Creative Ways to Send Retirement Wishes

Retirement wishes should be given happily and sincerely. Remember the old adage your mother taught you: "Say what you mean, and mean what you say, but don't be mean when you say it."

Be Sensitive
Most people enjoy retirement, but some people are forced into retirement due to their age or their physical condition. Retirement is also a kind way of saying a company has downsized and no longer has a place for the employee to work. Because of age, the person can no longer find work.

Retirement has its ups and downs. Be aware of the reasons behind the retirement, and be kind when you offer retirement wishes. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone of retirement age wants to be reminded that she is old or "over the hill"; a joke is only funny if everyone is laughing. While there is room for some humor, too much can be in bad taste. A person who has put in his or her time deserves a happy retirement filled with good wishes that radiate from the heart, so think before you speak. Say goodbye without adding any additional baggage to the event.

Retirement Etiquette
If a retirement party is in the works, you can always pick up a gift and present it to the retiree at the party. If the retiree is a little on the shy side and has requested no party, and no one is planning a surprise party, etiquette says you should drop your retirement wishes in the mail or, better yet, drop by the retiree's home and offer your wishes in person. Either method is acceptable.

Here are some unique ways to offer retirement wishes that can be sent in the mail or delivered in person:

• A personalized, singing card
• Personalized pajamas and a clock that runs backwards
• A photo of the office crew crying and falling apart since the retirement
• A jigsaw puzzle of the retiree sitting at his desk or knee-deep in work
• A potted palm tree, a couple of leis, a bottle of rum and a lawn chair
• Gift certificates to the coffee shop where the office crew hangs out, with a heartfelt note attached that reads, "Don't be a stranger."

Retirement Party Planning
Usually a retirement party is planned around some activity the retiree enjoys, such as traveling. For a surprise party that emphasizes this activity, have everyone bring along a piece of luggage. The ladies in the group can use a small make-up bag as their purse and the men can show up with a backpack or fanny belt in tow. Decorations can consist of items that would be found at the retiree's favorite destination.

• Tropical Destinations: If it's a tropical area, purchase several blow-up palm trees and place them strategically about the house or pool area. To keep the mood authentic, hold a pig roast and serve fruit salad, Hawaiian cake and coconut and banana cream pies. Offer fruity alcoholic drinks, and wear grass skirts and flowered shirts.
• Cooler Destinations: Turn the air conditioners on full blast and bundle up in sweatshirts with hoodies, scarves, mittens and boots. Decorate with ice sculptures and fake snow. Serve baked Alaska as the retirement cake with salmon as the main dish.

If the retiree is not into travel but is into some other activity, set up the backyard so it reflects that activity.

• Crafting: Set up several tables to resemble a festival or craft show. One booth can hold the drinks, another can hold the gifts and yet another table can hold the food. Decorate each booth with a backdrop that is lit up with miniature white lights so the event is colorful. The food table might simply be entitled, "Good Eats!" The drink table could be entitled, "Drink Up!" The gift table could be entitled, "We'll Miss You!" Or you could make it even more simple by just using the word EAT on the food table, DRINK at the drinks table and BE MERRY at the gift table. Don't forget happy music, jester's hats, halos with streamers, fuzzy dice, cotton candy, popcorn and caramel apples.
• Hunting: Have everyone dress in hunting clothes or flannels and jeans, with mock rifles or a bow and arrow and a quiver slung over their backs. Serve wild game or beer and jerky, and sit around a campfire to shoot the breeze.
• Gardening: Have everyone dress in gardening attire, complete with knee pads, a visor and gloves. Though retirement wishes sent in the form of flowers can never be wrong, a living plant rather than cut flowers is the perfect way to offer flowers to a gardener. Bulbs or plants are gifts that will be enjoyed for years to come. If you know her favorite flower or plant, that might be the ideal choice, if not, pick up a gift card to her favorite nursery. Other gifts that would be perfect include any type of gardening tool, potting soil, a gardening statue or even a waterfall. If there will be a lot of people at the event, consider pooling your money and purchasing a ground tilling device or a small greenhouse.