Celebrating retirement with a friend, family member or colleague is a special event. You want to wish them well as they embark on their next voyage in life. Appropriate gift ideas for retirement include themes of new beginnings, rebirth, regeneration.

For employers purchasing a retirement gift, traditional gifts include watches, necklaces, or gifts that represent the company such as a model car for the automotive industry. Plaques or other engraved mementos. To commemorate the retirement of friends, family, or co-workers, flower gift boxes and bouquets express warm feelings for the retiree.

Retirement is a joyful occasion so retirement flower arrangements should bring happy and joyful vibes. Remember, it’s not a somber or sad occasion, so avoid an all-white sympathy arrangement. Bright and festive flower arrangements make a good choice. For retirement, flower bouquets try including the color yellow. Yellow flowers generally represent new beginnings. Orchids and snapdragons represent strength, a good choice to represent all the hard work of someone retiring.

If you know the favorite flower of the retiree, that always makes a great choice for a retirement arrangement. If you don’t know their preferred bloom, here are some good choices.

• Daisies, Daffodils, and Calla Lilies: These blooms all symbolize new beginnings, a classic choice for retirees ready to begin the next chapter in their life.

• Chrysanthemum: Mums represent enduring friendships, among other things. They are also a symbol of optimism and positivity. For a good friend or close family member’s retirement, mums make an outstanding choice.

• Sunflower: Sunflowers have long been popular all around the world. They symbolize life and longevity in Native American traditions and good luck and good fortune in Asian cultures. Since they are also yellow, which symbolizes rebirth, they will bring joy to any retiree.

• Freesia: If you’re looking for a more outside-the-box choice, think about freesias. Freesias represent renewal and trust. They are a great complement to other blossoms in a retirement bouquet.

The best message for a retirement card takes into account the retiree’s personality and preferences. If someone loves humor then you can include a message like “Enjoy your endless coffee break” or “Congratulations on never punching a clock again.” With others, you might choose a heart-warming message such as “Wishing you the best in all your future endeavors” or “I will miss seeing you around the office, gone but never forgotten.” You can also opt to thank them for their hard work, mentorship, or friendship. Finally, you can also include a brief inside joke or refer to a fun event that happened with the retiree.

Yellow is a great choice for the color of retirement flowers. Festive colors are also good so purples, blues, and greens work well too. Avoid giving red flowers as those signal romance and avoid entirely white bouquets since many associate all-white arrangements with sympathy.