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The Best Boomer Gift Guide for Holidays, Christmas, Hanukkah, Birthdays, Retirement, Valentines, Father’s Day and Mother’s Day
Whether you are buying gifts for a person over 50 and you are in the same age bracket, or whether you are younger and looking for a gift for a parent, relative or colleague of that age, it can be hard to find the perfect present for people that you might think already have everything they need.
In this gift guide for Boomers we provide some general advice on buying presents for people 50-plus and offer some specific examples to consider. Our review of gift giving ideas – whether budget presents or premium gifts for the over-50 person – show a trend towards “experience” or activity-based gift giving.
First, a top ten list of the areas of Boomer life and interests on which to focus:
1. Travel:
This generation is perhaps the best-traveled in history and there is no sign of let-up here. Whether it is a trip to Burma or a trip to the beach, the 50-plus generation will appreciate gifts of travel or travel-related products. This applies to those who are retired with plenty of time on their hands, as well as to those who are busy and need a quick break.
So what are the best ideas? Around-the-world tickets! OK, so that one is perhaps a retirement or golden anniversary gift, but it sends a big message of gratitude. There are excellent options here if you think creatively. Don’t just think cruise, think specialist cruises. Don’t just think a trip to Central America to see the Rain Forest, think a trip to build schools there. Don’t just think about a long weekend in Venice; think about an RV rental for a month or a rail pass. If you want unique ideas, use a specialist travel consultant to plan a professional itinerary.
Engage the person you are buying a travel gift for in a conversation about the top five trips they have taken or would like to take. It might be camping in Montana or a simple get-away at a familiar family resort…everybody likes talking about their fantasy trips, just don’t be surprised if it doesn’t include you!
2. Health and Beauty:
Anti-aging and looking good while you are adding those years to your life is a key concern for anyone over 50. There are hundreds of exciting new products that can extend the vigor and youthful appearance, and many great books on the subject as well – all of which make great gifts. But be careful not to let such a gift seem like emergency relief!
Speaking of which, Sex is still a big part of every Boomer’s life, despite what the kids think. Intimate gifts for close friends can provoke a spark of humor or something much better… presents of sexy nightwear, “toys” and bottles of those male enhancement pills might reinvigorate the second half of 50+ life. But there are many specific gifts in this Health and Beauty category that regularly make the list of most popular gifts for people over 50.
The Spa retreat may seem an expensive gift – but it is a perfect one for kids to get together on. While it may seem a popular one mainly for women, these can be great for men too who see it as a romantic get-away. Don’t forget the Beauty makeover – this ranks very high for women who appreciate the opportunity for a fresh look, with some professional advice. If you think you know someone well enough, skin clinic treatments and even plastic surgery are an option.
3. Fitness and Sports:
Yoga and Tai Chi lessons, hiking or biking, rafting and adventure activities or just plain workout equipment or attire make excellent targets for gifts for the over 50 lifestyle.
The great thing about products this category is that active people go through it very quickly and are always looking for fresh gear. But big items here are tickets or trips to big sporting events – they may be hard to get, but consider a specialist ticketing service – the type that corporations use – for really great sports seats.
Of course, if you are lucky enough to be buying for a golf or fishing fan, you probably need little help in finding something among the millions of products available. But do consider trips to a popular golf resort or fishing spot as one of the best “experience” gifts possible.
But a gift that rates very highly for this generation is that of a personal trainer – from Pilates to kickboxing – at home or at the gym, the one-to-one attention can make a big difference and be very special.
4. Education and Intellectual Life:
We never stop learning and we thrive on arts and culture. Books of all kinds are a natural place to start: self-improvement, coffee-table art books, antique collectable books, books relating to events that the person may have participated in (from Woodstock to a general election.)
Think also about audio books, or an electronic reader like Kindle – they are great for travel as you can pack dozens of books in the space of one.
But consider also tickets to a museum, gallery or lectures. It sends a positive message about how you feel about the person as an intelligent and creative being with an eye to an expanded outlook. Similarly Adult education courses can be a good gift – perhaps a language course in advance of a foreign trip or an advanced cooking course from a popular chef.
Puzzles and games of old are fun, but there are many exciting electronic games and devices that are excellent at keeping the mind, body and reflexes strong. Think of Nintendo Wii or Nintendo DS as good examples.
5. Entertainment and Humor:
Who knew that the hair bands of the 70s would not only remain popular but would draw huge audiences when they tour? With the price of concert or theater tickets soaring into the hundreds of dollars, they now can be rated as a very valuable and considerate gift.
Look beyond the mainstream venues; many local events have big names from the days past, or singers and comics well known but perhaps not Broadway bound. Comedy clubs and events are especially a good treat as a night out for couples, families and groups.
6. Career, Money and Charity:
At fifty years old many of us are thinking about career advancement, not retirement. Is there an academic course that would appeal to the 50+ person, or perhaps a career coach or even a professional resume-writer?
A set of sessions with a financial planner might be considered impersonal to some, but to others it could be a welcome treat with practical benefits.
This next idea is definitely in the category of fulfilling a big dream, but it is on the top of many people’s wish lists: setting them up in a small business. This could be leasing or buying a store or restaurant or buying equipment for a modest manufacturing operation like quilts or decorations. If the opportunity to do this is not obvious, then it is likely best left alone or supported in less direct fashion.
The gift of Stock in your business or from your own portfolio can be a good way of thanking someone such as your parents for getting you to where you are today, without handing over cash. Plus there can be great tax benefits involved.
Which leads to charities: making a donation in a person’s name to a favorite cause (theirs not yours) is a wonderful gift for successful and generous people. Consider also reaching back to make a gift to their high school, college, community center or place of worship.
7. Retirement:
The gold watch and pen and pencil set doesn’t quite make the point anymore. Some ideas that have proven popular are more personal. For example, have a painting made out of a company photograph of the person, perhaps including images of the products they were responsible for. Have a writer create a biography that can be shared in hard-bound form for their family.
Create a photo history album of their time at work. But talk to a spouse or close friend outside of the office about the person’s interests and dreams. Hobbies and sports are a natural place to start. Sometimes a gift that helps ease them into the retirement lifestyle is appreciated. For example, hire a personal chef for a week so they can feel pampered on their first week out. Good wines, scotches, champagnes, cigars and the equipment that preserves them are also fine gifts for the appropriate person.
There are always mounted maps, globes, personalized cufflinks, and bookends to consider. Vintage or antique items relating to their interests are also worth considering, whether it be a signed book, sports shirt or fishing rod.
8. Nostalgia:
Nostalgia is optimism in reverse. Memorabilia can be a perfect gift if it hits the target. Vintage items of art and clothing can be found on eBay every day, but there are also current tickets to performances of major artists from the 60s and 70s and beyond.
There are also revivals of shows such as Hair – always running. But you can also think about bringing in old friends from college or high school days for a memory weekend.
9. Family, Friends, Dating and Companionship:
Thoughts of how to keep the family together, especially over Holiday and vacation seasons are paramount to people over 50. So considering gifts that speak to this need is a good focus.
An example is planning a family gathering at a vacation spot, or simply a special meal together at a venue that is often hard to get a table at.
Buying tickets to events that they can bring a friend along with a similar interest can also be a winning tactic here. If they are single, looking for ways to get them companionship or a date can be a good line – such as membership to a dating site, or signing them up for a course where they are likely to meet potential friends or partners. Look in the local publications – particularly in urban areas, where many of these activities are listed.
10. Apparel and Products:
For the home, the wardrobe and the technology that runs our lives. Items for the home and garden are clearly perennial favorites, but you might give a thought here to the fact that they might be downsizing their housing situation for empty-nesting or retirement reasons. So smaller, high-value items like art, glassware and silverware may be the solution.
You can rarely go wrong with gift certificates to a favorite store, where for the home or wardrobe. Hiring a personal shopper to help with a gift of a new wardrobe collection – for women OR men – is considered a cherished gift. This might be especially true at a time of life-change, such as retirement – where a business person might need a fresh approach to the new casual look. They may not have spent any time previously focusing on how they look in their off-hours.
Likewise, a mid-life-crisis car craving can be met head on with the latest Porsche or yacht or Learjet, but mortals will find a hybrid Honda or kayak might be good enough to satisfy that desire. There are legions of gift sources for car and boat equipment, but you might also think of a detailing job as a good gift for a car-lover.
There are plenty of technology “toys” to tempt the 50-65 gift planners, but think specially about buying gifts that take less time to set up and manage. Whether the 50+ person in your life is a technical wizard or not, they may have little time to fuss over complicated connections or software. Look to companies like Apple and Nintendo that make high quality items that are also much simpler to operate than Windows PCs or PC games. They may cost a little more but they represent an attractive gift of something that might otherwise be just a functional tool or toy. There are also services that will come to your house to configure or repair computers and entertainment systems.
Upgrading and clearing out a computer can add years of use to it for a very small fee to someone who knows what they are doing. Likewise, proper connections on an entertainment system can get better visual and audio performance out of existing gear, and simplify cables and stacks of remotes. Think of it as a personal trainer for the technology aspect of your life!
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