Happy Retirement!

Whether you’re organizing a retirement celebration for a loved one or a coworker, there are so many great ideas for sharing retirement wishes and an endless list of excellent retirement party ideas.

Share Retirement Wishes in a Group Video

We work an average of 10 to 15 jobs throughout our working years. If we’re lucky, we find a job that we either love, or that works well for our family or our work/life balance, and we stay in it for several years approaching our retirement. We plan and track our retirement savings for decades. And we begin counting down the days until we can take that break that we’ve worked long and hard to earn. 

You’ve seen the way celebrations are often handled at work: Someone is celebrating a birthday, a promotion, or a retirement. A close colleague or the HR department circulates a retirement greeting card, allowing you to sign your name and write a comment (that’ll be read by everyone after you). The card is presented to the recipient with a swarm of people at their desk. There’s a much better way to share retirement wishes! 

With Memento, you can create a Group Video to honor the retiree. Instead of that brief comment in a card, you can record a video clip of retirement wishes. Perhaps you have a great memory to share. Or you want to say thank you for the help and guidance the retiree has given you over the years. Maybe there’s an inside that you share. Or even just an expression of how much you’ll miss Friday lunches together. One of the best things about the Memento platform is that it remains private to the Organizer unless they choose to share the Group Video with all of the contributors. They can choose to create the Group Video and share the contents only with the retiree so the memories that you make become a personalized and cherished keepsake.

Retirement Quotes

When it’s time for your coworkers to retire, there’s a good chance that you’ll want to express your congratulations and best wishes. The reality is though, that not all of us are blessed with the gift of gab. We struggle to find the right words. Here are some thought starters that might help: 

Funny Retirement Quotes

Perhaps one of the things that you shared most often with your retiring colleague is a sense of humor!  

“The best thing about retirement is not having to wear pants!” - Mark Hewer

“Retirement is wonderful. It’s doing nothing without worrying about getting caught at it.” - Gene Perret

“Retirement is like a long vacation in Las Vegas. The goal is to enjoy it to the fullest, but not so fully that you run out of money.” - Jonathan Clements

“Working people have a lot of bad habits, but the worst of these is work.” - Clarence Darrow

Retirement Quotes for the Boss

When it’s your boss who is retiring, perhaps you’ll want to make your quote a bit inspirational.

“Retirement is a blank sheet of paper. It is a chance to redesign your life into something new and different.” - Patrick Foley

“Congratulations on making it over all the hurdles and reaching that wonderful time of life where you get to do whatever you want.” - Stella Rheingold

“Throughout your career, you have been someone’s boss. Retirement is your chance to be your own.” - Andy Atticus

“Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.” - Fred Rogers

Retirement Quotes for Teachers

Teachers spend their lives inspiring minds. They’re often lifelong learners themselves. Here are some great quotes for those who have cared for and nurtured the next generation.

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“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou

“The joy of retirement comes in those everyday pursuits that embrace the joy of life; to experience daily the freedom to invest one’s life-long knowledge for the betterment of others; and, to allocate time to pursuits that only received, in years of working, a fleeting moment.” - Byron Pulsifer

“Retirement can and will be a glorious time in your life. You’ll love the freedom and ability to try new things. It’s a new phase of life; a chance to be a beginner again.” - Richard Carlson

Retirement Party Ideas

Millions of “Baby Boomers” are retiring over the next few years, so - chances are - you’ll either be attending or throwing a Retirement Party. How do you make it unique and memorable for the retiree? Here are some Retirement Party Ideas to suit different interests and personalities:

The Retiree is a Huge Sports Fan

• This one is easier than you think! Think concession stand for the menu: Hot-Dogs, Beer, Popcorn, etc. Ask guests to wear their favorite team jersey. And suggest either individual ticket games or perhaps season tickets as a retirement gift.

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The Retiree is Planning to Travel

• You can have lots of fun with this theme - think international! Choose hors d'oeuvres from several different countries. Wood-fired pizzas from Italy, Tacos from South of the Border, Poutine from Canada, Sushi. Guest ideas can all be travel related - suitcase, travel pillow, foreign currency, and even travel/guide books! 

The Retiree is Moving to the Beach

• They’ve been waiting for years to sell up and move to the beach, or to permanently relocate to the cottage. Throw them a Beach-themed party! Stick to the beach theme with buffet-style food displayed in sand pails and with sand shovels. Use brown sugar as artificial sand to decorate. Have guests wear their shorts, sunglasses and sandals. 

There are so many ways to plan the perfect Retirement Party, but the best ideas will be those that suit the retirees the best. And don’t forget - if you’ve created a Group Video to celebrate their retirement, it’ll make a wonderful impact if you can play it on a big screen with many of the video contributors in attendance.