35 Thoughtful Thank You Messages for Retirement Gift Or Party

When you retiree, you may receive retirement gifts or a party. Your coworkers may have a party for you or your family and friends (or both!).

Writing a thank you message for the party or gifts is a great way to show appreciation. 

You may also want to read retirement thank you messages written by the retiree to others here as you say farewell to those you have worked with.

How to Say Thank You For a Retirement Party or Gifts

Congratulations on making it to retirement. Here are some tips for writing thank-you notes for your party or any retirement gifts you received. 

  • Be Organized. If you know you will have a large retirement party, you’ll want to keep track of any gifts as you open them (or have someone else make a list). Even if you (or the organizer) say “no gifts,” you will likely still get some. Making a list will make it much easier when you write thank-you notes later. You can get a PDF gift list tracker that can be printed as many times as needed here
  • Write handwritten notes. I suggest handwritten thank you notes for any gifts or the party host, as handwritten notes can feel more meaningful. However, sending a text or email is okay too. 
  • Make a plan. When you have many notes to write, plan to write them in small batches to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
  • Be Specific. Remember, it’s best to be specific when expressing gratitude. People like to be recognized and feel their gift to you was meaningful or memorable. If you only say nice gift, they may wonder if you know what you gave them. However, if you do not know who gave you each gift, you can use generic thank you note wording (wonderful gift, beautiful gift, etc.). 

You can see a template with the layout of a handwritten thank-you note here. The sample messages below are for the center part of a thank-you note. If you are handwriting your note or sending an email, you will still want to include the opening (Dear Violet) and the closing (Sincerely) and end with signing your name. 

In the examples below, replace words in [brackets] in a way that makes sense for your situation. 

Retirement Gift Thank You Messages

Here are some ways you can say thank you for retirement gifts. Your wording will vary depending on your relationship with the gift giver.

What you say to a friend may differ from what you want to say to coworkers. The examples for friends and family could also be used for coworkers by adding a sentence about working with them. If you received the gift at your retirement party, you could also thank the person for coming to the party.

Retirement Gift From Friends or Family Thank You Messages

  1. Thank you for the thoughtful gift. I appreciate you thinking of me as I retire from the corporate world and start the next chapter of my life.  
  2. I am thankful for your years of support while I was working. Finally, I can relax and try out new hobbies! Thank you for the fishing gear. 
  3. Thank you for the [picture frame] for my retirement. The “Every day is Saturday” saying on it is excellent. The picture you choose of me with my [wife/husband/partner] is perfect. We are looking forward to lots of relaxing together now that we are both retired. 
  4. I love the monogrammed travel bag. Thank you so much for the retirement gift! The bag is the perfect size for taking short trips where I only need to carry a little. Also, I appreciate that you remembered that [purple] is my favorite color. 
  5. You are a wonderful, thoughtful friend! Thank you for the gift certificates to the movie theater for my retirement. I am impressed that you remembered my love of going to the movies. I plan to see new movies as often as possible during the day when the theater is less crowded. Let me know when you have a day off if you want to come along. 
  6. Thank you for the BBQ apron for my retirement gift. It will be put to good use as I try out grilling techniques this summer. I look forward to long days sitting in the shade, smelling the grill, and reading books. 
  7. The wonderful pen you gifted me when I retired is fantastic. I am using it now to write this thank you. I love how it writes! 
  8. You know me well! The box of truffles for my retirement is delicious. I’m enjoying two truffles a day to make them last as long as possible. 
  9. Thank you for your generosity! Organizing a trip to Alaska for [Name] and me is a great way to kick off my retirement. I am so blessed to have you as my children. 
  10. Thank you for the amazing retirement gift. I never expected to get [What the gift was]. You are an incredible partner/wife/husband. I love you so much and am thankful that we share our lives. 

Retirement Gift From a Boss or Coworker Thank You Messages

When thanking a boss or coworker for a retirement gift, you may want to add a sentence or two about working with them. These examples could be adjusted to work for friends or family by removing the reference about working together. 

  1. Thank you for the gift card to [restaurant name] for my retirement, which is my favorite. Also, I have enjoyed sitting next to you for the last few years. I will miss visiting with you in the mornings, but not enough not to retire! So, let’s plan to get together for lunch in a few weeks to keep in touch.
  2. Thank you for the lovely retirement gift. While I miss you, I will not miss the workplace! Please stay in touch. 
  3. I appreciate you and how well we’ve worked together over the years. Thanks for the funny retirement mug. I will think of you when I use it. Please feel free to reach me at [email address or phone number] to get together.
  4. Thank you for the great retirement gift. I will enjoy eating at [restaurant name] several times with it. You are a great coworker and friend for remembering how much I like to eat there. I’m glad we could sit next to each other for all those years. 
  5. You’ve been a great boss! Thank you for recognizing my retirement with the fancy pen. It’s a nice gift that I can use for many years. I will be sure to write you a note occasionally! 
  6. The flower box for my retirement was perfect! I love the saying on it. And I love that I can reuse the box again with fresh flowers. The color of the vases matches my kitchen too. Also, thank you for being a wonderful coworker for so many years. I will miss you. 
  7. Thank you for the travel journal. I look forward to using it as I travel the country once I’m officially retired. My first trip will be to the Grand Canyon. It turns out you were listening to all those times I told you about my dream to travel and see every state. Thanks for being not only my coworker but my friend. 
  8. Thank you for the beautiful watch for my retirement. It’s a lovely gift, and I feel appreciated by the company after twenty years of service. I will miss working with the team, but as I enter my new phase of life, I am looking forward to spending more time fishing and reading books.
  9. Thank you for the retirement plaque. It’s the perfect gift for my desk at home. Working with all of you has been a privilege and honor. 
  10. Thank you for the wonderful retirement gift. I appreciate all of you for remembering how much I like to eat out. I will enjoy the restaurant gift cards soon with my wife. 

Thank You for the Retirement Party Messages

Here are some ways to word a thank-you note for the retirement party. 

Related: 26 Creative Retirement Party Ideas.

  1. Thank you for the wonderful retirement party. I enjoy the day very much. 
  2. Thanks for hosting my retirement party. The day was fantastic, and I was delighted to visit with my friends and family. 
  3. Thank you for hosting a retirement party for me. I was surprised. The cake from Costco was delicious. Also, I am grateful that I had a chance to say goodbye to everyone on the team. 
  4. The party was the perfect send-off for my last day in the office. Retirement is finally here for me! Thank you for recognizing my years with the company and having a huge cake for everyone. 
  5. Thank you for the retirement party. I enjoyed seeing everyone as I close the working chapter of my life. I appreciate whoever made the effort to decorate the cake with [purple] frosting and [fluffy cats]. The team knows that purple and cats are my favorite things. The team has been great over the years, and I have great memories of working together. 
  6. The retirement party was super fun! It seemed like everyone enjoyed the outdoor games. And, of course, you know corn hole is my all-time favorite yard game. The homemade food was great, too, especially the cherry cheesecake. Thank you so much for organizing the party. It was a great way to kick off my retirement. 
  7. I am so happy to be retired, and the party with the family was a delight. I loved celebrating with all my kids and grandkids. Now, I will have more time to spend with everyone. The food everyone brought was great too. And thank you for the new Hawaiian-style shirt. I can wear comfy shirts every day now! Your Mom and I will stop by next week to return the dish that had the brownies in it. 
  8. I was surprised by the retirement party last weekend! Thank you for recognizing the years of my working life. I am so happy to be retired and have ample free time now. You and your siblings did a lot of work to keep the party a surprise. I appreciate that you invited my friends and coworkers to join in the fun with our family. I had a wonderful day visiting with everyone. And of course, the food was great too. The spinach dip your sister made was the best.
  9. Thank you for the retirement party. Holding it at the church was a great idea, too, and I value your hard work organizing it. I love the silver picture frame from you as well. Thank you for celebrating my retirement day with me.
  10. You all are the best colleagues. Thank you all for the retirement party and retirement wishes on my last day. The cake was delicious. I had so much fun hanging out with everyone one last time.

Thank You for Coming to My Retirement Party Messages

Here are some messages you can use to thank the people that attended your retirement party. You can send a group email to those that attended your office retirement party.

Remember to say thank you for any gifts as well!

  1. Thank you for coming to my retirement party! It was a memorable occasion, and I’m glad you were part of it. You are a dear friend, and I hope we can spend more time together soon.
  2. I was surprised by the office retirement party for me. I felt highly appreciated by you and the others that attended. It was a fantastic party and helped me to feel special on the way out. I have so much gratitude for the team.
  3. As I move on to a new chapter, I greatly appreciate the team and the company. The team has my heartfelt thanks for the party last week for my retirement. It was a memorable party as I end my career with [Company Name]. Thank you all for coming, and let’s not forget to stay in touch.
  4. My life is about to change as I officially retire. As we have become good friends while working together, I want to thank you for attending the party. I have wonderful memories of solving problems together. I hope we will see each other in the future.
  5. Thanks for coming to my retirement party. I also appreciate your generous gift. The golf clubs are amazing and will be used often. 

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Author: Heidi Bender

Title: Writer

Expertise: Thank You Notes

Heidi Bender is a writer and author who founded Tons of Thanks. She aims to help people write thank-you notes by providing examples and tips. She is the author of She is the author of A Modern Guide to Writing Thank-You Notes.