60th Birthday
Sixty is not a quiet birthday. It’s the one people have opinions about; the one that gets a party or at least some substantial conversation about whether it gets a party; the first birthday where the guest of honour has usually stopped pretending they want something when clearly they don’t. The last part, at least, makes our jobs easier. We don’t have to pretend to like something they’ll never use. We just need to find the gift for the person who is actually there.
The issue with most sixty birthday gifts is that they fall too far down one side of a spectrum. Either novelty mugs and sashes and gag gifts that lean into sixty like it’s a punchline or, conversely, things that are so dang tasteful you’re not sure they’re communicating anything at all. We’ve tried to hit a middle ground.
Things that feel considered without being boring, personal without having to know the ins and outs of someone’s life, and which would make a great gift regardless of whether you’re spending the day quietly or throwing a party for everyone you’ve ever known.
We looked for gifts that have some heft. Not cost prohibitive or extravagant but things that feel like someone put some thought into them. Like sixty years of someone’s life deserves more than a token effort. We didn’t include a lot of gifts you’ll find on run of the mill lists. Items that felt too much like placeholder gifts. Purchase them because you can’t think of anything else rather than because they’re the right choice.
We considered the variety of people who will be hitting sixty. Because it’s quite the range. They could be retiring, or hitting their stride running their own business. They could want to travel more or use the newfound free time to spend more time at home. Maybe they’ll pick up a new hobby or dive deeper into something they’ve always loved. We picked gifts that’ll work for all these people and more. But that also have a narrower focus than ‘things anyone might enjoy.’ Every gift on this list was run through the same test. Would we give this to ourselves? To a loved one? On a birthday that mattered?
If the answer is yes. Welcome to sixty.