Retirement gifts that are not a watch or a plaque: six ideas for someone starting life after workRetirement gifts that are not a watch or a plaque: six ideas for someone starting life after work

Six better answers than another watch

A watch and a plaque both say "thank you for your years here". After 25 or 35 years, most retirees already own both, and the plaque goes into a cupboard. A better retirement gift looks forward, to the mornings at home, the hobby they waited for, the trips with their spouse.

A shortlist, for different kinds of retiree:

1. A memory book from the team: photographs, handwritten notes from juniors they trained, a page from each department. Made in-house or by a photo-book printing service. The gift most retirees re-read.
2. A hobby gift: a good set of gardening tools, a reading tablet loaded with books, a harmonium or a set of brushes and paints, from a store that specialises in it. Best when the team knows the plan.
3. An outing for two: a dinner, a weekend stay or a pilgrimage booking for the retiree and their spouse, through a travel or experience company. Ask the family quietly about dates first.
4. A piece for the home they will now live in all day, from Raajkosh, Jalandhar: the Shankh Candle, Rs 799, a cream-and-caramel conch vessel with gold-flecked wax and pink wax lotuses, for the mandir shelf; or Urli Candles, Rs 699 for a pair of gold-rimmed urli bowls with a wax sunflower, for the entrance. Shop prices.
5. A two-piece set from the whole team: Shankh Candle with Urli Candles comes to Rs 1,498 at shop prices, and arrives as one gift rather than two.
6. One scented jar for a smaller send-off: Vanilla Reverie, Rs 549, the only scented candle we make, in an amber jar with a screw lid.

Finding the gift that fits this retiree

• What will their days look like? A person moving to their hometown wants something for the new house; a person staying put wants something for the hobby.
• Is the spouse part of it? Retirement is a change for both. A gift the couple shares, such as an outing or a piece for the home, often lands better than something for the employee alone.
• Are they religious at home? The Shankh and Urli suit a family with a mandir or a daily diya. For someone who is not, Vanilla Reverie or a hobby gift is safer.
• Words matter more than value. A note from the managing director that names one thing they built will be kept longer than any object. Put it in the box.

The options compared

When the company retires several people a year

Plants, PSUs and banks often retire a batch at a time. For 10 or more retirement gifts through the year, use raajkosh.com/corporate; the terms are set out in full on our corporate gifting terms page:

• From 10 gifts, no minimum order value. One retirement? Order from the shop and add the gift note and packaging on the product page.
• Your logo on the gift tag, the note card or a wax seal; the message inside is yours.
• GST invoice with your company's billing name, address and GSTIN.
• Delivery to the office for the function, or to the retiree's home, anywhere in India.
• Prepaid, as set out in the quote. No cash on delivery. The quote confirms the pieces, branding, timeline and final price per gift.

Every piece is hand-poured in pure soy wax in Jalandhar. We are new and have no reviews yet; who makes our candles tells you who we are.

When a candle is not the right retirement gift

• The retiree has a clear hobby. Feed the hobby.
• They are moving abroad to live with children. Give something light and unbreakable, or an experience.
• The function is in two days. Our dispatch is 24 to 48 hours, then 2 to 7 days for delivery; we do not promise a date, so a local store may be safer.
• Your organisation's policy fixes a standard memento. Follow the policy, and add the team's memory book.

On the card: burn on a heat-proof surface, never leave it unattended, keep each burn to 3 to 4 hours.