Humor & Jokes

Everyone knows the most meaningful gifts come from the heart, and when you've worked with someone for 20 or 30 years, it should be easy to find a retirement gift for them. However, gifts can get expensive and it can be hard to combine all your memories (and the rest of the office's) into one meaningful surprise.

Having owned a design firm for many years, I've seen multiple confused co-workers stop by my office asking what they can do with the photos they've collected or another visual, non-fleeting way they can celebrate a retiree's career. I have dreamt up many suggestions to give my clients and I hope to ease someone else's stress by sharing them with you.

My first piece of advice is to make sure the gift will last forever and will constantly remind the retiree how much they were really appreciated. Let them know their good work and good company was noticed. My second piece of advice is to ensure the gift won't be stuffed away in a box to gather dust for the next 20 years. Make the gift something that the retiree is proud to display in their home.

With that said, here are some of the suggestions I often give my clients:

1) Photo collage

For a memorable gift that will provide years of beauty and memories for the retiree, gather together photos of the times the co-workers have spent together. From the holiday party to the last volunteer event everyone participated in, each and every photo contains a memory that the retiree will never want to forget. Make sure every co-worker has provided photos as the retiree will want to remember every person they have spent their time with. Then, create a collage of these collected pictures. For an extra special touch, add a meaningful quote that captures the experiences, the ups and downs that everyone at your company has experienced together. When the collage is all finished, don't forget to frame it for an irreplaceable, long-lasting retirement gift.

2) Scrapbook/Memory book

Provide each person in the office with a large piece of scrapbooking paper and instructions to reminisce for a moment and then write a few memories they have had with the retiree. If no memories are readily available in their heads, co-workers could simply write a heartfelt note to the retiree. Photos should also be included to spruce up the page. Then, the pages could be decorated by someone in the office, sent out to scrapper for hire, or a digital scrapbooking website can also be used. Having written stories or notes will give the retiree something to look at and constantly know that the work they have dedicated their lives to was truly appreciated.

3) Shadowbox

Having worked in the same place with the same people for so many years must produce some memorable items. Perhaps a chewed-up pen or a nameplate has been the butt of all office jokes for a few years or there are some office supplies that the retiree has always used. In every person, there are a few noticeable quirks and objects that they gravitate to. See if there is anyway you can capture a little piece of these items, and thus their memories, to put into a shadowbox. You can always include a few pictures as well or a quote or two.

4) Personalized poems or quote

If there is a poet in your office, or even if there is not, writing a heartfelt or funny poem about the retiree's career can provide years of humor and memories. No one even resembling a poet in your office? That's ok - you can also use a collection of applicable quotes. The poem or quotes should be written on nice stationery and then framed so the retiree will be able to easily hang it up. This way, they will be reminded every single day when they read or even glance at the poem as it hangs in their kitchen or living room.

5) A gift card for something you know they enjoy

If you go more for the useable, tangibly enjoyable gift, go for the gift card. They just retired and now they finally have time to themselves. Rather than spending all day working, they'll need something else to do, and every gift card can be personalized to fit the retiree's interests perfectly. Do they like spas? Give a gift card to the local spa. Golfing? Maybe a gift card to a golf store or golf course. Gift cards may not physically last forever, but the memories that they provide will be filed together with the reminiscences of the people they once worked with.