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Why You Should Give Return Gifts for a Retirement Party

A retirement party is thrown for celebrating the fact that the retiree no longer has to work, and is now free to enjoy the second innings of life as they call it. The friends, family, and colleagues are invited and the event is celebrated. However, it is very important to appreciate the presence of the guests and giving return gifts to the guests is a good way of showing this gratitude. Here are few reasons as to why you should consider giving a return gift to your guests.

Return Gifts Serve as a Polite Gesture

Giving a return gift to all the guests at a party serves as a very sweet gesture. While saying goodbyes to each other and celebrating the special day of the retiree, the guests also feel good. It is a nice way of making the guests feels welcomed and happy. Spreading happiness is a good deed you see!

Appreciate Their Presence and Good Wishes

Giving a return gift to your guests is a nice way of appreciating the presence of your guests. By giving them the return gift, you can show them how much you appreciate the fact that they attended the function. Your guests will be truly moved after receiving this return gift. The concept of return gift is soon becoming popular and everyone is looking for the perfect thing to give to their guests as a return gift.

Help Them Always Remember You

Source www.etsy.com

The return gift will always remind your visitors of you. Whenever they see the gift, they will surely be reminded of you. By giving your guests a return gift, you can certainly help them remember you. After retirement, you need friends and acquaintances to stay in touch with you. A return gift will help you stay on their mind.

Top 10 Return Gift Ideas for a Retirement Party

With that being said, let us explore the gifts that you can give to guests on your retirement party.

Coffee Mugs

Send off guests to the retirement party with a coffee mug that changes colour on pouring any hot liquid. You can customise the mug with any message or image you want like that amazing group photo of the entire team that was loved by everybody. Several websites offer bulk discounts so look around to get the best deal. One great option is printland.in which offers a black-coloured mug for Rs. 299.

Source www.amazon.in

Having a send off for a photographer or someone who was known for their eye for images? This camera lens coffee mug is a thermos designed like a camera lens and will be the perfect return gift. It has an airtight cap for sipping and is very convenient for drinking on-the-go. It is a multi-purpose container that can be used to store milk, coffee and tea. It has a stainless-steel interior. The exterior plastic provides insulation. This coffee mug will always remind your guests of you whenever they use it. You can buy this mug as a return gift from Amazon at Rs.249.

Passport Cover

Source thejunket.in

A passport holder can be a very useful return gift for your friends. It can be used while travelling to keep the passport secure. This particular one from Junket is made of faux leather the passport holder that can be personalised with a charm and a name. You can order on thejunket.in where they accomodate bulk orders. The price for one is Rs. 720. If you are looking for something more affordable then you also get passport cover alone, which you can buy from the same for Rs.339.

Tea Coaster Set

Source www.boontoon.com

Unisex, useful and thoughtful, tea coaster sets are a great option as return gifts for retirement parties. Check out this handmade wooden coaster set with Meenakari work. Colourful and high quality, this set will add a touch of beauty to your colleagues' tables at home or desks at work. Buy it on boontoon.com for Rs. 590. That seems too expensive? Check out the leather coaster set on indiamart.com for just Rs. 275 per piece

Source www.indiamart.com

Cute Incense Stand

Source www.boontoon.com

Incense stands will be a great addition to the houses of your friends and well-wishers. This is something that will fill their house with a soothing fragrance and uplifting vibes. Consider this Buddha Monk Smoke Backflow Incense available on boontoon.com for Rs. 510. Made of poly resin this incense stand's smoky waterfall effect is mesmerizing and fascinating.

Pen Stand

Source www.amazon.in

A pen stand is yet another thoughtful gift that you can give to your pals. This beautifully designed Wooden Pen Stand can be kept at home or used at work. The decorative pen stand is a nice gift to give to your colleagues and friends that have come for your retirement party celebration. It is very lightweight and can hold pen, pencil and clips etc. You can buy this pen stand from Amazon for Rs.170 only. It makes for a very useful gift to be given on a retirement party.

Clutches and Wallets

You can gift a good quality clutch to your female guests at the retirement party. The ladies would love this super useful and trendy return gift. The clutch is really beautiful and can be carried to any occasion formal or informal. It is made of synthetic leather and has a zipper closure. Wmm Craft Women's Combo of 2 Clutches is very durable and fashionable. You can buy it from Amazon for Rs.274.

Source www.amazon.in

For the men consider this WildHorn Black Men's Wallet made of leather in black. Measuring 14 cms x 11.5 cms x 2.5 cms, the wallet has a well-organised interior with a host of compartments. You can buy it on Amazon

Parker Pen

Source www.amazon.in

Have a few colleagues you are close to or a boss you admire and want to give them something different Surprise your guests with a Parker Frontier Matte Black CT Roller Ball Pen. It is made of powder coating stainless steel and has a matte finish. A good quality pen can be used in the office, during meetings and for general use as well. It makes for a classy return gift for the attendees of your retirement party. This is a gift that has two years of warranty and anyone would love to receive a Parker pen as a return gift. This Parker pen can be bought for Rs.479 from Amazon. It is on the higher end of the return gift spectrum and can be reserved for a few or given if the party has a small guest list.

If you are on the other hand looking for gifting a large group, then consider Parker Galaxy Stainless Steel Gold Trim Ball Pen which comes with an elegant steel body with gold trim. You can order it on the same site for Rs. 315.

Handmade Diaries

Source www.amazon.in

If you are looking for something unique as a return gift on your retirement party, then this is the perfect option for you. This attractive homemade diary is very eye catchy and beautiful. One can pen down their thoughts, important notes, and anything that they want to write in this beautiful looking handcrafted diary with a lovely message. The Aldico handmade diary comes with an attractive texture finish craft paper. It is A5 sized and hand stitched. The diary has 150 pages made of natural matte finish. The binding of it is hand stitched and you can buy this handcrafted diary from Amazon for only Rs.200.

Photo Frame

Source www.amazon.in

You can show your gratitude to your guests by gifting them this table photo frame by Table Mantra. It is made from high quality synthetic wood and can be hung vertically as well as horizontally. It can accommodate photos measuring 5 x 7 inch. A photo frame can be used to put pictures that one admires the most and frame them. You can buy it from Amazon for Rs.199 only. Your guests would love this photo frame and will surely remember you whenever they look at it.

Calendar Key Chain

Source www.amazon.in

As a return gift, you can present your guests with this supercool Generic Fam 50 Years Calender Keychain. The key ring is made by polishing and anti oxidation coating and has a main ring for keys along with an auxiliary hook. This is a return gift that you can give to anyone, be it your colleagues, friends, family members or acquaintances etc. The keychain has a cool and elegant design. It is ideal for car keys, house keys and bike keys. Buy it for only Rs.145 from ShopClues and gift it to your wonderful guests on your retirement party.

A Cool Tote Bag

Source thoppia.com

Tote bags are ever-useful gifts - use them for shopping, casual outings or even travel! Here is a great option from thoppia.com that features an interesting dreamcatcher motif. Made of full cotton, this comfy bag costs just Rs. 299. This gift makes for a wonderful retirement party return gift as it is unisex and something that will be of use to everybody. Just look for neutral colours and patterns so you can gift the bag to everybody.

Six Steps for Planning a Great Retirement Party

Planning a retirement party can be an onerous task. You have to ensure that everything is well organised and there is a lot of planning to do beforehand. It is a special occasion that is going to become one of your fondest memories and you want it to be special. Here are some great tips for throwing a great retirement party.

Decide on a Theme

Source karaspartyideas.com

Instead of throwing a boring retirement party, you can throw a fun themed retirement party to make it a truly memorable event. For example, if you are throwing a retirement party for a former teacher, then you can simply make the decor related to teaching. For instance, you can decorate the venue with schoolbook cookies, an A+ cakes and things like that.

Moreover, if the retiree is moving to some other place then you can keep the theme matching that destination. For example, if the retiree is moving to the US then you can serve food that is popular in that region and so on. Your party theme can also draw inspiration from the hobbies of the retiree. If he is fond of chess, then keep a theme that has black and white checked outfits and decor.

Play Some Fun Retirement Party Games

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Let the humor go viral in your retirement party. You can play some awesome games to make the mood light and fun at the party. You can play Pictionary by drawing and sketching on a whiteboard. The audiences have to guess whatever it is that you are trying to convey. You can also indulge in outdoor games like bike race and kayaking race if you happen to throw a party out in the open. You can also play the Roast, where all the invitees roast the retiree based on their experiences with him. This could cheer up everyone’s mood and everyone will certainly have a good laugh. However, make sure that the retiree is not a serious type of person who will easily get offended. Choose your cards wisely! Wink wink.

Make Sure You Have a Designated Photographer

A retirement party is a time for goodbyes. It is the time you spend with all your colleagues and friends before stepping into the next phase of your life. At this special occasion, you do not want to forget clicking pictures. While you will be super busy in your own party,so make sure you have a designated photographer, preferably someone who knows the guests and is known to take good pictures.

You can even hire a professional photographer. A professional photographer will know how to take great pictures of this memorable event. These are the pictures that you will always be looking back to. So make sure that you consult a good photographer.

Make a Memorable Video in Honour of the Retiree

Now comes the interesting part. The party is about the retiree and his retirement. You have got to try your best to make this day memorable for him. You can make a video series honouring the retiree. What you need to do is to create a series of videos wherein each one of the guests or maybe about 10 of them create a video talking about the retiree.

The guests can speak about how they met the retiree, what they feel about him or her and things like that. Watching all these videos will definitely make the retiree feel very special. You can ask their close friends, family members and colleagues to say a few words of honor for the retiree and record them. After this, you can play the series for all to watch and surprise the retiree with this special gesture.

Make the Retiree Feel Special

There are various ways of making the retiree feel special. Retirement is a big deal and the retiree must be showered with attention and affection. You can give the retiree a personalised gift. If you are a bunch of co-workers then you can talk about the fabulous career of the retiree. You can congratulate the retiree on this occasion of retirement and tell him or her about the valuable contribution that they have made to the organisation.

Retirement is a sensitive moment where everyone is parting ways and going in their own direction. But you can take an effort to tell the retiree how special he/she has been. Maybe each one of you can give a short speech about the retiree and fill it with positive remarks so that the retiree feels special. You can all give him the gifts.

Bid Adieu But Stay in Touch

Retirement is truly an end of an era. But it in no way means that you will forget all the wonderful co-workers and friends that you have made over the years. This is a good time to ensure that you stay in touch with all your former colleagues. Stay connected on social media platforms and ensures that you always keep meeting your other fellow colleagues. This way you can say goodbye to each other but stay in touch at the same time.

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From our editorial team

Customise Return Gifts to the Gathering

Return gifts are often token presents, usually bought at low prices to keep the costs of the party under control. But that doesn't mean you cannot buy more personal, slightly expensive items. Buy presents according to the composition and size of the gathering. If these are people you have enjoyed working with, who have become friends more than co-workers, and it is an intimate gathering, go for better gifts - things they can remember the retiree by. On the other hand if there are lots of people at the party it would be prudent to stick to cost effective items as return gifts.