Your co-worker's 50th birthday is a major milestone, and a work celebration might be in order if company policy allows it. But gift-shopping for a co-worker can be tricky. Anything too personal, too expensive or too off-color embarrasses the person you're celebrating and makes the occasion uncomfortable for everyone. Clean joke gifts are a better alternative because they put the birthday guy or gal in the spotlight rather than the hot seat and make for a fun, lighthearted party. 

A "survival kit" -- a themed collection of fun and inexpensive items to chase away 50th-birthday blues -- makes a perfect clean joke gift. Just keep it positive to avoid anything that might be construed as discriminatory. You can create a list of things to include and pass it around to co-workers who'd like to contribute. The following ideas will get you started.

1. Chill Pills

Fill a jar with M&Ms, Reese's Pieces or mini jelly beans, and make a Chill Pills label to attach to the container. You can write a caption such as "Don't sweat your 50th!"

2.  A Toast to Your 50th

Make a new label for a miniature bottle of champagne or sparkling juice, or write out a tag and use ribbon to tie the tag to the neck of the bottle. Alternatively, write the sentiment on a champagne or wine glass using glass paint or permanent markers.

3. Energizer Batteries

For a fun play on the old Energizer Bunny ads, include a package of batteries with a tag that says, "To keep you going and going..."

4. Deck of Cards

Make a label for the box that says, "Still playing with a full deck."

6. Bag of Marbles

Purchase a bag of marbles from a craft store and attach a "Refills" tag. You can add a line that says "In case you lose yours" if you think your co-worker might not get the joke right away.

7. Magnifying Glass

Most 50-year-olds are likely to recognize the value of large print without any prompting, but you can turn this one around with a tag that says, "Looking better than ever."  

8. Miniature Travel Game

Purchase an inexpensive travel version of a popular board game and make a tag that says, "Still at the top of your game."

No matter what a person's age, a workplace birthday party should leave the guest of  honor feeling valued and appreciated. A funny but clean and kind survival kit does this both by its contents and by the group effort that goes into creating it.

Contact a company, like Mongofun!, for more ideas.

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