<p>This weekend my son and I will be attending the bat mitzvah of a neighbor. Afterwards we are invited to the reception which is at a very pricey local catering hall. </p>
<p>I’d appreciate some ideas for an appropriate gift. She is not very observant and does not come from an observant family, so I don’t think she’d really appreciate Judaica-type gifts. So, I’m left without any ideas. </p>
<p>Help please!</p>
<p>Standard gift is a check in a multiple of $18 in a bat mitvah card. When it was just my son, we gave $54 for a few close friends, but the typical amount was $36. I would suggest for the 2 of you either $90 or $108.</p>
<p>If you can find a cute wallet, put the check (or an iTunes gift card) in that.</p>
<p>I did Amazon gift cards for the last couple of Bat Mitzvah’s and they were well received. You can print them at home or email them to the girl.
The girls love wristlets at that age- around here Vera Bradley is big as well as coach.</p>
<p>If you are friends with her parents, then jewelry is always a pretty safe bet, particularly earrings if she has pierced ears. (If she is a friend of your son’s, on the other hand, I would recommend something more neutral like a gift card.)</p>
<p>Jewelry would be a great option, but I don’t know her well enough to be able to select jewelry for her. We are friends with the parents. The daughter and my son are close in age, but hardly know each other since they go to different schools. </p>
<p>NJ2011mom, thanks for suggesting an amount. I was thinking along those lines also, but I was glad for a confirmation of my thinking. </p>
<p>SlitheyTove - a wallet is a cute idea and I also liked fourkidsmom’s idea of a Vera Bradley wristlet. They are very popular here also. So maybe something like that with a check inside. </p>
<p>Thanks so much for responding!</p>
<p>For that age group, I like to give items related to travel, such as: small suitcase, jewelry roll to keep things organized and safe en route, passport holder, or a cute travel umbrella.</p>
<p>Out here cash seems to be king. Gift cards can get lost.</p>
<p>If you want a ton of other ideas, check out the Bar/Bat Mitzvah forum on party411.</p>
<p>A small string of pearls is always a nice gift, even if you don’t know the girl well.</p>
<p>For a close friend’s DD, I got her a silver bracelet from Tiffanys. I’d go for silver hoops. Money is the normal gift around here. I only try to find something particular if I know the girl well.</p>
<p>A girl that I carpooled for years I gave a bracelet with semi-precious stones. She waved her wrist so that I could see her wearing it at the Bat MItzvah.</p>
<p>Again, thanks everyone. I’m so glad I have this place to come to for great advice.</p>