Gifts for the Graduate Besides the traditional rites of spring, spring flowers blooming, baseball starting, grass sprouting, there is the celebration of a child's high school graduation. Shopping for a gift for the graduate is never easy, and depends on what they are doing after high school. Many times a son or daughter is off to college, or the military, while many may be entering the workforce or getting ready for marriage. You will see parents hurrying to the malls to find just the right gift to celebrate this important step. The chore is even more difficult if a child has no strong interest or hobbies. Here are some ideas for the perfect gift for the graduate. The old fashioned greenback will be first on the list if you ask the graduate what he or she wants. That can also be the easiest choice for the giver as well. Every graduate likes that feel of cash in his hands so he can go and spend it on exactly what he wants. Tall, short, fat, thin boys, girls, blonds, brunettes or redheads: here's something they all agree upon: I'll take cash. As they say, one size fits all, and it never has to be returned, it matches anything you wear. Another popular gift is the iPod. If you've got the kind of teen that tends to be-bop around with headphones wrapped around their head, then this is a great little gift. This musical mini-computer is capable of downloading an entire CD in less than five seconds and can typically store around 5,000 songs within its tiny data banks. These days, manufacturers usually throw in the option of a calendar and a number of other neat little technological doo-dads, as well. Another mini-computer that a grad may appreciate is a PDA. PDAs do a lot more than just store and play music. This is a hand held computer that lets you store graphics, files, and movies in addition to music. It will also supply wireless internet access, wireless e-mail, voice recording, a digital camera, a calculator, a phone book,a web browser and more if you choose the right model. One with all those features, including Bluetooth compatibility will get pretty expensive, but is a good value for that many features. Digital cameras make great gifts for new grads. Even if they haven't specifically shown an interest in the field of photography, these enable young adults to take those farewell photos that are so often popular among grads, and are also great for taking photos of their new "digs" once they leave for college or the military. Parents often appreciate the fact that this enables the new fledgling to stay in touch once they've left the nest, since pictures of this sort can be uploaded onto the nearest PC and sent off via e-mail. If your grad is off to college, a laptop is probably the wisest choice for a gift, not only as a useful item, but also as a sound investment. It will be more expensive than the other items on the list, but your college bound grad is going to need a computer for research, writing papers and doing homework. It will also help to keep the student in touch, since it is easier to keep in contact over the computer. It may even prove to save money, since email is a lot cheaper than all those long distance phone calls to mom and dad. Whatever you choose, your new grad is sure to appreciate the time and thought that you've put into their selection. Keep in mind that this is a special time of transition in their lives, so it's OK to give them something a bit extravagant without the fear of spoiling them. In other words, air out that wallet, and get out there and shop! |
