift for a 50-year-old would be an electric nose and ear hair trimmer. Again, this is actually a useful object but can be funny in the right context. Another fun novelty gift would be danger zone tape or orange cones to imply that the now 50-year-old needs help getting around the house and avoiding dangers. There are also other fun novelty gifts available such as a face-lift kit which is actually just a roll of duct tape or a package of marbles for those who have lost their marbles. These are all items you could bundle together in a Getting Older kit or gift basket full of novelties.

Other novelties are available for a fiftieth gift which may bring a laugh or two. These include inflatable walkers, inflatable canes, and the ever popular inflatable portable potty kit. There are also novelty party items including beverage napkins with such fun slogans as "Got Prune Juice" and "Got Fiber". Other amusing novelty gifts include an exploding ink pen, exploding soap and the classic jumbo snake can in which a snake pops out of a can.

These are all fun ways to acknowledge that your friend is aging and can still take a joke. Remember to keep the novelty gift in good taste and avoid offending the recipient. But, also remember that laughter is often the best medicine. Receiving a novelty gift will definitely result in uncontrollable laughter.

Tags: 50, 50-year-old, fiftieth, gadget, gadgets, gag gifts, half century, novelties, novelty