Excitement is in the air! Graduations are fast approaching. Read on for tips that will ensure you are on the “A+” list!
Graduation announcements received – check! Graduation party invitations received – check! Now what? First step, determine what graduation each announcement is for. Kindergarten? 8th Grade? High School? College? Once you determine and separate all of your announcements, it’s time to get down to business.
Grab your phone and bring up your calendar (or if you are old school like me, grab your physical calendar). Jot down the name, date and time of each graduation ceremony and where they will be held. Do not feel guilty for not attending a graduation ceremony. Many announcements are sent out to let you know that the soon to be graduate is achieving a milestone in their life and wants you to be a part of it. They do not expect everyone to show up unless you are a grandparent, or close relative, perhaps.
With that said, now that you have the announcements organized, go through the graduation party invites. Do the same as above, jot down or input the party dates, times, locations and who they are for. After that, separate them out into what graduation it’s for. If you have an announcement and graduation party invitation for the same person, you have to decide whether you are going to both, one or not attending. Here is how to decide:
- Is this person a close relative or a child of a close friend? If it’s a grandchild, niece/nephew, sister/brother, your best friend’s child, godchild or your best friend, then you should consider going to at least one event. If you go to the graduation, you may not attend the party or vice versa.
- Is it local? Or will you need you travel? If traveling would cause unnecessary hardship on you, having to get a hotel, airline tickets or pay for gas, etc, it would be okay not to attend in person. I live 1800 miles from my nieces and nephews. I haven’t been able to go to theirs, but if they have an online option, I attend that way!
- Many graduations put a limit on the number of guests attending due to limited capability to seat them. All of this should have weight on whether you can/should attend.
Now that you have decided what events you will be attending in person, and which you will not be able to attend, it’s time for putting together gift ideas. Be sure to send cards to those whose graduation you will not be attending along with an appropriate gift. For those events you will be attending, you can choose to go with the same type of gift or get a little more personal. I have put together a gift list that should satisfy all ages:
Gifts appropriate for each age group
Kindergarten graduation (or sometimes preschool) doesn’t require much in the way of gifts.
These little ones are just excited to be apart of an event that focuses on them. For a Kindergarten graduation, get a cute small stuffed animal, or toy and a small bouquet of flowers. If you have a garden, pluck a couple out of your garden and wrap the steams with a colorful ribbon. Cards with their picture on them will give them a thrill. They can be easily done at Walgreens, Walmart or even apps like Shutterfly. If you are there in person, don’t forget the hugs and kisses!
Middle School graduation is a milestone in really saying goodbye to childhood as you once knew it, and entering into the journey to adulthood.
Middle school graduation is just a way to celebrate their upcoming transition to High school. For this graduate, a card with cash would suffice. The appropriate amount would somewhere between $10 – $30. Gift cards to local fast food restaurants, or gaming gift cards would work very well. We all now how pre-teens start to have bottom-less pits for stomachs and they love their video games!
High School graduation. This is where life begins.
The child is now entering into adulthood. Be sure to write something special inside their card, like advice, a poem, or just a personal note. Cash is always a welcomed gift and $30 – $200 is more than appropriate. If a child is going off to college, there might be specific things their parents could suggest such as bed sheets, blankets, picture frames, a desk lamp, and decor for a dorm room. Gift cards for gas, food, entertainment is always a hit also. Follow the same guidelines as with a cash gift.
College graduation – undergraduate degree
Many college graduations have fought their way to this moment. This is where their career begins and life is open to all kinds of possibilities. Graduating college is a big deal. It’s not an easy road. They have just crossed the finish line of a major accomplishment that not everyone makes it to. Depending on your relationship with the graduate, a cash gift of $30 – $500 would be appropriate. Remember, many of these young adults are now having to pay back student loans. Cash would be welcomed. Be sure to include a personal note inside a card for them. They will cherish the sentiment.
Congratulations to all of the graduates out there!
