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How to Give a Meaningful Retirement Gift
Your final day of work before retirement is a day many dream of for years, and it is common to celebrate the accomplishment with a “retirement gift”. However, there is an art to giving a great and meaningful retirement gift. Whether its for your co-worker, friend, or loved one, here are some simple tips to help give them a memorable gift.
What are retirement gifts and why do we give them?
It’s official, they have escaped the rat race! Celebrate the end of their nine to five, and their relaxing years ahead because, well, they have earnt it. Retirement gifts are usually given on the final day of work, or at a retirement party and celebrate a lifetime of hard work. Retirement tends to be the culmination of personal, career, and financial goals, and ought to be celebrated with a well-thought-out gift. Here are some of our favourite ideas for gifts that your loved one will not only appreciate but use in their upcoming free time.
Experience Based Gifts
When you retire, you quickly realise how much time there is the working day. With this now liberated, there is no better time than to explore, learn, and try new things. This is why we believe experience-based gifts are the perfect retirement gift. You could gift them tickets to an upcoming show or online course. You could give them a voucher for a local museum, or book them in for a weekend getaway or spa treatment. These experiences offer the opportunity to make memories, and learn something new, and are likely to be far more treasured than an item.
Here are some more ideas:
- A subscription to a local book club. There are some which send out a book each month alongside some extra goodies, and then they get together to discuss the read
- A cooking class, just make sure you haven’t insulted their cooking in the past!
- Sporting event tickets for the rugby or soccer fan
- Singing, dance, or music lessons are great if they have expressed interest in learning in the past
- Ferry tickets so they can explore some of Auckland’s beautiful islands
Hobby Baskets
Another great option is hobby baskets which include items for one of their hobbies. You could collate some beautiful paints and brushes for the artist in your life or collect everything they would need to start gardening. Retirement is a great time to pursue new or forgotten hobbies, and so gifting them with the essentials to get started is a great option. Extra points if they have mentioned their interest to you before! If they are new to the hobby, including a voucher for a class or session with an instructor can be much appreciated.
Here are some more ideas:
- A beer brewing kit for your favourite hop aficionado
- Knitting or crochet basket with some high-quality wool or needles
- Movie lover basket with all the staples for enjoying a movie including popcorn, snacks, movie tickets, a notebook to keep track of the movies they have watched, and what they thought, or a Netflix or Neon subscription
- A bundle of everything they need to become a mixologist and whip up their own cocktails. You may include glasses, some mixers, their favourite spirits, and a cocktail class
- A fishing essentials hamper with new lures, snacks for the boat, seasonings to cook their catch, sunscreen, and some new hooks or sinkers
Avoid Gag-Gifts
Many people use retirement parties as an opportunity to give gag gifts. Gag gifts are given strictly for comedic effect, or to poke fun at the receiver. Now, gag gifts can be funny, but retirement may not be the best time to give them. They can backfire, come off as rude, or make the receiver feel embarrassed. That is certainly not the way to celebrate reaching a major achievement! Further, many gag gifts are cheap and end up being just thrown away. If you really want to give your loved one a gag gift, we suggest pairing it with a genuine and thoughtful gift.
Present it well
Once you have picked out your gift, it is important to choose the right moment to give it to them. If you are giving it to them at a party or other public setting, read the room and ensure the gift is appropriate for the audience and moment. Alternatively, you may want to consider how you will store the gift during the party, or if it is something to save until a later and more private time.
It is not always easy finding the perfect gift, but we hope with these tips you will feel confident in giving your loved one something they will adore and use.
If you are considering a lifestyle change or retirement, we would love to get in touch.