Ten of the Best Personalized Graduation Gifts for 2009

A graduation gift for that important person in your life should celebrate their achievement. But what to give is the question. Should it be fun or function, personal or practical? Choosing which of these choices to make when picking a gift isn't always easy. But in many ways a gift chosen with a particular person in mind is a personal gift. The trick is to make this personal gift personalized. Here are 10 great ideas for personalized gifts for your graduate.

Be it four long years of high school or college, your graduates computer usually looks and acts like it worked as hard for the diploma as they. It is time for a major upgrade usually due to the advances in technology. As many grads like to pick and choose what components are built into their computer, it may be a good idea to provide them with a gift card for a Mac or a PC. Macs can be built to order at www.apple.com/; Hewlett-Packard can be purchased at www.hp.com/and Dell's can be gotten at www.Dell.com. If their course is set for higher education and school is chosen, the school may have some thoughts about the type of computer their future student needs. I'm sure you'd hate to get them a gift card for a PC if the school requires a Mac. It is always best to double check first. Make sure to include some additional money so your grad can pick the color or design they want on the outside of their computer for that extra personal touch.

Your graduate has worked long hours to achieve their goal of getting their diploma. Too often this document is relegated to a drawer where this formal recognition of their accomplishment can't be seen. Just Diploma Frames is a wonderful company to deal with. Their website is www.justdiplomaframes.com/. At Just Diploma Frames there are chooses of mat colors and types of wood frames. Viola, there is no more drawer diploma for your graduate.

Graduations can be so serious at times but light heartedness is important too. For a gift consider a caricature from Give A Caricature. That website iswww.giveacaricature.com. Order this gift early to avoid the disappointment of having it arrive late. Two good head shots (photos of the head) are needed, the fact that your graduated is graduating, their major or degree and some other small details are all that Give A Caricature will need to make this one of a kind gift. Here is one gift I can guarantee no one else will be giving to your grad!

If your graduate is an art lover, perhaps you can find a local artist and commissioned a piece of art work tailor made for your graduate. I did this for my son; he was thrilled. My son graduated from Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics and had worked on a yellow bi-plane while there. The artist was able to incorporate that plane flying into the sky symbolizing my son's flight into his future. The artist that did this fabulous piece of commissioned art isFreiman Stoltzfus. Our family couldn't have been more delighted with the results. In all honesty, I think Freiman is another Monet in the making. If you can't find a local artist try Freiman. His website is www.friemanstoltzfus.com. After you enter the site there is a place to contact him. Freiman is more than happy to write a message on the back of the painting or designate somewhere a personalized message from you to your 2009 graduate.

Each year the world seems to grow smaller. Perhaps it is because we live in a digital-age. Increased opportunities to see the world are available, that is if you have your passport. Include in their graduation card that you would like to take them out for lunch followed by buying them their passport and passport photo. Include in the note the list of items needed to obtain a passport. A passport photo is needed to get the passport; many of the places where you can get the passport you can also get the photo. Not only will they have the gift of the
passport and passport photo, but they will have the memorable experience of time alone with you.

While on the subject of travel, your grad will want to take their laptop with them in style. An initialed brief
case/laptop case is just the ticket to protect your laptop, papers and be personalized for your grad. Levenger has beautiful and luxurious ;leather items available in many price ranges. I love their leather goods; everything they have is of the highest quality. Their web site is www.levenger.com. I've used several companies for leather goods in the past but if you need a more economical alternative the quality and price are too good to pass up try Leather Tree. Their website is www.leathertree.com.

At some point your grad will want to travel. Unique luggage tags help set luggage apart from the rest of the bags.The Stationary Studio has some marvelous personalized luggage tags from which to choose. Some are fun and funky others are more business like and done in leather with brass engraved name plates. This on-line store is just plan fun for purchasing various gifts. Their website is www.thestationerystudio.com

Personal Creations has fun presents on it for many special occasions. I collected teddy bears throughout childhood, high school, my college years, and I still collect teddy bears today. This website has an adorable teddy bear that wears a cap and gown with a little gold tassel. The hem of the gown can be personalized with the name and year of your graduates' graduation. The website that you will need for this is
www.personalcreations.com/graduation_bear-product-1236-1-226-226

Things Remembered has a nifty gift for your grad and that is a musical snow globe.They have one with the traditional mortar board and diploma which of course plays Pomp and Circumstance they also have a second one which I think I prefer. It is called the "You are a Star" water globe. The music it plays is I believe I can Fly. Both of these globes have areas on them that can be engraved for personalization. Things Remembered website is www.thingsremembered.com .Things Remembered, as do many of the sites list, have other beautiful gifts that are able to be personalized. Objects that resemble paperweights are beautiful and function. Even after all these years, my paperweight that I got is still in use. Each time I look at that gift, I think of the giver.

The website Memorable Gifts has three pages of memorable gifts for grads. I'm particularly partial to the Fortune Cookie Keepsake box which can be engraved. Within the box is key-chain. Both of these are silver plated. The fortune cookie key-chain is symbolic in that in can be held in the graduates hand. Hopefully it will serve as a tangible reminder that their future is now in their hands too. The box itself could easily be filled with business cards. It could serve to hold other desk objects or to be used as a paperweight or something to be placed on the desk of your grad to function as either a hold.he website for this cute and clever keepsake is www.memorablegifts.com/gifts/pc/Fortune-Keepsake-Set-for-Graduation-104p2906

Hopefully, this list of personalize gifts will help you choose the right gift for your graduate to help make their day extra special. However, the old phrase, "It is the thought that counts" is very true. When you personalize a gift for your graduate they will know that time, energy, effort and love went into the selection of their very special personal personalized gift.