A retreat is a wonderful time for a person to grow spiritually and mentally. They are usually a mixture of relaxing, exciting, and thought provoking. One idea that could put a cherry on top of this already amazing sundae is a little gift. At a smaller women’s retreat, giving a gift is a nice (but completely not necessary) gesture that will always encourage memories of the experience. The idea of giving a gift, no matter what it is, is the sign of a considerate host or planner who has really thought of everything. Here, I will highlight 5 perfect, mostly inexpensive, thoughtful gifts for women.
Book – This might sound bland, but hear me out. I don’t mean handing out a common book that everyone might already have, or a book that’s irrelevant to the retreat, but that might be popular at the time. Think about a book that really is related to the main topic of the retreat.
Jewelry – Once again, I don’t just mean to get her any type of jewelry. A bracelet that has “faith” or “believe” inscribed would be perfect. Every time she wore it and looked at her wrist, she’d have a flashback of all her memories from this retreat.
Seedling – If your retreat has anything to do with personal growth (as most often do), then a tiny seedling that will one day grow into a healthy plant will be a representation of who they are as a person. This will also be a reminder of what they learned on their retreat.
Grab Bag – This idea is similar to a popular Christmas party activity. Everyone brings a wrapped gift, puts them all in a pile, then each person gets to pick one out of that bunch. This can also be an enjoyable icebreaker, since everyone will start chatting about their gifts! If you choose this idea, just make sure you give everyone a price range (under $10, under $5, handmade, etc.) so they’re all pretty equal!
Journals – Journals, diaries, notebooks, whatever you want to call them, will be helpful throughout the whole retreat for a woman to take notes, record important tidbits, and write down how they are feeling during the whole day or weekend. So make sure to hand this one out at the beginning of the first day!
What are some other ideas that you’ve used for your retreats?
I embroider Christian Scripture References, Symbols and Ministry logos on the corners of hankies! i have been blessed to serve several Retreats looking for a memorable event favor. i pray over each hankie and Ministry and receive more than i give! Blessings, joy
What a neat idea Joy, thanks for sharing.
Thank you for responding. When you order 30 hankies i will give you wholesale pricing and free shipping (best seller is $5)! Blessings, joy
I have 2 favorite gifts from retreats. One was from a Christian Comedy Retreat and it was journal. They were blank inside and they were think paper on the outside, but looked (and felt a little like) leather. We actually where given “writing assignments” that week. I loved this journal and still use it for my comedy writing. The second was a water bottle. The theme of the retreat was “The Living Water”. Their logo was on the bottle as well as the verse. Every time I use that bottle I think of those ladies and the things we learned that weekend.
I also teach women’s retreats. I have one called “From Grit to Grace” which started as an investigation of pearls (based on my mother’s pearls) that lead to a search of it in scripture. One group of women made a “pearl” beaded bookmark for their Bibles and another group made pearl jewelry. I have one retreat called “Girls Gotta to Have Bling” which ended up being a study on The Tabernacle and part of Revelations. One group of ladies gave away the same piece of jewelry that went with our verse and another group made a craft. You guess it we made our own bling. It was great!
Interested in looking at your ideas of retreat material/ideas from your study, “From Grit to Grace.” Our Fall Women’s retreat will follow the theme, “Grace.” Starting to compile random ideas and thought. Thank you
Our Ladies Retreat was “Woven” all about sisterhood. My favorite gift was a tiny jar with pink lid with colored paper in it and a Bible scripture nestled inside, We picked a scripure for each individual . Loved it.