How to Give a Retirement Party
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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.
* A Sign-In Board
* Refreshments
* Party Invitations by snail mail or email
* Photographs of guests and the retiree
* Entertainment
* Music
* Appreciation gift
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.
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.
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.
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.
Showing old photographs of the group in an album can be a fun
walk down memory lane. ENJOY!
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