Turning 50 is a big deal for anyone. If your loved one is hitting the big 5-0, c’mon in. I’ve got a list of the best 50th birthday gift ideas to help you make their birthday special.
After interviewing plenty of half-a-century-year-olds, I have a solid list of presents that most – if not all – 50-year-olds would appreciate.
These ideas will also fit within anyone’s budget with all price points between spendthrift (like print-it-yourself) to spendiferous.
So if you need cheap birthday gift ideas, you can still give something classy and thoughtful.
That always feels good. 🙂
Now you have no excuses for not knowing what to get them. Here you have the best gift ideas for their milestone birthday. No matter what their interests are, you’re sure to find something on this list that will make their day extra special. Check it out!
Best 50th Birthday Gift Ideas
1. Vintage Candy from Their Childhood
Some of the best 50th birthday gift ideas come from 50 years ago! Find the candy that was popular during the decade when they were a little kid and wrap it up nicely for a thoughtful and unique birthday gift.
2. Own Your Favorite Company
Does she love chocolate? Make her a proud owner of Hershey’s! Is he into guns? Give him some Smith and Wesson stock! You can get the stock certificates beautifully framed and shipped with a birthday message too. Talk about a cool gift…
…and you can always throw in a jab about this seeding their retirement funds. After all, at half-a-century old, it’s time they start thinking about that. 🙂
3. Birthday News
The Washington Post Birthday Book has a book you can order with news from every birthday! Each book holds a high-quality, digital copy of the newspaper from any date you wish. You can customize the front cover as well.
Or you can order a New York Times birthday puzzle with the front page news from their date of birth.
Either one is a classy gift destined to be well received.
4. “50 Memories for 50 Years”
This is one of those thoughtful 50th birthday gift ideas that celebrates all 50 years. Have family and friends write down their memories – funny, sweet, obnoxious, meaningful, old or recent – then type them up and print them off. Fill 50 separate envelopes with these memories and wrap it up nicely.
5. An Adventure to Remember
Sometimes, the best gifts are the getaways. This can be as simple as a bed and breakfast night away or extravagant as a week-long cruise to the Bahamas. Either way, it is not a gift soon forgotten – and that’s the response you want on a 50th birthday gift.
Here are some gift ideas…
- Reserve them a night at a bed and breakfast in an interesting town
- 2 concert tickets (consider their interests, would they rather see the Piano Guys or Alanis Morissette?)
- Flights to a place they haven’t seen
- Tickets to popular destinations that they haven’t been to yet close to home
- Trips to places they’ve talked about visiting for years but never got there (Venice, the Grand Canyon, an Alaskan cruise, you get the idea)
Want a Clever Way to Present This Gift?
| I like the idea of giving them a bucket list of 50 things to do in the next 50 years. Put the adventure you bought for them on the list – and check it off. Then wrap up the bucket list with the adventure tickets or receipt, put a birthday card on it, and you’re done! 🙂 |
6. T-Shirts
I like to find a funny phrase or meaningful quote to put on a t-shirt and give as gifts. This is a favorite birthday gift for men.
But you can’t use just any old phrase for the 50th birthday… it needs to hint at (or blatantly point out) old age.
You can do that in tasteful ways, like “Not 50, Delightfully Retro” or “If things get better with age, I’m reaching magnificent!” or “1960s Collectable” (or whatever their birth decade was). Or you can choose something obnoxious like “In Dog Years, I’m Dead.“
7. Hilarious 50th Birthday Gift Idea: “50 Sucks”
Get 50 suckers, put them in a jar (or vase, or box, or whatever) with the phrase “50 Sucks” on the outside. This is probably one of my favorites – it is simple, yet hilarious! And although it is considered a gag gift for 50th birthdays, it’s still useful… and yummy. 🙂 Talk about an easy DIY birthday gift if you decided to do something homemade. Better yet, make it a gift basket – that’s what I like to do.
But if you want to keep it simple, here are some variations you might like…
- 50 Bites (bite-size candy bars or brownie bites from the bakery)
- 50 Blows (bubble gum or Blow Pops)
- 50 Rocks (Pop Rocks or candy crystals)
- 50 and Hot (Hot Tamales or hot sauce)
TIP:
| You can change just about any 40th birthday gift or 60th birthday gift into 50th birthday gift ideas simply by changing the number of gift items to 50. |
8. Memory Book
Got pictures? Put together a scrapbook or photo album to celebrate their 50 years! I like to include quotes and funny stories to give more life to the photos. You can choose to do pictures from the last 50 years, from the most recent year, from your relationship with the person, or whatever! It takes time though.
If you aren’t into making one by hand, you can always use companies like Snapfish or Shutterfly to make a beautiful hardback book. They are easy to use and have lots of options.
9. Shadow Box
Some things deserve more attention than sitting a box in the garage. Celebrate their achievements – awards, medals, and special keepsakes – by memorializing them in a shadow box. You can have it professionally done, or you can go to your local craft store and buy a pre-made shadow box for you to fill.
My dad got one of these. So I can tell you from personal experience – this is one of the most meaningful 50th birthday gift ideas you can give.
10. Top Music Hits
Get them the top billboard songs from their decade. This 50th birthday gift idea is always a fun present since music has a way of bringing you right back to old memories. It’s a timeless commemorative of anyone’s birthday, but especially for the 50th as the person grows farther and farther from their youthful years.
Want more Best 50th Birthday Gift Ideas? Keep on reading for “his” and “her” best 50th birthday gift ideas.
A Few of the Best 50th Birthday Gift Ideas For Her
Coming up with the perfect 50th birthday gift ideas for the woman who has everything can be a daunting task. Never fear! I am here!
What do you think of these ideas?
- Birthstone Gift
- Spa Day
- Shopping Spree
- Trip
- Expensive Perfume
- An IRA Contribution
List of the Best 50th Birthday Gift Ideas For Him
Turning 50 is huge for men. He’s officially moved into middle age and is now considered a “wise old sage” by society. He’s settled now. More into his career, hobbies, and relationships.
So, what do you get the man who has everything on his 50th birthday? Check out these ideas for some quick inspiration.
- A watch
- A subscription
- Golf Clubs
- Custom-made Shirt/Cuff Links
- New Tools
- Electric Bike
There you have it! gift ideas for the 50th birthday milestone. No matter what his interests are, you’re sure to find something on this list that will make his day extra special. So go ahead and start shopping—he deserves it!
Other Milestone Birthdays
1st Bday Gifts
16th Bday Gifts
18th Bday Gifts
40th Bday Gifts
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