Retirement Gifts
A gold watch or a Venetian glass paperweight with the retiree’s name etched in it in cursive writing are old-fashioned retirement gifts. They’re classics, but old-school and grandfatherly, and kind of worn out, boring, and impersonal. As the late great comedian George Carlin quipped, he’d rather life went backwards: “You should die first, get it out of the way. Then you live in an old age home. You get kicked out when you're too young, you get a gold watch, you go to work. You work forty years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement...”
Why not have some fun? It's better to commemorate a lifetime of effort in a job with gifts that are more contemporary and more fabulous and more personal than a gold watch, nice as that is. How about:
Presents With Personality
People are living longer and healthier lives and those over 65 are starting new hobbies and deepening their interest in old ones. They have plans for fun and leisure in retirement; the presents given to celebrate their work achievements should reflect their passions old and new.
Literary types will enjoy:
- A poem, each line written by a different colleague
- A gorgeous Mont Blanc pen, engraved with their favorite bon mots and office jokes
- The twenty volume set of th Oxford English Dictionary
- The CD-ROM set of the very literary New Yorker Magazine
For wine enthusiasts:
- A case of good champagne from the vintage year they joined the company
- A subscription to the acclaimed magazine Wine Spectator so they can start their own cellar
For the gardener:
- Gardening gloves, with wide-brimmed straw hat, and hand salve from the New York Botanical Garden
- White Flower Farms offers a selection of garden ornaments, gardening containers and trellises for the flower garden
- A selection of their favorite spring bulbs in a pretty wicker basket, with an offer to help plant them
For the traveler:
- The Globe Corner Bookstore has maps, guidebooks, and advice for those going far-flung places
- A handmade eyepillow and blanket for long plane rides
- Learning Spanish Like Crazy CDs
- Scuba gear
- A pastry-making class in one of the chateaux of the Loire Valley
The most important aspect of a gift is the spirit with which it is given. Retirement for many people is a great leap into the unknown after 30 or more years of strictly regimented nine-to-five. It is a milestone and a change of life and finding an appropriate present should take time and thoughtfulness on the part of the whole office. So get creative and have fun!
