<p>I’m searching for a gift idea. </p>
<p>One of my daughter’s letter of recommendations was stellar and written great care from a family acquaintence to our daughter’s first choice school (from which this woman happened to be a graduate). Bottom line is that we feel this letter was likely instrumental in our daughter’s acceptance and we’d like to express our gratitude. </p>
<p>Flowers don’t seem like enough… a gift card doesn’t seem personal enough… ideas?</p>
<p>A thoughtful note from your daughter, and a pretty plant, a book, or some pretty stationary chosen by her would be enough. I don’t think an elaborate gift is really appropriate unless you are very good friends with the person. It might embarrass them, actually.
Remember, too, that your daughter was the primary person “instrumental” in getting that acceptance. Colleges look at the whole picture, and she probably would have made it without this wonderful letter. A thank-you is nice, but I wouldn’t go overboard.</p>
<p>My kids all wrote a thank you note, and I bought a bottle of Cliquot champagne for a celebration drink. For one other person who helped and doesn’t drink: three pounds of chocolate truffles.</p>
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<p>I like the way you think. ;)</p>
<p>How about going out to a nice lunch–D & acquaintance with a nice handwritten note of thanks? It’s those memories that count more than anything else for most of us anyway. :)</p>
<p>If you are in SoCal…you know the store…See’s. Excellent truffles</p>
<p>Thanks for the ideas. I think adding a personal note to most anything is likely appropriate. I am definitely NOT the warm and fuzzy type so that didn’t even cross my mind. I’m embarrased to say, but I just assumed it we’d use a service that had attached one of those smalll pre-printed thank you gift cards attached. LOL</p>
<p>I’ll suggest my daughter send one of those fruit arrangements or a plant with a personal note or see if she’d feel comfortable taking the woman out to lunch. Either way, it’s the thought that counts, right? :)</p>
<p>I know you said flowers weren’t quite what you had in mind…but flowers are great gifts. They look pretty but then in a week they go away with no hard feelings. There’s no weight gain issues and nothing to feel bad about throwing away later.</p>
<p>While it’s unspoken, many people who are in the position of receiving thank you gifts receive far too many, and then have to throw away, give away, or donate many of the things that they receive.</p>
<p>I love See’s chocolates, but only as a special treat. I wouldn’t want to receive 10 or 20 boxes of them in a year.</p>
<p>Unless your daughter is very close to the woman, I wouldn’t ask her to lunch. </p>
<p>When D was at this stage, I suggested she buy a good pen for the person and she sent a thank you note and connected the gift of the pen with her appreciation for the person’s writing on her behalf. For school personnel, she bought small tokens of appreciation from school’s bookstore when she attended accepted student days. As I recall, she probably gave them chocolates wrapped in foil with college name. NO MUGS. </p>
<p>Recently, as she applied for jobs she sent Tevanna teapots & tea to two previous supervisors she had during summer internships. She also kept them abreast of job offers and her final decision (or what I THINK is her final decision).</p>
<p>If I were you I would have your daughter buy her something with the school logo on it, anything from t-shirt to a nice pen set, and send it with a note saying something like “I am so excited to be attending XU and I know that your letter only helped to strengthen my application. I know from knowing you that it is a great choice.” This is a great connection between the two, she should acknowledge it.</p>
<p>I had S2 write thank you notes & I sent a personal note with enclosed Amazon gift cards to S2’s teachers. They can purchase books or whatever on Amazon. (My mother was a teacher. I know all about coffee mugs & Christmas ornaments as teacher appreciation gifts. :))</p>
<p>lololu ~
That’s my favorite! We’ll be heading to the school for an accepted students day in a few short weeks. Since it’s the woman’s alma mater I think we’ll pick her up some something with the school logo on it. Great idea!</p>
<p>I gave gift certificates to local mall. Son’s GC helped him with decision to apply to college 2 days before winter vacation, and pulled everything together by the deadline. For her extraordinary effort, we gave her a beautful pen, along with gift certificate. Son wrote notes on the gift cards, which were brief.</p>
<p>My g/f, a teacher, got me out of habit of food and mugs.</p>