This woman is one of your mentors and is a friend of yours for years, and the time has come for her to retire. This means it is time to find the perfect gift. The underlying questions are figuring out how to tell her how much of an inspiration she has been throughout the years, and how can you provide inspiration to her as she moves on to her next stage of her lifetime? The reality is, while celebrating the end of her career, you are also celebrating the next chapter of her life story.
Here are ten retirement gift ideas for women that will not only truly express how much you have gotten to know your colleague over the years, but also how much you appreciate the time the two of you could work together.
1: Faux Magazine Covers
For those who are proficient in graphic design software like Photoshop or who have friends who are graphic designers, there are opportunities to create faux magazine covers where the retiree is the model on the cover. Name the magazine something clever like, “Beautifully Retiring,” or something that has more to do with how she will be spending her time as a retiree.
As with traditional magazine covers, the need to add various sized headlines that highlight how she will be spending her retirement is another great addition for these retirement gift ideas for women. Some examples could include “5 Tips to a Great Garden,” or “Glamorous Travel Destinations.”
2: Lessons or Supplies for Her Hobby or Sport
Some prefer to focus their retirement gifts for women around practical choices, and this falls neatly within that category. If your friend has plans to learn art or a new craft during their retirement, there is a plethora of gift ideas to choose from. If she has plans to learn watercolors or oil painting, you could purchase a gift certificate to a local artist supply store or you could fill a large gift basket full of supplies featuring a bouffant bow.
She may also have plans to make improvements upon a sport she participates in regularly. This may call for a gift certificate to a country club. You may be able to pool together a large group of coworkers to purchase her a country club or tennis club membership.
3: Movie Lovers Gift Idea
Women who typically enjoy concerts, plays, movies and other cultural events will have a lot more time to attend them now that they are retired and will appreciate the retirement gift ideas for women where the gift of tickets to a local performing arts center or concert series are given. Because most concert series occur across throughout a season, your friend will enjoy this gift repeatedly and will have multiple dates to look forward to when this gift is in use.
4: Gift Idea for Book Lovers
If your friend loves reading, these retirement gift ideas for women could fit right in with the fact that she will have more time to spend with her nose buried in a good book. For those who enjoy classic literature, presenting the gift of a library of such titles is something that is something she will surely love.
Some ideas include Hemmingway novels, Shakespeare plays, and other classics like Tom Sawyer and Moby Dick. In addition to this library, pick up a slim blank book as well. Within the pages, ask each co-worker to fill several pages with notes, pictures, and other pieces of ephemera that are special messages.
5: Gift Idea for the Traveler
It is common for retirees to want to travel because, for the first time in years, they have the means and the time to do so. Therefore, these retirement gift ideas for women means finding anything that will help make her travel voyages simpler. You could pick up passport covers, a set of luggage tags, some books about travel, different maps for countries you know she plans to visit, or totes for traveling.
For those who are planning to have a large group of coworkers pitch in on one large gift for the retiree, consider purchasing a beautiful luggage set. Not only will this help her get off to a good start, but also it will entice her to put her plans into action. If your group has a lot of funds to work with, you could also purchase her an open-ended plane ticket to really get her off on her first adventure.
6: For the Wine Lover
Wine lovers cannot resist the opportunity to experience new varietal or vintages. Therefore, a gift membership to wine of the month clubs where receiving new specialty selections of wines on a monthly basis throughout the month could be the perfect gift. Many of these clubs are available right online, so researching them and signing up is simple.
You could couple this with a set of wine tasting classes that she could enjoy throughout her retirement, as well. Present this gift wrapped up in a set of beautiful wine glasses, delicious cheeses, the certificate, and a wine decanter all placed inside a beautiful basket.
7: For the Garden Lover
When someone loves to garden, it is mainly because the experience is gratifying and peaceful. If the retiree has plans to spend her retirement in her gardens, she may relish in a gift of new gardening tools, as well as comfortable knee pads, gardening gloves, and some gardening clogs. Consider placing these items inside a wheelbarrow so she can transport her plantings throughout her property.
8: Relaxation and Comfort Gift Ideas
Your friend may have no plans for a lot of activity after working a high stress job, therefore doing a lot of nothing may be on her agenda. Relaxation may be her top priority, therefore focusing this gift idea for women on just that should be yours. Choose pillows featuring ergonomic comfort, specialized blankets, eye masks, and other relaxation items to help make this the idea gift. Choose aromatherapy candles and lotions that have pleasant scents to help complete this gift basket for relaxation.
9: Create a “This is Your Life” Framed Print
Create a piece of art using yourmemorylane.com to commemorate the retiree’s accomplishments, landmark events, places they have traveled, and hobbies. This website creates an animated piece of art featuring each of these life events in a unique way that is very personal. Not only will she have a special way of showing, “this is my life,” but also she can proudly show it in her home. These types of retirement gift ideas for women leave lasting impressions.
10: Retiree’s Framed Photograph
Even though this may not sound like an original gift, but how many people can say they have photographs of themselves in their place of employment? Consider taking a picture of the retiree in her final days of employment while she is working and “in action.” Frame the photograph on a matte that every co-worker can sign prior to closing it up. This will provide her with a one-of-a-kind gift that is personalized and will allow her to recall how special everyone around her was as they each toasted her milestone moment.