<p>when i graduated high school my parents got me a set of luggage.</p>
<p>when i graduated college my parents gave me $500 ahead of time towards the down payment of my car that I bought in October of senior year.</p>
<p>i had bought my own desktop computer prior to going to college and during junior year i decided I wanted a laptop so i worked out a deal with my parents where it was my christmas and birthday gift and I paid a portion of it as well. That’s one good thing about having a birthday two weeks after christmas, you can combine them into bigger gifts.</p>
<p>For HS graduation, we gave D an iPod (ordered from Apple with a special message engraved). With the $1000 she received from her only living grandparent (my mom) and other graduation cash presents, she bought an extremely nice laptop. The other special present she received was jade pearl earrings/necklace my sister bought her on a trip to China that same May. The iPod & laptop went to college, the jade stayed home for safekeeping.</p>
<p>Like others here… the opportunity to attend the college of his choice.</p>
<p>Also a few sentimental things - a long sleeved tee shirt with his high school’s logo, things he’d need for college, photo bulletin board, etc.
Also, his grandmother was generous enough to give him a big chunk of money to put towards the purchase of a laptop.</p>
<p>My son got a computer (desk top because he liked to play games and the laptops that were good enough were too expensive) and a guitar.</p>
<p>My Daughter got a good laptop - much better than the computers the parents have - she actually got it 2 years before graduation because she needed a laptop at the HS she elected to go to junior year (math/sci residential) - but we made it clear this was the laptop she would have got for graduation. So at actual graduation just a hug and a card.</p>
<p>Sentimentals: frame for his h,s. diploma and cap tassel (enjoyed), and a blank photo album to pop in his photos from prom and graduation (unused; all his photos live inside his computer now).</p>
<p>A party with nice dinner food (not pizza or potato chips) for his friends at our home. Throwing a party costs us money, and we like to really feed kids good food, which gets around the drinking problems incredibly well; it shifts the entire focus and feels grown-up. So he understood “you can have a party for your friends here” as a quality gift. We had earlier offered a prom party, but he wanted to go elsewhere. Then when grad time came, he wasn’t in the mood and there were other parties to attend. A week before he actually left for college (August) he suddenly asked for the party again, and our offer was still good. But if we’d offered it originally as a “going away party” in June, that would have been weird, nor could we have known when he’d be in the mood to host.</p>
<p>For our older 2, who didn’t have as many h.s. friends, we gave each one a restaurant gift certificate for 2 people: themself and a “best friend” from h.s. for a fancy dinner out for two.</p>
<p>One grandma sent him a check for several hundred dollars, the other sent ten dollars and he correctly understood that each had done her very best. He emailed a newsy thank-you because we’ve finally gotten them to accept this as a acceptable form of thank-you note, although it’s not penned with a stamp. (Their friends don’t agree; most grandmas insist on a stamped thank you note). When he arrived at college for freshman orientation, he phoned each of them and talked with them for a half hour about all he was seeing and experiencing. That was very meaningful to them.</p>
<p>We gave D the gift of a college education. I suppose you could also say that we gave her a laptop … we had opened a savings account when she was born & put a few dollars in here & there over the years. We told her about it at graduation & she was able to use the money for a very nice laptop. We also gave her a graduation open house … and when I (decidedly not the entertainint type) cook for a crowd, that is a HUGE gift!!!</p>
<p>We also had a party for DD and it was in August. There were quite a few graduation parties in June. We just couldn’t find a day available. We decided to do the party in August the weekend before most of her friends were leaving. It was great timing…gave them all a chance to get together and celebrate, and say their goodbyes.</p>
<p>Awww, that’s so awesome. Maybe I’ll do that, that’s such a great idea since I’ll be leaving for college and most of my friends will be staying home (There’s a CC and a 4-year within walking distance of us).</p>
<p>I got a MacBook laptop for graduation (the cheapest white one). I got luggage for my 17th birthday, which was the birthday before leaving for college. There wasn’t a particularly sentimental or “special” gift for my 18th. My sister got a nice ring for her 21st. </p>
<p>My mom’s secretary gave me a nice framed photo of my parents and a few other little things, and my siblings got me gifts (pencil case, etc.). Other friends and family gave cash, ranging from $20 - $100, with a norm of $50. The $100 was from my closest family member outside of my immediate family, and it went toward a digital camera. I have no grandparents.</p>
<p>We took our immediate family + grandmas to Outback steakhouse for dinner and S got 3 new epees (very nice; about $500) for high school. For graduation when he got his Air Traffic Controller certificate, he got new golf clubs. </p>
<p>My parents bought me some hideous luggage which I used for 25 years. I graduated from high school 3rd in my class with a 3.925 average. My sister, who was MAYBE in the top half of her class, got a Mustang convertible. Still riles me.</p>
<p>My grandmother (my only living grandparent) gave me a silver necklace, and my aunt and uncle gave me a Vera Bradley duffel bag. The biggest surprise was my younger sister’s gift – a bracelet and earrings from Tiffany & Co., of all places (er, it’s not the sort of establishment my family generally frequents). She paid for it herself. I was moved.</p>
absolutely love it.</p>
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