Hi Swistle :) I am mulling a Christmas gift for my impossible to buy for mother and suddenly realized that you/your readers would have the BEST ideas. I hope you might be willing to share my post and get their ideas. I can’t post on my own blog because my mom reads it.
Here’s the situation. My 70ish year old mom is retiring this December. Everyone is a little worried as she is very prone to boredom and doesn’t have many hobbies. I would love to get her a box of “hobby starters” that she can try out and hopefully find some new hobbies for retirement. But it’s tough!
A bit about my mom:
• She is a preschool teacher with the creativity and (short) attention span that you’d imagine a good preschool teacher would have.
• She lives in Northern California
• She is in good health and goes to the gym pretty regularly and walks with a friend
• She is extroverted but doesn’t like to drive far or travel without my dad (who is introverted)
• Her fourth, and last, grandchild is due in December and will live about an hour away so he and his sister will take up at least one day/week.Hobbies she does enjoy:
• Garage saleing (her top hobby, she finds amazing bargains, but what does one do with all the purchased stuff? Could she garage sale for a local cause?)
• Scrapbooking (but she’s not into the kits and products that are for sale, she just makes albums for the kids using garage sale-found materials)
• Card making/paper crafts (she’s recently taken this up with a friend who buys the kits)
• Volunteering (she’s on a board at a non profit preschool in town and volunteers at events regularly)
• Reading (novels, newspaper, very limited magazines)Hobbies that might seem logical but probably won’t work:
• She is not very computer savvy so blogging/eBay/anything web based is pretty much out
• Wine or coffee tasting/appreciation (she doesn’t drink any wine or coffee)
• Gardening, bicycling, hiking, photography: those are my dad’s hobbies and it doesn’t seem like her adopting his hobbies would work very well
• Cooking: She stopped cooking when us kids moved out. My dad has mostly taken it up. But maybe she could get into baking since she likes sweets?
• Sewing: she doesn’t like it. Dad and I sew, not her. I have a feeling this distaste would go to other fiber crafts like knitting, crochet, embroidery and weaving but I might try one of them in a gift box.Ideas I have so far:
• Birding (buy her a bird identification book). Something she and dad could do sort of together. Him hiking, her walking more leisurely and looking for birds
• Puzzles: Not sure about her attention span/interest in non productive activities
• Postcard Crossing–she regularly sends letters and mail so this is fun but not a very substantial Christmas gift
• A pet (I can’t get her a cat or dog but maybe a fish?)
• Book of the Month club (the online mailorder thing that is all over blogs)What am I missing? What hobbies do the retirees out there enjoy?
Thanks so much!
Melissa
Is she musical at all? My mom has taken up the ukulele in her retirement and really enjoys it. That’s a pretty expensive gift, but a recorder (this is the one my kids’ elementary school asks them to acquire for lessons, and it has a remarkably pleasing sound for being so cheap) and instruction book wouldn’t be.
(image from Amazon.com)
(image from Amazon.com)
I wonder if she’d like doing something with clay. A pottery class is probably more than you have in mind, but maybe some air-dry clay (this Crayola bucket has more clay for less money, but looks less…grown-up) and some tools.
(image from Amazon.com)
Paul is a revolving-hobbies type of guy, and for awhile he was interested in learning to draw. He liked the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, which is also the book recommended by a drawing class I took long ago. (There is a newer edition, but the reviews convinced me it would be better to link to the older edition; this is the same edition Paul liked and that I had for the art class.) I’d add a basic set of pencils with a kneaded eraser.
(image from Amazon.com)
I saw the book Learn to Paint People Quickly at our library and thought it looked interesting. If I were giving it as a gift, I’d look inside and see if there were recommendations for paints and brushes, and get some of those too.
(image from Amazon.com)
To continue with the book/art theme perhaps too long, I like the look of this “all set to get started” book, Paint This Book: Watercolor for the Artistically Undiscovered. I had an earlier version of this book a long time ago, and although I didn’t stick with it, it was a good way to do it a little bit without getting too invested.
(image from Amazon.com)
When I was going out of my mind with boredom, I found it fun to do a mini Jane Austen study, using annotated books. I started with The Annotated Sense and Sensibility, and since I love the Emma Thompson version of the movie, I’d also recommend including The Sense and Sensibility Screenplay and Diaries. But if your mom isn’t a Jane Austen fan particularly, there are tons of other annotated books: Paul likes The Annotated Alice, and I’ve been meaning to try (or something nags at the back of my mind that perhaps I already did try?) The Annotated Little Women. Annotations are slow, studious reading—but it means doing a little each day and having it last a nice long time, meanwhile feeling as if you’re accomplishing something / doing something good for your brain.
(image from Amazon.com)
I wonder if she’d like guided journaling? It might take some research to find a non-annoying book: I picked The Book of Myself from the search results because I liked the look of it, but I would look into it a bit more before buying to make sure the prompts were appealing. A lot of them are geared toward someone writing down a lot of family history or other facts about themselves that their descendants might later value.
I love the idea of a hobby starter kit!
I have two thoughts. Because you mentioned that she and your father might hike/walk together, I wonder if you might find a book of hikes in or around their hometown? I know this TOTALLY depends on where they live. But I live in a mid-sized city and once picked up a book of urban hikes that were super fun. So I’m guessing that type of guide might be available for other cities of varying sizes. You might pair the book with a walking stick and/or a fanny pack and/or a water bottle if you want to make it a bit more substantial.
My other idea is based on your comment about her hobby of garage sale-ing: mosaic art. My mother-in-law has done this in the past and it’s super cool. She finds interesting looking glass/pottery (presumably at garage sales) and then breaks it and then decorates furniture with it. (Furniture you could get at a garage sale — like a little card table or a plant stand or a mirror frame.) I don’t know anything about this book, but something like this could introduce your mom to the technique and the possibilities: https://www.amazon.com/Mosaic-Techniques-Templates-Trade-Secrets/dp/1570765561/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=98GBFA5TA532RY5D2EW1
Good luck!
love these ideas, thank you!!
Maybe check with a local women’s and children’s shelter or foster care agency to see if they have items they regularly need. Usually clothes and such need to be new to be received, but perhaps they need games/puzzles/toys in excellent condition that she could find at garage sales?
Your birding idea made me think of astronomy. There are inexpensive star charts you could add to your kit to see if investigating constellations and such is up her alley.
star charts, fun idea! and yes I should see about games/puzzles to donate.
If she is at all musically inclined, the ukelele is actually a really good suggestion. Most musical instrument shops I’ve seen have at least a few models that are surprisingly inexpensive. And, from my experience with my daughter taking lessons, I would say that beginner uke players are much nicer to the ear than beginner recorder players.
You might also consider an alto recorder instead of a soprano recorder. The lower sound is more pleasant, it can be more comfortable for adults with larger hands, and it’s still fairly cheap (more like $18 than $8).
I think garage sale-ing for a cause is a great idea! We have a local organization that passes donated baby gear to shelters, and I know another organization that collects furniture to help refugees furnish their homes. Both places take any random donations but also regularly have specific needs that it could be fun to seek out.
Does she have any interest in learning a new language? My grandma taught herself Spanish after she retired. She used a series of books and workbooks, but that was in the 90s. Nowadays there are inexpensive apps or online tutors. Books might still be a good option if she’s really computer-phobic (or just to have something to put in her gift box to get her started).
I’m a huge theatre fan and looking forward to retirement so I have time to see more shows! Would she like a season subscription to a theatre or symphony (assuming she lives where this is possible; even small towns usually have theaters dying for patrons)? Or, I had a friend who used to go to a monthly movie club where they would watch the film and have a discussion afterward. That sounded fun. If cost is an issue I know some of our local libraries have a free cinema club, and a lot of theaters let you watch shows for free if you volunteer to usher.
I was going to say to volunteer at a community theater. Ushering or… what about acting? She might enjoy it and have natural knack for it, as a former preschool teacher! Of course that’s hard to box up and wrap… but it would make for a fun conversation :)
theater would be a great fit. and it wouldn’t be a gift but I’m totally going to suggest she consider being a volunteer usher. There is a place near them
Does her distaste of sewing extend to hand sewing? I was thinking something she could make for the grandkids. But, felt toys would require some sewing. Maybe painting wood toys?
My grandmother got really in to jewelry making for several years after retiring. That can be as complicated or as simple as you like. And definitely creative.
Love this! I will continue checking back to see what I might discover for my own retired self to try. Thanks for posting this.
He, he. I am doing the same. Not that I don’t have enough hobbies but the ones I have (knitting, quilting, etc) are getting hard on my hands and back.
Geocaching! It’s free (use the phone’s GPS), gets you out of the house and it’s fun. Even if she thinks she knows her city, I guarantee she’ll discover new places. It’s a good thing to do together. geocaching.com to get started. I took my mom out a few times and she loved it.
Her local public library can always use volunteers, and there’s likely a Friends group to join. My group’s fees are just $10, so perhaps a membership as a gift with a book or two?
Calligraphy? Movie tickets? There’s an online thing where you can go every day if you like for an unbelievably low fee. Not available where I am, but I would snap it up in a heartbeat if it were. Sorry for vague-booking but when I learned I couldn’t use it I lost the details. I’m sure Swistle readers will know.
You’re a good daughter; it’s a very fun gift!
I was just about the suggest geocaching! The smartphone app and website are both VERY simple. As an added bonus, she could combine it with her hiking hobby and/or grandchild watching.
I’ve done geocaching but didn’t think of it for her because you need the phone. But the app is pretty easy–nice idea!
My parents have gotten way into birds since retiring. My mom sits on the porch with a zoom lens and posts the photos to facebook daily. I am thinking of giving them a hanging bird-thing for the back yard. Once at a nature store I saw a hanging grapevine ball filled with alpaca wool for the birds to build nests with, and I am thinking of getting it for them since they already have feeders, etc. There are neat books which will play the song of the bird, help identify the bird, etc., which may be a good starter thing if she is interested in that.
Also what about hiking poles or a hiking guidebook to the local state/national parks? Or a season pass to a botanical garden or some sort of other local attraction.
I love the idea of a little bird feeder/nest thing to attract the birds to go with the bird ID book. Sounds fun to me and they have a perfect back yard for it.
If you wanted to try a fiber craft, maybe a cross-stitch kit? You could probably find something quite small like a Christmas ornament.
Or how about a book that covers a bunch of different crafts? I often see ones like “50 projects for your home” where every project uses different techniques.
She sounds like a great lady! Maybe she would enjoy some “dates” throughout the year with you to try out a few new hobbies? I don’t know if that’s feasible with your situation, but thought it worth suggesting. Things like new workout classes (yoga or water aerobics or Zumba?) or painting/cooking/dance/art classes are a little intimidating to try on one’s own for the first time.
My in-laws are really into genealogy and family history, and through them I’ve dipped my toe in as well. It’s so fascinating! Ancestry.com is a good resource, maybe you could give her a coupon for some time spent learning the system online together (it isn’t difficult, but I understand that she may be apprehensive at first). And if there are any LDS/Mormon congregations near her, they host free classes teaching about genealogy all the time.
What about a guidebook or architecture book or historical summary of the biggest city near her? I think it’d be fun and interesting to learn more about my city and hometown and then go on walking tours to explore the cool parts.
I have a friend who is an artist but now that her kids are older and she has more time has taken up woodworking and has also become a Private Investigator! The woodworking seems more accessible, but man, you never know, maybe she will have a secret talent for long stakeouts and following people. ;)
I always think tickets to events are nice gifts- it’s a luxury item that many people wouldn’t buy for themselves. Maybe a few tickets to a lecture series or the symphony or theatre?
oh my gosh I love that someone became a private investigator in retirement. My mom and dad together would be an amazing PI team (he’d do stakeouts–all the patience in the world; she’d chase down leads and strike up conversations to ask all the questions).
Architecture and genealogy are great ideas too!
If there’s one common theme I’ve heard from retirees, it’s that they don’t know how they every had time to work because they’re so busy in retirement. My mom, for instance, cooks, bakes and gardens, and during the winter months she’s planning her gardens, starting seedlings, etc. And her husband takes care of the property (they live in the country and heat with wood), and they’ve started keeping chickens for eggs. My step-mother is taking a university course in something very intellectual (I forget exactly what) because it’s free to senior citizens, and she volunteered to record her voice for people who can’t talk to use with their speech devices because it’s nice for people to be able to have some choice about what their “voice” sounds like.
To be honest, it sounds like your mom already has hobbies that have the potential to expand. If you want to spark new interests, maybe get a course catalogue from a local arts centre or community college and suggest she pick a course that interests her and maybe if you have time the two of you could even attend together? I’ll never forget the one random time I took a sculpture course from our local community college and my mother had randomly signed up to take the same one – and it’s literally the only course either of us has ever taken from there, and I don’t normally do any arts courses at all! It was definitely more fun and interesting because we both did it, even if it was a total, random coincidence.
Another thing to think about is whether she wants to take up a part time job or small business. Pretty much everyone can use some extra money, even if they don’t need it. My stepmother (who really does make a very comfortable pension) is doing the training course at H&R Block to work there during high tax season because it’s seasonal and will fund her travel bug during the rest of the year. And there are people at my gym who volunteer for one shift a week in the childminding or helping people find their way around and get a free membership in return – maybe that would interest her?
But if there’s on piece of advice I feel I should mention it is this: do not get someone a pet unless they’ve expressed an interest. It may be hard to believe for all of us who have had fish die fast, but the actual full lifespan of a goldfish is apparently 40 years, and turtles can live into their 80s. If I was retiring and there was the possibility of travel, I would absolutely not want a pet to have to worry about finding care for. Unless of course you’re willing and able to take that pet for her, either when she goes away, or on a permanent basis if she doesn’t enjoy having it. We have a part-time goldfish (it lives in my mom’s small pond half the year, and a large aquarium in our house during the winter) and when we go away for a week every winter we need to get someone to come to our house and feed it because the aquarium is too big to bring to anyone else’s house. And it’s become huge, and it’s VERY hard to keep its tank clean.
Having said all that, jewelry making and/or stamping is pretty fun and there are a ton of ways to do it. And we did an event with our kids at a local glassblowing business that was pretty cool, and we took home the ornaments we blew. We’re considering the beadmaking course for our oldest as a gift sometime.
Other gift ideas to consider might be items that make her already-planned activities/life a bit easier. A device that she can play audiobooks on in her car, for instance, while she commutes that hour each way once a week to see her grandchildren.
the audiobook device is a cool idea–she’s intimidated by the phone app the rest of us use but maybe there is something simpler.
Thanks for the fish feedback–40 years!! she is such a nurturing person I was thinking of that but she can put that nurture into my new nephew.
The voice/reading thing sounds amazing–I’ll definitely do the research on that idea. Thanks!
I was going to suggest geocaching too! It doesn’t have to be all that technically advanced, or your dad can do the tech part and he and mom can hike together and find things.
Papermaking is fun and can provide her supplies to scrapbook with – https://www.amazon.com/Papermaking-Techniques-Book-Embellishing-Handmade/dp/1581802099
Here is a fun book of activities to do with little ones for the days she is hanging with the grandchild, https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Play-Learn-Learning-Activities/dp/0671316559.
Learning to golf might be fun.
Our town has lots of volunteer opportunities, but two that I thought of that might also support her garage sale-ing is something that gets new moms started that might not have a lot of financial resources (she could garage sale for pack n plays, baby clothes, swings, etc) and we have a teen center for precariously housed teens and they are always looking for good condition furniture, shelving, game systems, books, etc.
I agree with the what someone mentioned above, my mom is waaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy busier in retirement than she ever was when she was working. Taking on house/clean-out projects she always wanted to do, traveling to see and/or take care of family members takes up most of her time.
Good luck to your mom, and to you, what a fun idea!
I recently learned about a website called Dabble that has little classes designed for people to just try out something new! If there’s one based near her, perhaps a gift certificate so she could explore a couple things?
Fun! I’ll check. The Bay Area is full of such stuff so there likely is.
Painting rocks! http://thekindnessrocksproject.com/home
perfect! She can do it with my niece and my kids and I can collect “special” rocks near our home for her to paint and give her some new paints and brushes. This idea seems like a perfect fit!
Some gifts I’ve given my retired parents and in-laws include a Netflix subscription, an Audible book subscription, and a NextIssue magazine subscription; for each one I bought a year’s subscription and printed out a “gift certificate” to wrap up. I’ve also bought tickets to shows that my parents would enjoy but wouldn’t purchase for themselves. Last year I bought them tickets to Celtic Woman and the show was sparsely attended, so they ended up getting moved from the affordable seats to nearly the front row!
Children’s Book/Picture Book Writing
She could put those preschool teacher skills to use in her own project.
https://www.scbwi.org/
https://canorthcentral.scbwi.org/
I’ve been trying to nudge her in this direction for years–maybe now is the time!
Our local Michaels and Hobby Lobby stores usually have classes a few saturdays a month. There’s usually a small fee for supplies, but that might be a good way to spend time making a new craft item without going crazy buying all the supplies and tools on your own.
Swistle, thanks SO MUCH for posting this and thanks for all the GREAT ideas from everyone. I’m not sure why I hadn’t thought about a class or tickets to an event but those could be perfect–she’s near a great Junior College and my dad took a ton of classes there when he retired.
I’m seeing this gift shaping up in my mind–rocks to paint! bird feeder and identification book! well researched list of local volunteer opportunities! Urban hikes/architecture book! guided journaling journal! Maybe a little cross stitch/hand stitching thing to try it out.
I should have mentioned that we drew names in our family so I’m only buying for her, not my sister or dad so my budget is a bit more flexible.
I’ll report back what I get. Keep the ideas coming and thank you!
I don’t want this to come across as terrible self-promotion, but I’m going to post it anyway. Stampin’ Up! has a subscription called Paper Pumpkin, and you can buy one month, or three, or whatever. You get a box with all you need (except scissors, and an adhesive) and some months it is cards, but every third month or so it’s a paper-based project (like a wreath, or a perpetual calendar, or little gift boxes to fill with treats). It would be the kind of fun thing she could share with her other paper-crafting friend. (Disclaimer, I’m a Stampin’ Up! demo.)
If they live in an area with a community center, maybe they have other classes that you can do a gift certificate for? Ours offers this and it’s a neat way to try out pottery or painting or fencing without a huge commitment.
I think her friend does something like Stampin Up and gets a monthly box and since she shares for free with my mom she’s all set on adorable card stuff. But it does seem like a great gift idea!
Stamping bills with Where’s George stamps, registering them online, and watching their progress across the US. My only caveat is that this hobby doesn’t take much time.
I gave my dad cooking classes as a gift. He really got into it and it was social and fun. He is not really a cook but enjoyed the experience. The next year We gave him tango classes as a lark and now he goes on tango vacations. Dancing is fun and good for you.
He also likes these bus trips to see broadway theater and museums. The tour group has a lux bus, they provide food and entertainment on the way there. Often a cast member hops on nearby and talks about the show. These kinds of things exist all over and usually the weekday trips are less expensive.
Lastly check out Meet up. I’ve used it in 3 different cities and it’s a great way to get out with other like minded people It’s a website where people post clubs or activities. Like Duplicate Bridge Club or Girlie Bookclub or Single Video Gamers or the monthly meeting of Witches and Pagans. So lots of strange and specific groups (these are real examples) but there might be a group for her. The best thing about a hobby is when you can share it with others! And low comment- go once, go sometimes, go all the time. It’s all good.
I didn’t read the comments but I wanted to chime in to say that I hate sewing of any kind, but I love knitting and am teaching myself to crochet. There are a lot of charities that want/accept knitted or crocheted items as well. I found starter sets for both that come with everything to get started except yarn in the craft department at Wal**rt.
This is not a present idea, but for hobbies she should take up line dancing! My mother who also lives in Northern California started line dancing years ago and it’s great. A really nice community, great exercise, and even line dancing conferences!
As a retired preschool teacher with a short attention span I have found lots to do in retirement! If your town has a local art center, you can give her a gift certificate for a class. They generally have a lot of choices and she can try something new.
A book store in Traverse City called Brillant Books has a type of book of the month club. You can purchase three months, six months or a one year subscription. They then send you a card that your mother would fill out with her favorite types of reads and her favorites books. They pick a book just for you each month based on what you tell them. They ship everywhere. This is my favorite gift to give to readers. They are very knowledgeable about books and I’ve always loved their picks.
Yearly memberships to museums, botanical gardens, etc. are good. Also good are theater tickets.
She may like learning to knit. It’s a great way to meet other people and I’ve always found knitters to be very friendly and love to bring a new knitter into the fold!
Ok, I think I just should introduce my mom to you, Debra. Retired preschool teachers united! But I love the idea of doing a more local version of a book club and they do have a local store that might offer such a service. I’ll check!