What would be a good present for a woman's 60th?

[TERFwithAcat]

It's my boss's 60th soon and we're all chipping in to get her something nice/ fun.

Any ideas as we don't actually know her that well!

A pair of zip-up fake fur-lined booties and a lifetime's supply of Werther's Originals. She is 60 so that's not going to be the expensive commitment it first appears.

Theatre/cinema/dining out vouchers would be my choice (I had that Big birthday ahem some time ago now).
What I would not want is any more Stuff, any jewellery/clothes that I haven’t chosen myself, or any Experiences that I hadn’t particularly mentioned lusting after.

😂

That actually made me LOL.

I was 60 this year. I don't like champagne so the one bottle I got is still unopened and will probably be regifted.
My friends got me a voucher for a lovely interiors shop, full of beautiful things that you would love to have but can't justify (want vs need). It was a good sum, so I had a very enjoyable time selecting a set of placemats, an iron candle lantern, a display dish and so on.
I would have also appreciated a beauty treatment voucher, which is our fallback birthday gift.
Echo pp - absolutely nothing with '60' on it!

Some of these suggestions aren’t really addressing the specific situation.

Employees can’t really give their boss money as a gift, surely? So not a voucher.

They’re not going to give a boss they don’t know well a dress, or a beauty treatment - either would be weird.

And unless it costs a vast amount, a pot plant would seem awfully dismissive. Different if the boss had previously entertained the team in her lovely garden - then they might give her some rose bushes, or apple trees.

If it's your boss I don't really think an expensive gift is appropriate...she might be embarrassed...surely a nice bouquet would be appreciated & not look too 'OTT'.

I hate this. I think it is arrogant and dismissive to send people a note to say you’ve donated their birthday present to a more worthy cause. it just reeks of virtue signalling by the giver at the cost of the person “receiving “ and telling them they are less deserving.
it’s fine to donate in someone’s memory once they’re dead..but if their alive give them their bloody gift even if it’s a small handmade or jokey thing. Or if they’ve actually, without prompting, told you to do this.
you give to your charities. They give to their. Do not ever give someone else’s “present” to charity on their behalf. It’s just pompous .

Voucher is fine . As long as it’s a wide option shop , it can be combined with flowers, a box of chocs or booze …just fine

Theatre tickets for To Kill A Mockingbird.

I'm saying slippers. Bear me out. I need slippers! I wear them out so will get used. Posh frilly boot warm ones. Would be way cool.

Maybe you could give her a choice of things when you collected money. So collection, then present a card along with say a bunch of flowers on the day, with please select what you’d prefer by next week type of thing
include on it a broad range of things like some simple vouchers, or booze, or jewellery, or a meal out, theatre tickets etc..that way you don’t have to ask her outright up front which I’d have found hideously embarrassing . And she’d know the money was already collected and just needed her to select it . Look at sites online for vouchers as well..not everyone can be bothered to go to shops these days

I do find it a bit sad that none of you know her well enough to know what she’d appreciate even at a fairly broad level .

one thing I used to do which I think sometimes speaks louder than a collection, is to have a rota for my team to bake a cake for the BIG birthdays. Not everyone was prepared to go on baker list , but those who could rustle up something had a lot of fun with decorating with favourite sweets, biscuits or flavours or referring little worky quirks in the decoration. It doesn’t have to be expert standard- sometimes a badly made version of their dog was hilarious. Or one with a carefully piped excel sheet on it 🤷🏼‍♀️. I’d bring in some non alcoholic “drinks” and stop the team for a mini birthday bash . I’d book it in everyone’s Diary as a meeting 🤣

it’s the thought that counts - yep that’s still true,

Sorry - to say the baker would take costs from collection…

Yeah NO. The vast majority of women would not want slippers from colleagues for their 60th.

@TERFwithAcat if she likes flowers a regular delivery from blossom & Boom would be great. Just for as many months as the money allows.

I think that's a lovely colleagues gift.

definitely nothing with 60 on, except the card.

I'm very particular (fussy) with 'stuff' and prefer to choose it myself, so a voucher from somewhere big & varied (like John Lewis) would be great, but not somewhere too limited (like a shoe or clothes shop).

if you want to send me a voucher, I'd be happiest with paper chase/WH Smith/j Lewis or even M&S (kitchen & linen).

im not 60 for quite a few years yet, but I'm happy to receive random vouchers!! 😂

I suggested cake (and whisky) - but I’d want the cake made by someone with qualifications and insurance and a reputation to uphold - not some random colleague … (Unless we all work in a bakery. In which case I might have eaten enough cake …)

Budget please?

I’m 59, I’d like Pol Roger champagne please and if there’s any money left over, an enormous bunch of lilies and / or Charbonnel et Walker dark chocolate cherry kirsch chocs.

A John Lewis voucher would do it for me.

We long ago gave up hope of any such information …

🤷🏻‍♀️

I am here and reading!

The budget will be around £100.

She is a great manager, and we all love her! Sadly, with Covid, and the WFH boom, we don't spend as much time together as we perhaps should. Hence why I'm looking for inspiration

John Lewis vouchers are always my choice to give and receive unless you really know what someone would like. Never ever chocolate booze flowers etc.

I think these threads show just how difficult it is to choose gifts,.. everyone has totally different suggestions... what one person loves another person thinks is totally unsuitable or naff ... no idea what the answer is.

Personally I'd love a day at a race track in a Porsche or some other super fast sports car.

I'm only 55 though.

Exactly.

I think the safest option when you don't know someone that well is liable to be vouchers, but that's imperfect too.

Why on earth can't employees give money to a boss?
And a voucher is very different to cash.

I think the responses show that there isn't a generic gift that every 60 year old woman would like and she would feel disappointed if you spent a lot on something that won't be used. I'd go with getting someone to ask her or if not go as generic as possible - e.g. John lewis or m&s vouchers - it's likely she'll find something she likes there whether it's homeward, clothes, alcohol.

I'd get her a bunch of flowers and a restaurant voucher for somewhere near where she lives.
If she'll be in work for it then someone bake something nice like brownies.
Don't overthink it and drop the struggle of trying to include your 'personality' in the present.
Because she's not you and doesn't share your tastes.