Return gifts for a retirement party: what the retiree's family can hand colleagues and relatives as they leaveReturn gifts for a retirement party: what the retiree's family can hand colleagues and relatives as they leave

A thank-you for the people who shared the working years

At a retirement party the guests are a mix you do not see at any other function: the retiree's colleagues of twenty or thirty years, juniors they trained, relatives and neighbours. A return gift here is the family's thank-you to all of them, so it should be the same for everyone, easy to carry home, and not about the office.

Five return gifts that suit a retirement party in India:

1. A box of mithai or dry fruits. The default, welcome in every home, eaten within the week.
2. A small potted plant. Suits a retiree who gardens; harder to carry for guests travelling by bus or metro.
3. A printed photo card or bookmark with a picture from the retiree's career and a line of thanks. Cheap, personal, kept in a drawer.
4. A brass or clay diya. Traditional and long-lasting; check it will not offend a guest of another faith.
5. A handmade candle with a thank-you tag. This is what Raajkosh makes: hand-poured soy wax candles from Jalandhar. For a family, Sunflower Tealights at Rs 449 for ten. For a single guest, the Blossom Candle at Rs 299. For close relatives, Matki Candles, four hand-painted pots for Rs 599.

Picking one gift for colleagues and family together

• Count guests as households, not heads. A couple from the office takes one gift, not two. That usually brings a list of 80 people down to 45 or 50 gifts.
• Keep it neutral. A heart or a teddy reads as romantic or childish at a retirement. Flowers, sunflowers and plain shapes read as a warm goodbye.
• Make it light. Guests leave a hall or a banquet late in the evening. A box that fits in one hand is better than a heavy hamper.
• Put the words on the tag. "Thank you for being part of Papa's 34 years" on a tag is what guests remember. With 10 or more gifts ordered through our corporate route, the tag or note card can carry a short line; the quote confirms exactly what goes on it.
• Give the closest few something more. The retiree's own team or the family who travelled in can get the larger piece while everyone else gets the same small one.

Five retirement return gifts side by side

At shop prices, 40 Blossom Candles come to Rs 11,960 and 40 packs of Sunflower Tealights to Rs 17,960. Your quote confirms the final price with any tag printing and delivery.

What we offer a retirement function

Our full terms are on the Raajkosh corporate gifting answer page. The parts that matter for a family or an office organising the party:

• From 10 gifts, with no minimum order value. Fewer than 10, buy straight from the shop.
• A name, a line of thanks or the company logo on the tag, the note card or a wax seal; options are confirmed in the quote.
• Delivered to one address, the home or the venue, anywhere in India.
• A GST invoice if the office is paying for the party.
• Prepaid, as set out in the quote. No cash on delivery.
• Personalised gifts cannot be returned unless damaged, defective or wrong; report damage within 24 hours of delivery.

We are a new, small maker. If you want to see who makes the candles, read who we are.

Retirement parties where sweets or dry fruits are kinder

If the party is in a few days and you need a confirmed delivery date, buy sweets locally; we will not promise a date. If most guests are elderly and live alone, a candle may be the wrong thing to hand over, and a box of dry fruits is kinder. And if the retiree's office has a rule against open flames, the guests can still keep the piece as decor, but choose it for its looks.

For anyone who does light theirs: never leave it burning alone, trim the wick to about 5 mm, and keep each burn to 3 to 4 hours.

Tell us the number of guests, the date and the words for the tag at raajkosh.com/corporate, or WhatsApp +91 85958 24586.