One trend brought to us during the wildness of the last year was that more people are retiring than ever before. More than likely, you know one of the 10,000 people who are retiring per day!
We’ve created a list of 21 unique gift categories just for the folks retiring in 2024 — these gifts are better than your everyday gift card (although a retirement gift card isn’t a bad option, either). Even if health or any other concerns are keeping in-person activities at an arm’s length for the time being, here are a few retirement gift ideas to make gifting your retiring co-worker, loved one, or friend easy for you to navigate this year.
Retirement is something to celebrate
Honor a career with messages, memories, photos, personal videos, and more.
Best Overall Retirement Gift
– Yes, we’re a little biased here — but there’s no better way to celebrate a retiree than with a Kudoboard! Kudoboard helps you create a retirement card for the person you want to celebrate. Add photos from your time at the office with your retiree, videos from some of your favorite trips or activities, and include a written message to them with your Kudoboard retirement card. You can see an example of a retirement Kudoboard created here.
Best Retirement Gifts for Readers
– Gift a Literati Book Club membership. Your favorite avid reader will love this book club subscription. Literati has paired with athletes like Stephen Curry and activists like Malala Yousafzai to create book clubs managed by those celebrities — books are curated by the celebrity for their subscribers based on the topics they care about.
– Gift a custom art print of some of their favorite books. This personalized retirement gift idea is one your favorite retiring teacher or avid reader is sure to love and one that will help your retiree show their love of reading with style — a book art print is the perfect gift they can hang anywhere in the house or better yet, in their favorite reading nook.
Best Retirement Gifts for the Sommelier
– An Argyle Winery Wine Club Box. Get your retiree a wine club box of their favorite type of wine, or help them try something new with a box of assorted wines to help them start refining their wine palette little by little, sip by sip. Our favorite wine club box comes from Argyle Winery based out of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Argyle specializes in bubbly, so if your retiree wants to celebrate at their retirement party with a fine glass of champagne, this is a great option for them.
– A decanter is a great retirement gift idea for your wine-loving retiree. We love this gift because it is fairly inexpensive and an item any aspiring sommelier will need as they continue to develop their wine palette. Enhance any home retirement celebration with a decanter full of wine.
Best Retirement Gifts for Relaxing
– An Eno Doublenest hammock is the perfect retirement gift for the retiree that can’t wait to hang out anytime they want. With fun color combinations and print options to choose from, you’re bound to find a hammock that’ll match your retiree’s style. The best thing about this hammock is that it compresses into a small ball and weighs very little — so your retiree can take it from their backyard to the beach and everywhere in between with ease.
– A candle set. Diptyque candles are great to have around the house to add a fresh scent and create a relaxing atmosphere. Diptyque has been creating scents since 1968 and they have a variety of fragrances to choose from.
Best Retirement Gifts for the Adventurer
-A Parks Project Gift Box. Get your retiring outdoor enthusiast a gift box that they’ll love and use throughout their future outdoor adventures. Parks Project has the perfect gift box with hiking socks, playing cards for camp, a journal, and more. Everything Parks Project sells helps to fund our national parks too, so you can support your retiree’s favorite places.
– A National Parks pass. If your retiree doesn’t have a national parks pass they will be thrilled with this gift! With an annual national parks pass, your retiree will be able to visit any national park for an entire year without having to pay entrance fees.
Best Retirement Gifts for Rest
– A Brooklinen weighted blanket is a great option for the retiree that’s excited to no longer set their alarm. The Brooklinen weighted comforter will already match any bed with its clean design and has corner loops to attach to any duvet cover, so you can make sure it’ll fit a duvet cover your retiree already has.
– A silk eye mask. If your retiree has trouble falling asleep due to light, they will love this eye mask from Brooklinen.
Best Retirement Gifts for Coffee Lovers
A Keurig K-Duo is a great gift for a retiring coffee connoisseur. The K-Duo, along with the classic Keurig pod function, has a large coffee pot so your retiree can enjoy a pot over an entire morning if they want. Keurig has lots of different flavors of coffee pods to choose from as well, so you can find a coffee pod to gift along with their K-Duo that’ll be sure to meet your retiree’s taste.
The Miir insulated mug. Your favorite retiree will love this coffee mug — the Miir mug has double wall vacuum insulation that will keep their coffee hot for the long sips ahead. Add their favorite coffee beans as a part of this gift and you’ll have a retirement gift basket made for your retiring coffee connoisseur.
Best Retirement Gifts for Chefs
– Hellofresh will send meal kits directly to your retiree’s home so they can make new recipes that’ll inspire them to keep cooking. Hellofresh can be one the best retirement gifts for women or retirement gifts for men — it’s a great gift for anyone that loves to cook new things or wants to learn to cook in their retirement.
– The FINEX cast iron skillet. This cast iron skillet will wow your retiree with its unique angular design, chrome and gold handle, and lid to match. The FINEX cast iron skillet is ready for years of good cooking.
Best Retirement Gifts for Tech Lovers
– The Google Nest Audio speaker is a great gift for the retiree that’s looking forward to setting up their smart home. Nest Audio lets you control other smart home devices and a host of apps with your voice — so you can ask your speaker to play you your favorite song and turn off your smart lights all from the same device. We love it!
-A set of smart plugs. This is an essential smart home tool. Smart plugs will allow your retiree to control electronic devices around their home.
Best Retirement Gifts for Spa Lovers
The Classic Bathrobe from Parachute. This robe is one of the best gifts for the retiree who wants some creature comforts! Parachute bathrobes will make your retiree feel like they have their very own in-home spa.
A Lush bath bomb. Lush bath bombs have essential oils, a variety of scents, and lots of different designs, so you can select a couple of bath bombs to curate a custom retirement gift for their home spa.
Best Retirement Gifts for Cyclists
– A Peloton bike. This would be the envy of all retirement gifts for a retiree that wants the latest and greatest in home gym machines. Peloton bikes let you race virtually against friends that also have the bike, train with a spin instructor, and track progress along the way.
The Roam handlebar phone mount. This is a great gift to ensure your favorite retiree is able to keep the phone secure as they ride their bike. It keeps phones from falling out of pockets and headphone cords will be easier to manage during a bike ride — the Roam mount is a great tool any cyclist will love.
Best Retirement Gifts for Game Lover
– A Nintendo Switch. A Switch is the perfect gift for the retiree that can’t wait to have a new adventure from the comfort of home. With a variety of games to choose from, and the ability to play as a handheld device or on the big screen, the Switch is a great option for anyone who just got some more time on their hands.
– Quoridor board game. If your retiree prefers boards games this is a great choice. This strategy game can be played with up to four people at a time, is made out of high-quality wood, and is intuitive to play with its simple goal — the piece that reaches the opposite side of the board wins.
Best Retirement Gifts for News Junkies
– A New York Times subscription. In addition to the journalism that has won 130 Pulitzer Prizes since its inception in 1851, The New York Times subscription gives a daily crossword puzzle that gets harder as the week progresses, so your retiree can stay engaged and have fun solving a crossword every day too.
-A Spotify subscription. Spotify isn’t just music anymore! With news podcasts from a plethora of reputable news sources, this is a great choice for a retiree that prefers to listen to the news.
Best Retirement Gifts for the Outdoorsy
– The Kelty Low Loveseat. This two-person chair is perfect for car camping or enjoying some time next your backyard fire pit. Your retiring friend, dad, mom, or colleague will love this special gift.
– The Luci Solar Light. Your favorite retiree is going to love this useful and thoughtful retirement gift. The Luci solar light not only will never need batteries, but it’s waterproof, lightweight, and even has an integrated USB port to charge your phone.
Best Retirement Gifts for Film Buffs
– A Criterion Collection gift subscription. This retirement gift idea is for the movie lover that just can’t watch enough. With the criterion collection subscription, your retiree can watch all the classic films they never had time for during their working years.
-A new popcorn bowl. If your retiree loves the most classic of movie snacks, they will appreciate a bowl just for their popcorn.
Best Retirement Gifts for the Magical
– The Penn and Teller Masterclass will help your retiree learn the art of magic right in their own home. This is a great gift for anyone that’s always wanted to learn how to entertain their family and friends.
– Gift an online magic experience. Airbnb online experiences offers Secrets of Magic, an online magic show where your host will amaze you with their magic trick expertise, and then teach your retiree a couple tricks to keep up their sleeve.
Best Retirement Gift for the Chessmaster
– This handmade chess set from Weigel is a beautiful set that’ll make your retiree feel like they’re starring in their very own Queen’s Gambit spinoff.
Best Retirement Gifts for Cozy Weekends
– A Pendleton throw blanket. These blankets will last forever and keep your retiree warm and cozy while they spend some time reading, watching Netflix, or taking a nap on their couch.
– A couple of new throw pillows. When your retiree wants to lay back to read a book or catch up on their favorite Netflix show, they’re going to need a throw pillow to get comfortable. West Elm has lots of different throw pillow patterns for you to choose from, so you’re sure to find a pillow that your retiree will love.
Best Retirement Gifts for Green Thumbs
– Bloomscape plant delivery. Indoor plants will help create a beautiful and tranquil environment, perfect for the retiree who always wants to feel like they’re in nature! Bloomscape has a variety of plants from birds of paradise to bamboo plans so you can find a plant that your retiree will love.
– Plant care book. If your retiree is new to indoor house plants, this is the perfect book to help guide them through their indoor garden journey. Your retiree, and their plants, will be glad you got them this thoughtful gift.
Best Retirement Gifts for Cat Lovers
– The Cat Lady Box. The Cat Lady boxed is curated by women, for women who love spending time with their feline friends — boxes can come with a cat themed mug , cat toys, a cat charm bracelet, and so much more. This is a unique retirement gift that is truly purrfect.
– Cat themed coasters. These adorable cat coasters are great for your retiree to set their cup of tea or coffee on while they hang out with their cat companion.
Best Retirement Gifts for Bakers
– The KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer. A stand mixer is a quintessential kitchen item for a serious baker. A stand mixer would be a great gift to help your retiree elevate their baking skills to the next level.
– A baking cook book. With plenty of more time on your retiree’s hands, we recommend getting them new baking book full of new recipes for them. Our favorite is Genius Desserts: 100 Recipes That Will Change the Way You Bake. The recipes added in the book are sourced from top chefs and dessert experts.
Retirement Gifts for All
Congratulations to all the folks retiring this year! After years of hard work we wish retirees all the best in their next chapter (and if you’re wondering how to say just the right thing to your retiree, here are some ideas for wishing someone a happy retirement).
Kudoboard is happy to help celebrate your retiree — create a retirement ecard for your retiree today.
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