Retirement are cause for special "create memories" parties -- they only happen once in each person's life. A few easy ideas can turn this special party into a memorable celebration for both the honouree and the guests!
A celebration is essential. The celebrant may not feel as young as he/she used to and will welcome a celebration. A great theme for any adult party is "Good Old Days" celebration, where memorabilia from childhood through adulthood is incorporated throughout the entire party. Surprise parties are always an option, as they may not be expected at this age and bring the most fun to everyone. Whatever you decide upon, it's bound to turn an age-old event into a celebration of a lifetime.
Quick Tips
Party Time
The time set for the party tells the guests what to expect, for example:
5:00pm - indicates food will be served, it's dinner time and 2:00pm - is in between lunch and dinner, so food is not expected.
Invitations
State clearly what guests should expect, for example:
Open House - "Please drop by between the hours of 2:00pm to 4:00pm"
Cocktail Party - "Join us for drinks and snacks from 5:00pm to 7:00pm"
Potluck - "Please bring your favourite dish for dinner at 6:00pm"
Surprise Party - "Park your car a block away and help surprise Marty with a buffet celebration"
Guests
Contact old school friends, co-workers, old friends, etc., and let them in on the celebration (or surprise).
Party Theme Ideas
(details of each theme can be found later in this article - click here)
Golden Oldies
Medieval Celebration
Let The Countdown Begin
Secret Mission Impossible (surprise party)
Camera - Have a camera ready for those "spur of the moment" shots that will not only create lasting memories but can later be used at upcoming milestone birthday parties in scrapbooks, photo albums, or even invitations. Consider handing out disposable cameras as party favours and let the guests do their own picture taking. Ask a couple of people to help take photos… this is an event to remember!
Invitations - Make your own or purchase ready-made invitations that match your theme - add a photo of the retiree when they were a baby. Your guests will enjoy the personal touch!
Use old childhood pictures or newspaper headlines, photocopied in colour, saying "Look who's retiring...". For example, "Nifty, Nifty, Look whose off".
Inform guests of the attire, special dress or costumes needed (if applicable) and what kind of gifts, if any, would be welcome.
Gifts - To Bring or Not To Bring, that is the question to be decided and added to the invitations.
Some ideas:
Ask everyone bring at least one small gag gift - will create enjoyment/entertainment for the guests and even some embarrassment to the guest of honour. (Keep this in mind when deciding on whether or not to invite children.)
Ask everyone to chip in a certain amount for one big present
Donate money to the celebrant's favourite charity.
Wrap gifts for the celebrant more than once - they'll think they're losing their mind.
THEME IDEAS
Golden Oldies
This theme is great for people that were teenagers in the 1950's… or wished they had been - it is not only simple, but easy to arrange, decorate and organize. Send invitations out shaped in the old black 45 record styles, with "Side One" listing the information and "Side 2" listing the directions to the party. Decorate with jukebox style decorations, 45 records, photos of poodle skirts, hula hoops, hot rods. Games can include Bazooka Bubble Blowing Contest, Hula Hoop and Limbo contests, dancing to the Twist and doing the Stroll.
Create signs saying you know the celebrant is getting older, such as:
"Age is a number, old is in your head"
"Age isn't important unless you are cheese"
"Age does not determine who's right, it only determines who's left"
"You're still on the right side of the grass"
"You've seen it all, heard it all, done it all, you just can't remember it all"
"At your age, you've got achy, breaky everything"
"You know you are getting old when you remember when Queen Elizabeth was a Princess"
The day of the party, hang the signs up for everyone to see. Use a variety of colours of balloons and streamers for simple decorations, decorate according to the season or the celebrants' hobbies. Create a festive atmosphere rather than the 'Over the Hill' theme that is, in my opinion, a depressing reminder.
Medieval Celebration
Computer-generated invitations are easy and inexpensive. There are lots of graphics are available on the Internet for designs, such as -- a castle, a moat, knight in armour, ladies in waiting, etc. Ask the guests to come in costume. Ask the male guest of honour to dress as the Knight in Shining Armour or the female guest of honour to dress as a Lady In Waiting for the party. Decorate the area with paper swords, shields, castle backgrounds, gold, and black tableware, streamers and balloons. No silverware… wasn't invented we are told until the 17th Century in France -- serve finger foods. Set the table with plastic goblets for serving drinks and serve red wine (or cranberry juice) for the toast. Lace doilies, elaborate settings, and plenty of candles will give the room the dramatic effect you're looking for. A very creative and attention-getting cake for this party is a three-dimension pig.
Memories of the Way We Were
…lasting mementos from the party
Pin a sheet on a wall and ask all the guests to sign their names and add comments (use permanent marking pens - available at yardage shops).
Ask each of the guests to bring photos of themselves with the retiree from years ago. For instance, ask guests bring a photo of themselves when they were together in college, or were co-workers, etc. Makes for great memories and lots of talking over of old times.
A "Gentle" Roast and/or Memory Book -- ask everyone to write down something about the person. Sample questions can include:
The most embarrassing moment with Jane was _________
What I remember most about Bob is ______________
A wonderful Jackie did for me is ___________________________
The funniest moment
The most romantic moment
Something the celebrant did to change my life !
Etc. etc. etc.
"Through the Years" Video or Collage - Collect old pictures from family and guests to and either create a collage or have the pictures transferred onto a video tape (easily done at local video/camera shops). Don't forget the music - a perfect addition to the clips, or play favourite "oldies" at the party while watching the video. (Tip: Transferring pictures to video takes a few weeks - make sure you allow enough time.)
Memory Scrapbook -- Use pictures to create a memorable scrapbook as a gift to the birthday person. If possible, ask guests to mail in their favourite picture of the guest of honour when they R.S.V.P. (Leftover pictures can be used to decorate the party room).
Food
If you're having the party in your home or at a restaurant, buffet style is the easiest way to serve food. If you are catering the meal, buffets are often less expensive than a formal sit-down affair. Serve large trays of food that can be prepared ahead of time for at home parties (Italian dishes, prepared meats, salads, etc). If a very informal party, have pizza delivered!
Snacks are important to provide for guests to munch on until dinner is served. Suggestions are Chips and Dips/Salsa, cheese and fruit platters, cold cut platters, buffalo wings, vegetables and dip. Even if you've never thrown a surprise or adult party for someone before, ask around for suggestions and ideas.
Think back to parties you enjoyed and remember what foods were served.
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