A 50th birthday is a big deal, which means you need to find the perfect present. That’s easier said than done, but since Capture has over 20 years of experience helping people preserve memories and give them as gifts, we’re here to help. 

Whether you have a parent turning 50 who is into music, a sibling hitting that milestone who loves gardening, or you’re buying yourself a 50th birthday gift, you’ll find everything you need in this blog! 

Keep reading to discover all types of gifts including personalized gifts, experience-based presents, hobby gifts, luxury gifts, and so much more! 

Jump to:

• Personalized Gifts
• Experience-Based Gifts
• Hobby and Interest Gifts
• Luxury and High-End Gifts
• Sentimental and Memory-Making Gifts
• Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Gifts

 

Personalized Gifts

Personalized gifts are some of the most cherished options because they are thoughtful. This includes customized jewelry, engraved keepsakes, and custom portraits and photo gifts for him or her. 

Customized Jewelry

Customized jewelry is one of the best 50th birthday gifts (they also make great personalized Christmas gifts!). You can have a necklace, bracelet, ring, or other jewelry engraved with names, birth years, or a special message for your loved one. You can even add a birthstone to add a personal aspect to a special day gift. 

For a male loved one who doesn’t wear jewelry, you can also get sterling silver keychains, cuff links, or watches engraved with customized messages. 

Custom Portraits 

Custom portraits, whether hand-painted or digitally created, are awesome gifts. You can have a picture of the whole family turned into a wonderful, framed keepsake, or just a picture of you and your loved one. Plus, you can have the frame engraved with a special message. 

If you want a portrait turned into a customized gift, but only have printed photos, then Capture can digitize your family memories and turn them into digital files. That way, you keep the original photo while preserving the image and being able to use it for a custom portrait or other photo gift. 

Engraved Keepsakes

There are tons of options to choose from for personalized engraved keepsakes and knickknacks including photo frames, stainless steel clocks, wine glasses, totes, tumblers, t-shirts, plaques, wall art, paperweights, and other decorations. A personalized message goes a long way toward turning a 50th birthday gift into something memorable and thoughtful.  

You can find tons of items on Etsy that are perfect for family members, coworkers, and loved ones, but you might want to consider creating Handmade 50th Birthday Gifts as well, which adds another layer of meaning to a 50th, 60th, or 70th birthday gift. 

Experience-Based Gifts

While personalized gifts are thoughtful and meaningful 50th birthday gift ideas, some people prefer experiences over keepsakes. For those types of people, experience-based gifts can create lifelong memories. 

Travel and Adventure

Getting someone a unique travel excursion can give them a new experience they’ve wanted to have for 50 years, but never had a chance to. Things like hot air balloon rides, safaris, cruises, skydiving, and scuba diving can be exciting, fun, and memorable. 

However, even a simple hiking trip or day trip to a bed and breakfast in a fun town can create the perfect gifts for grandpa, grandma, parents, siblings, or anyone else. 

Workshops and Classes

It’s never too late to learn something new. There are tons of workshops and classes that make unique 50th birthday gifts. For some, pottery, painting, and cooking classes provide a lifelong skill that’s both fun and something to do together. 

Others prefer personal development like yoga, photography, or writing. Just make sure you specifically pick something your loved one will enjoy and bring an old video camera to capture more memories! Not sure where to find classes? Check local community centers, colleges, and libraries as well as your local newspaper and community website. 

Spa and Wellness Retreats

After 50 years, your loved one probably deserves a luxury spa. There are plenty of options for self-care retreats to pamper your mom, dad, sibling, or friend. With wilderness getaways and luxury retreats, you can find options focused on yoga, meditation, detox, and more. These gifts don’t just provide a getaway. They also provide mental health and well-being to your loved one, making them a great option for anyone! 

Hobby and Interest Gifts

While there are many creative gifts for turning 50, some of the best 50th birthday gift ideas get back to the basics with something related to a person’s interests.

Collector’s Items

A lot of times, someone has hobbies with rare collector’s items, but won’t buy these things for themselves very often. However, you can give them that experience with collector’s items in a variety of different hobbies from art to literature, vintage records to baseball cards, and everything in between. 

If you go this route, we recommend getting the collectible items authenticated with a certification. Not only does it enhance the value, but it shows you put thought and consideration into memorable 50th birthday presents they will love. 

Subscription Services

Whereas most gifts are brief, subscription services are unique gifts for 50th birthday men or women (or 40th anniversary gifts or any other type of present!) that keep on giving for months. Monthly subscription boxes can be based around a variety of hobbies including wine, gourmet foods, books, self-care, and more. 

We recommend starting with your loved one’s favorite hobby, and then searching online for subscription boxes based around it. 

Custom-Made Items

Another option is to custom-make items as unusual 50th birthday gifts related to hobbies. For example, you can create handmade crafts related to their woodworking, quilting, or pottery hobby. Another option is to have a gift commissioned by local artisans. 

In fact, you can even use Capture to digitize photos that you can add to hobby-related custom items like golf tees, hand-drawn portraits, pottery, chess boards, and many more. 

Luxury and High-End Gifts

Want a great gift for a 50-year old’s milestone birthday? There are tons of luxury options that you could consider that are not only high-end, but also thoughtful. 

Designer Accessories

Designer accessories can be a great way to wish someone a happy birthday. Whether it’s a luxury Rolex watch, Chanel handbag, Gucci sunglasses, or any other luxury item, these show your loved one that you care. Plus, many luxury 50th Birthday Gifts are timeless, giving something that can be used forever. 

Exclusive Experiences

While we already covered some experience gifts for 50th birthday celebrations, there are other more exclusive options to consider as a high-end gift. For example, a private concert for the special occasion, VIP event tickets, or celebrity meet-and-greets are all great and fun options. 

While some of these options are somewhat difficult to organize, you can even hire celebrities to record special messages for someone’s 50th birthday party online! However, you can also find meet and greets and other potential private experiences by searching for party organizers and entertainment management companies. 

Technology and Gadgets 

Some people love the most cutting-edge gadgets and technologies, which makes them a great gift for 50th & 60th birthday gifts. Whether it’s something like luxury headphones, the latest cell phones, new video games, fitness trackers, AI software, or anything else, these options can be lots of fun for tech enthusiasts. 

For anyone else, consider choosing tech gifts that enhance lifestyle and convenience. This could be something like a smart home device or Bluetooth headphones, or something as simple as a wireless charger or high-tech fitness scale. 

Sentimental and Memory-Making Gifts

In our opinion, some of the best personalized 50th birthday gifts that are thoughtful and meaningful are ones that are based around special memories. Here are some ideas that are memorable and personal. 

Memory Books and Scrapbooks

There’s nothing like a memory book to say, “Happy 50th birthday!” You can create personalized scrapbooks based on the memories of your and your loved one, adding wonderful photos and creative touches like personal stories and memories, colors, decorations, and your own sense of humor. 

If you don’t know how to scrapbook, then you can also use a photo digitization service and home movie transfer service like Capture to get high-quality digital copies of your loved one’s favorite memories. Then you can use them to create a digital scrapbook. 

Either way, we recommend organizing the memory birthday book based on specific topics like travel, family, or a love journey through milestones. Then, you can keep adding more pages and photos for later birthdays, Christmas gifts, and 30th anniversary gifts.

Video Messages and Documentaries

Another option for a unique 50th birthday gift is to create a family documentary or keepsake based on thoughtful messages from friends and family. You can get a vintage camcorder and record each family member or friend talking about their favorite memory of the birthday boy or girl, providing insight into relationships and creating a thoughtful gift that is sure to brighten their day. 

Or you could hire a professional to create a documentary of your loved one’s life, starting from birth and going all the way up to their 50th birthday celebration. This can be a nostalgic gift that provides even more memories. Plus, it’s probably something they will cherish for the rest of their life. Just make sure you use Capture to digitize the home movies before using the only analog copy! 

Time Capsules

Time capsules make great gifts. You can add meaningful items like letters, photo slides, home movies, and other items. Then, you can seal the capsule and set a date for the special occasion of opening it and reminiscing over times long forgotten. We suggest opening it on their 60th or 70th birthday, making it a birthday gift set that they can cherish twice! 

There are gift sets and kits online at places like Amazon where you can get the sealable time capsule. That makes it easy and means you only have to focus on filling it with the most thoughtful ideas as well as funny gag gifts that you’ll both enjoy in the future! 

Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Gifts

Does your family member or best friend care about the environment? You might consider some eco-friendly and sustainable gift options that show you care too, not only about the Earth but about the person receiving the gifts. 

Eco-Friendly Products

You can find tons of eco-friendly products that can make a special gift including sustainable birthday cards, fashion items, and more. Other options for zero-waste lifestyles include reusable bags for shopping, water bottles made out of recycled materials, and zero-waste kitchenware. 

You could even create a DIY gift basket with various sustainable and environmentally friendly items inside of it, adding a personal touch to the unique gift idea. 

Donations and Charitable Gifts

Another one of the more unique birthday surprises for 50th celebrations is to make a charitable donation in the persona’s name. This makes a great present for dad or mom that shows that you care about their favorite causes whether it’s the environment or something entirely different. You can even set up community projects or scholarships in their name! 

If you don’t know their favorite charity, then we recommend using the ideas they care most about as a jumping-off point. That could be the environment, but it could also be education, healthcare, homelessness, or anything else. This is especially poignant if it relates to their personal journey. 

Plant and Garden Gifts

What better eco-friendly gift than ecology itself? You can give special gifts like potted plants, trees, or garden kits. Not only does this benefit the Earth, but also promotes healthy mental health and well-being. 

There are also options that combine the gift of trees with charity like saving a portion of the rainforest in their name or having a memorial tree planted for them. This is a gift that benefits future generations in their name, making it thoughtful and meaningful.  

Conclusion

As you can see there are tons of creative birthday gifts for 50-year-olds including everything from personalized jewelry to memory books, unique experiences, high-end luxury items, tech gadgets, and donations. 

While any of these can make great gifts, the perfect 50th birthday gift will relate to your loved one’s interests and memories whether that’s a coffee mug with a special photo on it or a piece of jewelry engraved with a meaningful message.

If you are planning on creating a memory book, home video collage, or other gift based on special memories, then Capture can digitize those memories to preserve them forever. We even offer the first-ever touchless photo album scanning service! Click here to learn more about our affordable, but high-quality digitization services.