Retirement Gift Ideas for Your Husband

Your husband is about to be home a lot more, and the two of you are working out what that looks like. The best retirement gift for a husband celebrates the work he did and gives you both a good start on the years ahead. Here are 11 ideas, some for him and some for the two of you. Our top pick is a song about him and your life together, because you are the one who knows the full story.

Listen before you decide

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

11 retirement gift ideas for your husband

1. A song about him and your years together ($39.90). Share how you met, what his work meant to your family and the thing he says every time he walks in the door, and Songbond turns it into an original song. It is ready within 24 hours, so you can play it for him the night of his last day.
2. A trip during what would have been his first week back. Plan it to leave on the Monday he would normally return to work. Usually $500 to $2,000 depending on how far you go.
3. A letter from you. Write down what his work made possible for your family: the house, the kids' schooling, the trips. It costs nothing, and he will keep it.
4. A space of his own. Clear a corner of the garage or the spare room and set it up for his hobby before he gets home. Around $100 to $500.
5. Dance lessons for two. You finally have weeknights free together. Usually $100 to $300 for a series.
6. A bucket list jar. Each of you writes 20 things on slips of paper, and you pull one out every month. About $20 for the jar and a good pen.
7. A backyard pizza oven. A new project for him and a reason to have friends over. Usually $300 to $800.
8. A memoir book service. He answers one question a week about his life, and at the end of the year the answers are bound into a book for the family. Around $80 to $120.
9. Tickets to see the band from when you met. The music you danced to at 25, live again. Usually $100 to $300 for two.
10. A watch engraved with his retirement date. A classic for a reason, and he will wear it for years. Expect $150 to $800.
11. A standing weekday date. Tuesday lunch at the diner, every single week. It is free, and it gives both of you something to look forward to.

How to choose for your husband

Think about what he will miss most about work. If it is the people, choose something social. If it is the sense of purpose, choose a project. If it is the routine, build a new one together.

• If he will miss the people: the dance lessons, the band tickets or the pizza oven.
• If he will miss having a project: his own space or the memoir book.
• If he is a romantic at heart: the letter, the trip or the song.

Plan his first week home

The first week of retirement can feel strange, even for a man who counted down the days. Have a small plan ready. Give him the gift on the morning of his first weekday off, over a long breakfast with no one in a hurry. Leave the rest of the week loose, but put one outing on the calendar, like a drive to a town you have never visited. Many couples find the change easier when the day has a gentle rhythm from the very start.

Make your husband's retirement song

Order a retirement song for your husband. Tell us about him and your life together, and his song is ready within 24 hours. If you need it tonight, express delivery gets it to you in about an hour.

Also in the Journal: anniversary songs for your husband and retirement party songs.