Homemade Gag Gifts for a 50th Birthday

Package an assortment of jellybeans or candy-coated chocolates in a jar or a large pill bottle that has been washed and its label removed. Print a homemade label with a humorous saying on it, such as "Perk-up Pills -- make you feel like you're 49 again." As an alternative to sweets, offer vitamins or a jar of coffee beans instead. Include a second label on the back of the jar stating the true contents of the package.

Create a homemade notepad by dividing a page into four or six parts in a document program, with the words "While You Were Napping" at the top of each section. Print out five or so sheets of the paper, then cut the sections out to stack them into a notepad. Another option is to print "Remember this, remember this" in each section as if the birthday girl forgets everything and needs twice as many reminders. A "Things to Avoid" homemade notepad serves as a playful alternative to the standard "To Do" lists.

Tease the birthday boy with a custom T-shirt emblazoned with the words "if lost, please return to ___" and his address, or the name of his favorite cafe or neighborhood bar. "Who Am I?" on a T-shirt implies your friend can't remember anything, even his own name, and it's sure to get a lot of laughs if he actually wears it out in public. Customize a plain shirt with an image of a gas mask and the words "Caution: Old Fart" for more laughs.

Gift the birthday girl with a bag of tennis balls with a hole cut into each ball. When she asks what the gift means, tell her the balls are to place on the bottom of her walker. Craft a makeshift walker yourself with an old chair fitted with tennis balls on the bottom of each foot, or place one tennis ball on the bottom of a garden tool handle for a makeshift walking stick/cane.