Graduation Scrapbook: A Gift to Be Treasured

With Graduation Season at hand, many people will be attending open houses. The typical gift given to a graduate comes in the form of paper or plastic: paper money or plastic gift card. If you have a really special graduate that you love and want to honor this year, why not take a step away from the traditional gifts? Create a gift that will instill many years of fond memories. Create a Graduation Scrapbook.

Since this is a gift that you will be making yourself, the possibilities are endless. With a project of this magnitude, it is best to get other family members involved. Once you decide on a theme for the scrapbook you can request entries from friends and family. Two very popular themes are the past and the future.

The Past
In this scrapbook, collect memories of the graduate growing up. Ask friends and relatives for pictures, funny stories, fond memories, ticket stubs and other trinkets. Perhaps some family members or friends could create a couple pages in the book. Make sure to not only include memories from infancy and toddler hood, but also more recent memories with current friends. Take pictures of parks the graduate has played in, schools the graduate attended, places of employment, favorite hangouts, anything you can think of. Someday when that park has been turned into a parking lot or a favorite pizza place becomes a Starbucks, the lucky graduate will have a book full of those fond memories.

The Future
This scrapbook will focus on the future of the graduate. If the graduate has selected another school to attend or a job to start, include pictures of them. Ask friends and family to create a page detailing their hopes and dreams for the graduate. Ask wise elders for words of wisdom. What did they wish they had known when they graduated from high school or college? Don't stop at just people you personally know. Write or email famous people as well. Find out who the graduate admires, and send them a request. The worst that can happen is that you don't hear back, but there is a wonderful possibility that you will! If you are bold enough, ask everyday people to contribute thoughts on graduation and the life beyond. The graduate will be able to look through this book when he or she needs to be recharged.

Putting It Together
Depending on how much time you have before the Open House, you may be able to assemble this book and present it to the graduate there. If not, or if you will have many relatives from out of town coming in for the graduation, you could also create the scrapbook during the Open House. Set aside a table full of scrapbooking supplies, pictures and a note outlining what you hope to accomplish with the book. It may be helpful to note the project in the invitation or when accepting the RSVP so people can come already inspired.

There is also no reason that you can't make a combination of both books. Perhaps you can ask guests to make one page for the past and one for the future. You could also ask certain people to contribute to one or the other. If you have a very relaxed approach, you can allow people to choose for themselves. There is really no wrong way to make this gift. Whatever path you choose, your efforts will be rewarded with years of bittersweet memories in the graduate's Graduation Scrapbook.