How to Give a Retirement Party
When someone is retiring we like to celebrate. It is not the end of their life we are celebrating but the end of a period of working at a particular type of employment so we want to be careful not to make them feel put out to pasture. My feeling is to try and make it fun and not sad. This article has a few suggestions that have worked well for others.
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Things You'll Need
- A Sign-In Board
- Refreshments
- Party Invitations by snail mail or email
- Photographs of guests and the retiree
- Entertainment
- Music
- Appreciation gift
Instructions
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These days most people have email. If all your guests do than you can send out email invites. Just ask for a response of intention. If you have a particular theme in mind then tell the guests so they can dress appropriately. If it is a family party you can ask guests to contribute refreshments but tell them if they are assigned a main dish, desert or beverage or you could end up with 20 boxes of cookies and no dinner. Tell them if you want alcohol or not. If the guest is in recovery have a no alcohol party out of consideration.
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You can order a gift caricature drawn from a photo to use as a sign-in board, have the image put on t-shirts and reduce for use for thank you notes. A printer will mount the picture on foam core and then you can have every one sign it and frame it later for a keepsake for the guest of honor. It is important to find funny things the retiree will appreciate to include in the picture. It should be very personal and funny to them but not poking fun at them in any mean way. It should be something they would be proud to display and enjoy for years.
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Ask the guest of honor about his ideas for the future. What has he or she been dreaming of doing. Perhaps the guests can chip in for a present to help them do it. For instance, new luggage if they want to travel or gardening tools if they want to garden. Try to discourage guests from spending their money on useless toys that are either insulting a not enjoyable the day after the event. Channel the guests into buying gifts that are useful with meaning.
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Music makes any party more festive and gives people something to do. Hiring a mobile D.J. with a Karaoke set up is a favorite. Singing to the hits is a big favorite as are tarot card readers who give fun insights into the possible future of the guests. Tarot readers are a big hit with women especially.
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Showing old photographs of the group in an album can be a fun walk down memory lane. ENJOY!
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Tips & Warnings
If you give people a hint in the right direction they are relieved not to have to think up anything themselves when it comes to the gift.
Resources
- Photo Credit Jess Perna Caricaturist
