<p>I think the whole gift at a grad party varies regionally and perhaps even socio-economically. I agree that I would not attend a grad party empty handed, but around here (within my kids school at least) kids don’t necessarily bring gifts unless it’s a best friend or sometimes just bringing a card. </p>
<p>40 gifts x 25? Yikes. </p>
<p>Maybe get a variety of things. A few of these, a few of those. Then you or your graduate can decide what to grab before you head out. And with 40 gifts, definitely use gift bags. :)</p>
<p>Thanks for that advice, abasket: this is our first go around to the high school grad. parties. I’m sure he won’t be invited to 40 parties…that’s how many he wants to invite to his own party, but I think we’re revising the list to invite mostly closest of friends. </p>
<p>So I like your idea of getting a variety of stuff, or just concentrate on getting something nice for his closest friends, maybe 15 or so.</p>
<p>I did see on-line that Walmart does personalized laundry bags for only $14, probably extra for the personalization, and it ships directly to one of their stores…that could be useful! Especially if you add a couple of quarters or a sample packet of laundry detergent!</p>
<p>When I graduated from HS, my sister got me a laundry basket full of dorm stuff (she has never lived in a dorm, but she took a friend with her who had.) </p>
<p>By far my favorite/most useful thing in the basket was the can of Febreeze. I still have it 3 years later.</p>
<p>She also included a smaller box full of toiletries (hairties, deoderant, disposable razors, etc.), pens and pencils, markers and colored pencils, filler paper, and probably lots of other stuff I’m forgetting. I lived out of that basket for quite a while.</p>
<p>I have no idea how much she spent on that though.</p>
<p>I saw this idea somewhere on the boards and it’s what I’m doing for my best friend when we graduate:</p>
<p>Get a cheap digital picture frame and fill it with pictures of the two of us, things we’ve done together, etc.</p>
<p>for my sons, i took photos of all of their friends in all of their activities during the school year–and for graduation, i gave them each a complete photo album of their year’s activities. it kept me busy trying to attend all of the sporting events, concerts, plays, etc…but it was fun and i think everyone liked them.</p>
<p>I gave all the girls cute jcrew umbrellas with a note that said - “just remember a rainy day in college is still better than a sunny day in High School!”</p>
<p>S1 and roommate had two of the camp chairs in their dorm room and used them a lot…great for seating when friends came to their room to watch weekend football games on t.v.<br>
Almost all guys like baseball caps. You could order each kid a bball cap from his school.
Shipping shouldn’t be too high since caps are small/lightweight.</p>
<p>Laundry basket or bag along with basic how-to-do-laundry directions printed on a handy card. Add some quarters, dryer sheets, spot-remover, maybe those handy color sheets…This kind of stuff adds up, but the directions written in your own words will be fun…and useful!</p>
<p>I went to the dollar store & bought a small zipped bag & filled it with all sorts of odds & ends that are useful in a desk that a person away from home wouldn’t necessarily have. You can put more or less expensive stuff in the bag/kit, depending on your budget for the student. For close friends/family, I put postage stamps, envelopes, sewing kit, assortment of tapes, scissors, pens, sharpie, mechanical pencil, erasers, extra pencil leads, correcting tape, tacks, binder clips, hole punch, mesh laundry bag etc. I also bought some of them small multitools, which have come in handy as well. The kit was one of the 1st things we needed & used on move-in day!</p>
<p>if you are considering a ‘meaningful’ gift, how about a proof set (coins) from the year they were bown (92 or 93 - you will need to do a little research on birthdays, ask your kid to look up on facebook!). A quick check on ebay shows you can pick them up for <$15, including shipping. My husband has been collecting proof sets for each kid since the year they were born.</p>
<p>A non-cash gift is more personal, but to be honest about it, the vast majority of graduating HS students we know are college-bound and that $20 bill or $20.11 check is the most appreciated gift of all. A few bills and small checks can add up pretty quickly, especially when combined with some larger ones from extended family and close family friends. Graduation gifts made a huge difference to my D1’s freshman year spending-money budget, and thus to her quality of life; far more than some cute tchotchke, though she got a few of those, too.</p>
<p>My son gave small tool kits I found at Radio Shack. Also, a folding canvas chair is a popular gift…many kids take them to their dorms to use as extra seating.</p>
<p>Thanks for everyone’s comments and suggestions.</p>
<p>bclintonk: I agree that no kid needs another tchotchke, however I feel they will get plenty of $$ from parent’s friends and relatives…and sharonsuny: I agree with you too that if you get a gift, it should be quite useful!</p>
<p>Normally I take the easy way out and give $$ or giftcards, but since my S has a good handful of close enough friends, I feel like a $20 check is just…whatever…no thought.</p>
<p>I suppose this time we feel a gift is the way to go rather than cash. We’ve narrowed it down to the Laundry Bag/personalized, the beach towel/personalized, or the folding chair/bag idea. Any one of these three items can be for boys or girls, so that’s good.</p>
<p>I haven’t had any time to look in BB&Beyond or Homegoods yet, but I’m hoping by going there something else may trigger my attention! We’ll figure it out! :)</p>
<p>of those ideas, i’d personally go with the chair or the beach towel. I started off with a laundry bag my freshman year and by the end of my first semester my roommate and i just were using a laundry basket to go back and forth… never again used the bag. Well, i shouldn’t say that… it was a mesh type bag and It is in use at the moment… hanging in my garage full of footballs, frisbees, volleyballs, etc. :)</p>
<p>foldable chairs are great for a dorm room. We used to have a few foldable butterfly chairs in college and they were great for extra seating.</p>