By Sydney Altschuler ’12, Staff Writer

Graduation Party – You’re Invited!

The invitation lands in your mailbox. I know what you are all feeling at this moment: that peculiar mixture of pride, love, and sadness.  After all, your baby/sibling/best friend is about to go to off to college!  But that is all pretty standard, right?  The problem is this nagging anxiety in the back of your mind, tainting this otherwise beautiful rite of passage – it is, ladies and gentlemen, what I like to call gift anxiety.  What should you get your graduate?  You can’t send them out into the harsh world empty-handed… But what gift would be suitable for such an occasion?  What’s cheesy?  What’s practical?  What will they actually like?  Families & friends, fear no more: I am here with your very own graduation gift guide.

Graduation is a significant milestone in one’s life as it both praises past achievements and looks to future accomplishments.  In many ways, it is the crossroads between adolescence and adulthood. In this spirit, the ideal graduation gift both highlights high school accomplishments, memories, and friendships but embraces the future of college life.  After all, we want to send our beloved seniors on their way with big hopes for what their futures will hold.

So, what to get?

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.For your favorite basket-case of a graduate: A sweet, sentimental gift basket!

1)   What would a graduation gift basket be without one cheesy inspirational childhood keepsake?

Oh, the Places You’ll Go by Dr Seuss is a must-have! Add a personal message on the inside cover for the finishing touch.

2)   A picture frame to hold that amazing graduation photo

3)   Jennifer Hanson’s The Real Freshman Handbook: A Totally Honest Guide to Life on Campus

4)   A Congratulations Candy Bouquet! (Check out this site for some great ideas)

5)   A scrapbook so the receiving graduate can either collage high school memories and carry it with him/her to college or begin scrapbooking in college to store new memories

6)   Flowers, flowers, flowers! (Milburn florist is close by and has a great selection of flowers and bouquets)

7)   Membership to the college gym! Graduates appreciate help in combating the notorious “Freshmen 15”

8)   College logo sweatshirt and bumper sticker

9)   Don’t forget the high school graduate teddy bear complete with a cap, tassel, and diploma—perfect for placing on a college bed! (Plenty of stores have them, but if you’re not in the mood for browsing check out Amazon’s selection of congratulatory stuffed animals)

For those a bit dearer to you:

1)   A watch—always an elegant gift and perfect for college as college students must always know when they have class!

2)   A compact digital camera to capture special moments (The Canon S95 is a great choice)

3)   A monogrammed leather wallet or leather journal to preserve priceless college experiences

4)   For the ladies—jewelry, of course!  Engraving the jewelry with initials or a short personal note gives the gift a nice and personal touch.

5)   Again for the ladies—a nice, small cross-body bag.  College girls need to have a bag on them at all times to carry the essentials—money, cell phone, camera, lipstick, gum—but don’t want to worry about keeping tabs on it all night.  Cute cross-body bags are convenient and stylish!

To the class of 2011-

As you take your next steps out into the world, do not lose sight of your footprints that got you to this exciting place. Stay in touch, have fun, and in the words of Mr. Parlin, “Don’t do anything stupid.” We all congratulate you, and we do so bearing gifts!