Grateful for Graduation: Fantastic Gifts to Mark Life’s Milestones

by Deborah Dera

Do you have a high school or college graduate in your life? Does she love to read? Don’t be the boring aunt, uncle, grandparent or parent who simply sticks money in a card. Get her something she can really use and enjoy as she moves into the next phase of her life.

eReaders and Tablets

There are dozens of great eReaders and tablets on the market today, most of which are multi-functional. Your graduate will not only be able to carry works by her favorite authors, but may even be able to access some of the digital versions of her otherwise very expensive college books. She’ll also be able to keep in touch via social media, keep her schedule straight, and maybe even relax once in a while with a game or two. It’s a fun gift she’ll love, and with so many options you’ll definitely be able to find one in your price range. 

This is Water, by David Foster Wallace

David Foster Wallace was an American Author who passed away in 2008. He had the opportunity to give a commencement speech only once, but what he said touched so many it was eventually turned into a hard-cover book (and can now also be found in eBook form). In This is Water, he talks about living a fulfilled adult life, learning compassion, and not getting caught up in the day-to-day. “It is about simple awareness – awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us, that we have to keep reminding ourselves, over and over: ‘This is water, this is water.’”

The Freshman Survival Guide: Soulful Advice for Studying, Socializing, and Everything In Between

This one is great for the high school graduate going to college and I admit to playfully giving it to one of my cousins upon her graduation a few years ago. It’s written in a lighthearted manner that focuses less on the stress of going to college and more on the most effective and efficient ways to make friends and avoid disaster in the first few weeks of the new semester. The Freshman Survival Guide is a good, clean read – one you might even wish you had when you started college. 

Sure there are tons of other gifts you could give a graduate. Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, junk for a dorm room or locker, a year’s supply of coffee pods (that’s actually not a bad idea), gift cards, mugs… the list goes on. But a heartfelt gift that provokes thought and/or proves truly useful? That’s something the graduate you love will really appreciate and cherish.