50th Birthday Gift Ideas for Dad

At 50, your dad is not slowing down. He is probably still working, still fixing things around the house and still insisting he could play a full game if he wanted to. Good 50th birthday gift ideas for dad treat him that way: something to do, something to use, or something that shows how well you know him. Our top pick is a song about him, because it is the one gift at the party that is entirely his.

Hear an example Songbond song

This one was made for another family. Yours would carry his name and your stories.

12 50th birthday gift ideas for dad

1. A song about his first 50 years ($39.90). Share his hometown, his team, the job he loves or puts up with, and the joke he tells at every barbecue, and Songbond turns it into an original song within 24 hours. Play it right before the toast.
2. A road trip to a stadium he has never seen. Pick an away game for his team in a city neither of you knows and go together. Usually $150 to $500 with tickets and a hotel.
3. A smoker or grill upgrade. If he runs the grill every summer, give him the one he keeps looking at in the store. Usually $150 to $400.
4. A whiskey or craft beer tasting. A guided tasting at a local distillery or brewery, or a flight of bottles to try at home with you. Usually $60 to $150.
5. A box from the year he was born. Fill it with things from his birth year: a coin set, a magazine, a list of the top songs, a sports card. Usually $30 to $80.
6. A turntable and the records he played at 16. Find the albums he wore out in his bedroom as a teenager. Usually $150 to $300 for a good turntable, plus $20 to $30 a record.
7. A race you train for together. Sign you both up for a 5K, a charity ride or a long hike, and train on weekends. Usually $40 to $120 in entry fees.
8. A surprise dinner with his oldest friends. Track down the guys from school or his first job and book a long table. You cover his meal and let them bring the stories.
9. A leather weekender bag. For the trips he keeps saying he will take. Usually $120 to $300.
10. Good headphones. For the commute, the yard work or the long flight. Usually $100 to $350.
11. A framed jersey of his childhood hero. From the player he watched on a small TV as a kid. Usually $100 to $300.
12. A lesson with a golf pro. One hour to fix the slice he complains about every weekend. Usually $60 to $150.

How to choose a 50th birthday gift for dad

Fifty is a milestone, but he probably does not want to hear about getting older. Aim for gifts that fit the life he is living now and point at the next few years. If he has a hobby, upgrade it. If he has old friends, bring them back to the table.

• If he is a sports fan: the stadium trip, the framed jersey or the golf lesson.
• If he is the family cook: the smoker or the tasting.
• If he is nostalgic: the birth-year box, the records or the song.

How to give it at the party

A 50th is often loud, with friends, coworkers and family packed into one room. Give the practical gifts at home, and save one gift for the whole room. Just before the toast, ask for quiet, tell everyone in one sentence what you made, and play it through a real speaker instead of a phone. Keep your own speech short and let the gift do the talking. Someone will film it, so make sure he is facing the room and not the kitchen door.

Make his 50th birthday song

Create a 50th birthday song for your dad. Tell us about him, and it is ready within 24 hours. If the party is tonight, express delivery gets it to you in about an hour.

Also in the Journal: 50th birthday songs and milestone birthday song ideas.