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"  I&amp;#039;m throwing a retirement party for a friend, and I&amp;#039;m not sure about the rules. Should family as well as work friends be invited? And are &amp;quot;retirement gifts&amp;quot; appropriate? The guest list is entirely your call. It could be strictly family and friends, or you could invite some close colleagues. Companies often organize their own retirement parties, so find out if that&amp;#039;s the case. Either way, you&amp;#039;re the host: You needn&amp;#039;t invite coworkers unless you want to. Don&amp;#039;t hesitate to elicit your guest-of-honor&amp;#039;s input (unless it&amp;#039;s a surprise party, in which case a mutual friend might help). As for gifts, they are optional. Anything related to the retiree&amp;#039;s favorite hobbies is a safe bet, as are books or theater tickets -- presents that acknowledge the perceived slower pace of a retiree&amp;#039;s life. Then again, ask your friend -- he might prefer not to receive presents, in which case a &amp;quot;no gifts, please&amp;quot; on the invitation will avoid any awkwardness. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/gift-ideas/q-and-a/a21020/retirement-party-gift-invite-may03/>