Congratulations! Your son or daughter is graduating! This accomplishment makes parents proud of their offspring and most want to mark the occasion with a gift.
But what to get?
Start with the Graduate
Consider the likes and dislikes of your child or grandchild, niece, nephew or family friend. Is she sports oriented? Would he appreciate an engraved fountain pen or picture frame? A piece of jewelry or a watch? Would she be thrilled with concert tickets or a gift certificate to a favorite restaurant?
At first you may think the graduate "has everything" -- and let's face it: many kids do! But with a little imagination and help from our list of ideas, it's easy to find a gift that demonstrates just how proud you are of the graduating senior.
Gift Ideas
baseball tickets
car
cash
cell phone
charging station for phones, iPods, etc.
clothing with the graduate's college logo
concert tickets
cuff links
engraved locket or bracelet
film camera
gift certificate
golf clubs
greens fees
headphones
high-end key chain
iPad or another tablet
iPod docking system
Kindle or Nook
laptop
movie passes
picture frames
plane tickets
restaurant gift certificate
share(s) of stock
silver money clip
Swiss army knife
tennis racket
tennis lessons
travel backpack
turntable for vinyl records
umbrella
underwater camera
video camera
wallet
Xbox games
Some of the above items are reasonably priced (picture frames, movie passes) while others are more extravagant (plane tickets, tablets). Gifts such as restaurant gift cards, headphones, and electronics can range wildly in price depending on what you want to spend. Jewelry and watches run the gamut, too, when it comes to price. And of course, a new car (preowned or not) is expensive.
The choice is yours. There are sites, easily found through Google or another search engine, that offer hundreds of ideas for graduates. These might help you in your search or they may offer too many options.
Whatever you decide to give your son or daughter, grandchild, niece, nephew or godchild, the best gift will the the memories they hold in their hearts -- and those you hold in yours.