Thoughtful Retirement Gifts For Dad To Help Him Celebrate

Retirement gifts usually aim at the leaving do. The harder bit comes about three months later, when the novelty of Tuesday mornings has worn off and the structure has gone.

The gifts that help are projects, hobbies and reasons to leave the house - things with a bit of shape to them rather than another bottle and a card.

Honest note: we make cards, pin badges, prints and party decorations in the UK. Journals, kit and memberships are recommendations from elsewhere.

Projects for the new free time

• A life story journal with a few hundred prompts. It gives him a small daily task, it suits reflecting on a whole career, and the family gets to read it afterwards.
• A family tree subscription and a folder for the certificates.
• A course - woodwork, photography, cooking, languages.
• A allotment year, if there is one going locally.
• A restoration project: a bike, a piece of furniture, an old radio.

Reasons to get out of the house

• National Trust or English Heritage membership.
• A bowls, golf or walking club joining fee.
• A rail card and a day out already planned.
• Season tickets or a block of matches with you, not just for him.
• A standing monthly lunch in the diary, which costs nothing and is the gift he mentions later.

From the family and the workplace

• A card with room for real messages - Shop the range
• A print for the study, shed or garden room - Shop the range
• A pin badge, small and daft, from the grandchildren - Shop the range
• A book of messages from colleagues, collected quietly before the last day.
• Retirement decorations for the send-off - Read the guide

What to avoid

• Anything implying decline or boredom as a joke, unless you are certain of his humour.
• Golf equipment for a man who plays twice a year.
• Big tech needing setting up, unless you set it up first.
• A garden gift if they are downsizing soon.
• Funny angle, if that's more him - Read the guide

Shop retirement cards

How to write it so it lands

• Buy for month three, not the leaving do.
• Projects beat objects.
• Book time in the diary as part of the gift.

Where to shop next

• Greetings cards
• Birthday cards
• Pin badges
• Wall art and prints
• Candles
• Sentimental 60th birthday gifts for dad
• The Dad Life Story Journal, explained
• Father of the groom gifts
• Gifts for new dads
• Questions to ask your dad about his life
• Gifts for dads who want nothing
• Funny 60th birthday gifts for dad
• Funny retirement gifts for dad
• Man cave wall art ideas
• Wellness gifts for men
• Best birthday cards for dad
• Father's Day gift ideas
• Retirement party decorations
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Gifts for Him
• Gifts for Dad
• Funny Father's Day cards
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What are good retirement gifts for dad?

Projects and reasons to get out: a life story journal, a family tree subscription, a course, a club membership, a National Trust card, or a standing monthly lunch with you.

What do you buy a dad who is retiring and wants nothing?

Something with shape to it rather than an object - a project he can pick up daily, or time already booked in the diary with the family.

Is a life story journal a good retirement gift?

Yes. It suits the point where a whole career is behind him, it gives structure to the quiet mornings, and the family keeps it afterwards.

How much do families spend on a retirement gift?

Families usually spend GBP 50 to GBP 150; a workplace whip-round tends to be GBP 100 to GBP 250 for one substantial present.

What should you not buy someone retiring?

Jokes about being old, equipment for a hobby he rarely does, and technology that needs someone else to set it up.

Do you make the life story journal yourselves?

No. We design and print greetings cards, enamel pin badges, prints and party decorations in the UK. Journals and books are recommendations from elsewhere - the only things linked to our own shop are ours.