For your 60-somethingth birthday…

[Immigreatorimminope]

… what would you like as a little material gift from your adult children?
Not a ‘big’ birthday. Budget £60-100.
No obvious hobbies other than reading and socialising (and swimming though has all accessories for that). Not into gardening or crafts.

We’ve done spa vouchers and afternoon tea vouchers to death.

Help!

My sister (who lives in a different country) gave me this for my birthday. Best present ever.

An experience we do together like a show, afternoon tea, comedy act etc

A case of wine or preferred tipple
Garden stuff - a good planter, olive tree, bird bath, gazebo, solar lights
Beauty Flash Balm
Fancy duvet cover
Pair of Sketchers
Audible subscription
Vouchers for her favourite restaurant

@NatPasta@Lomonald just came in to suggest this - one of my best birthday presents was a flower delivery subscription from The Cornish Bloom company

I’d also like subscriptions from
Colombia Coffee roaster in Oxford
a good magazine
some lovely chocolates (quality not quantity)
Audible talking books

or half a dozen half bottles of champagne- I had this once as a gift, lovely as I can have a glass of champagne if I like rather than waiting for company/the occasion to open a full bottle

What country is she in?
Best received present for an older person with loads of money recently was a pre loaded electronic photo frame. If she doesn’t already have one.
I’m that age so:
lovely hand cream.
whiskey
Plant in beautiful pot.
Time together/meal out.

I’m nearly 60 and would love a voucher for a facial, massage or Reformer Pilates class, a Lulu Lemon jacket, a By Terry lipstick or some really good wine.

I am that age - I didn’t know the monthly subscription for flowers existed but I’d love that! And : meal out together somewhere nice (and not arranged by me),book token, trip out ( to show/ musical of my choice but again not arranged by me 🙂),Serious Readers reading light,

The thing is 60+ year olds vary as much as any age group. I'm 67 but if you had to buy me a think I'd rather have a new wetsuit than a pashmina, a new pair of hiking boots rather than fancy toiletries, a voucher for easyJet/Ryanair than a spa day but plenty of people would rather the complete opposite or totally different. You can see the spread by the responses on here. Why do we get so many threads asking what to give someone older like we'd all want the same thing? You never see posts saying my friend/relative is in their 20s what would they like.

I’m not sure that’s true - around Christmas time there are often requests for gift suggestions for people of all ages.

I didn’t ask what to give my mum. I asked what other women around her age would like from their adult kids. The plurality of answers has been lovely; I’ve really enjoyed reading about all the different things that would make all these different mums happy. They haven’t all been perfect gift suggestions for my mum, and they didn’t need to be. In the mix there were a couple of inspiring ideas that set me off on a fruitful path!

Many thanks to all who indulged me, I appreciate you taking the time.

Around Christmas there may be a couple, but what can I give my mum now she's old are a staple and appear regularly. And it's really insulting. I'm glad you got some inspiration though.

I honestly think by the time a "mum" reaches mid 50s/60s/70s that she has had so many Christmases that she probably has everything she wants. My mum is 78 she doesn't want "stuff" because she is older stuff and things just clutter her life and house

, so asking for suggestions isn't because "old lady" it is because people are generally out of ideas.

I appreciate older women experience ageism but I don't think every post about gifts is agiest.

Just to add i am 55 and I don't really want stuff.

Ooh no! If I assumed my friends 50+ have everything they want , that’d be so so so presumptuous! Blimey, no!

Day trip, meal, theatre, musical, steam train trip , monster truck driving, flying lesson, escape room challenge, mini break.

Speaking from experience, 50,60,70, I was given various gifts, musical with meal and overnight stay, Emmerdale experience, hot air balloon flight, flowers, personalised cross stitch picture by my son in law.
For my 80th I would like afternoon tea, expensive luxury chocolates and a mini break, possibly somewhere in Europe if I am fit enough. My daughter was given a digital photo frame for her 60th - she loves it!

Not quite there yet, but theatre/exhibition or similar tickets, or if that's not possible theatre/cinema giftcard, or entry to somewhere I've never got round to going (Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace spring to mind for me). Membership of the theatre chain which our local one belongs to.

I’m in my 60s and had one of those Elizabeth Scarlett bags for Christmas from one of my daughters. They are pretty but I hope she didn’t pay £48 for it.

I am a Jane Austen fan, and for my birthday this year my daughters took me to the theatre to see Austentatious, which was very good.

https://www.austentatiousimpro.com/

I don't want any material gifts from them. I'd love to go for a walk and a picnic with them, or as I did for my birthday recently,spend an afternoon in a beer garden with live music, woth adult DC.

I'd genuinely rather have nothing than £60/100 of "stuff" that they had to ask stangers to help choose.

As others said, time spent together would be perfect. Taking them out for an afternoon tea would be much better than any voucher, or you could cook something for them and invite them over/visit them or even cook something together and enjoy the meal if that's what they are into.
You can also make something family related as an addition, like a photo book with all the photos you have from their childhood/college, etc years (you can enhance the damaged or faded ones, here are some tips for that if you need any) or could be a calendar with family photos (I think 2027 one would be better at this point or you can make a perpetual type one).
I'd also suggest pottery or art classes as an alternative to a tea/dinner but since you say craft isn't really interesting to them, this might be tricky. If there are any shows (current or upcoming ones) they would enjoy attending, getting tickets might be a good idea as well.

I've just had a load of new bookshelves put up so I'm asking my adult kids for bookends that they think reflect their personality! I'm looking forward to some mad ones, but I've got a lot of kids and a lot of shelving, so I'm sure it will be ...interesting to say the least!

Plus they can buy in charity shops if they're feeling a bit strapped for cash. All I ask is that I can look at a bookend and think 'yep, that's definitely a Waistcoat offspring there.'

Wow, that's a hard work present to ask for! Lovely to receive but a nightmare to have to do.

What, buying bookends? Not that much of an ask, most bookshops and interiors shops sell them...

Not everyone post 55 has enough money to already own everything they want! I certainly don’t 🤣
I don’t ever want my kids to spend much but I gladly ask for and receive things like silver earrings, toiletries that I want but can’t afford, posh chocolates, plants, scented candles, an air fryer even 🤣

100% agree. A lot of people over 55 rarely treat themselves or have the funds to do so. It’s weird how the assumption is that older people are all sorted!