Ideas for the Belated High School Graduation Gift

It's that time of the year again, when the graduates send out invites and everyone else wonders where the time went. Weren't they in junior high just last year? You stash your invitation away and forget about it. Maybe you intend to make it to their party but it slips your mind the day of. Maybe you have too many other events to go to. And how many little ham sandwiches can a person eat? After the fact you realize that one way or another the occasion passed by and you failed to observe it. You need to buy a card, stat, and a great gift.

Why the great gift and not just money? Graduates need money, sure. But just the right gift will make it look like you put some thought into it, making up for the thought you didn't put into it by forgetting in the first place.

Gift Card from an Office Supply Store

Your graduate is probably going to need some things for the college year ahead, and those little things can add up. The cash they received in the cards people remembered to send in a timely manner will probably be spent on things like gas, clothes, and Starbucks. They won't think about needing to spend money on things like highlighters and notebooks. Get them a gift card for this and they won't have to.

Laundry Necessities

If they're going away from home for the first time, they will need things like laundry detergent and dryer sheets. A laundry kit might include things like stain remover pens and some nice hangers. Put the items in an attractive large wicker basket, attach a large bow, and there's your thoughtful gift. It may not be exciting but it will be put to use.

Photo Album

Put in some relevant photographs of the graduate, if you have any. You can even go to a scrapbooking store and put some things with it to personalize it. Include a newspaper clipping of their graduation announcement, as it is always nice for them to have extras.

Book Store Gift Card

I prefer not to give actual books, especially not ones that are graduation-oriented. You might give them something they already received from a more prompt gift-giver. At the very minimum, many of these such books run the risk of being trite. Don't give them the latest version of Seven Ways People You'll Never Live Up to Find Inner Peace and Plan Their Entire Future Before Turning Twenty. Seriously, they'd rather have the cash or a Starbucks gift card, or the option to select a relevant book that somehow educates or entertains them.

I hope these ideas will help to absolve you of your guilt and give you ways to look thoughtful even after you let their milestone go unobserved. Don't worry, you'll get a chance to do it all over again next spring.