I love to cross stitch! I am nowhere close to retirement, but because of my profession (nursing instructor) I have a very generous amount of vacation time.
You can find a great many cross stitching groups online. The UK has a number of wonderful cross stitch magazines that you can subscribe to or purchase from your local retailer, including Cross Stitch Gold, Cross Stitch Crazy, The World of Cross Stitching, and Cross Stitcher, among others. The latter two include a free gift in every issue, which is usually a beginner friendly small kit to stitch. Both magazines also include directions on how to cross stitch for beginners and how to read a chart.