My Graduation Gift Ideas…

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My sister graduates from college this week, and as you can imagine we aren’t heading to Nashville for a celebratory weekend like we thought we would be. Instead, we will be having our own ceremony of sorts in Florida (be sure to follow along on Instagram for it– trust me) ????.

If you had told me that I would have been spending the last semester of her senior year with her, I never ever would have believed you. But it’s been a blessing in disguise. We’ve watched lots of Real Housewives, had many glasses of wine, and sleep five feet from each other in twin beds every night… honestly not too far off from my senior year ????.

Being with her the past few weeks has really made me think a lot about all of the graduates right now, and how much my heart goes out to them. Looking back, I personally did not love graduation weekend, as I was so bloated from partying that my graduation dress wouldn’t fit over my head… and I’m pretty sure I carried a champagne bottle up until the point where I had to put it down to literally be handed my diploma. ????

I was so devastated that my beloved time at college was ending, but I did manage to record most of it, which you can find in my graduation blog series in these posts:

Graduation Photos // Graduation Party // Graduation Weekend Recap // Letter to the Undergrad

In this post I just wanted to focus on spoiling our graduates with sweet gifts and thoughtful pieces that they will have to look back on this time and remember their accomplishments, despite the crazy and unprecedented circumstances. All of these items are either pieces I’ve received myself, or given to a loved one for graduation in the past! So, now onto what would I recommend for graduation gifts…

Something Personalized

Something monogrammed or personalized will always show that you went the extra step to pick out and customize something special for the graduate. You absolutely cannot go wrong with a monogrammed signet ring (just confirm their ring size first!), a monogram travel jewelry case, or a monogram acrylic tray! I actually gave all of my girlfriends monogrammed acrylic trays for our graduation, (and I received one myself!) and we all still use ours today.

Something for their Apartment

I remember that one of the things I was looking forward to most post-graduation was getting to move past the grungy dorm stage of my life and into an actual nice apartment ????. Anything nice that someone can use in their new post-grad apartment makes such a fun and useful gift. I gave my Big a bar cart (she still uses it!), and I also love these monogrammed wine glasses, initial coasters, and of course a gorgeous Capri Blue candle  (one of my all time favorite scents).

Something to Wear Everyday

What’s a good gift roundup without a little sparkle?! Some of my most meaningful gifts, that I wear more than anything else that I own, were graduation presents (from either high school or college). I will treasure my David Yurman cable bracelets forever, as well as my Jane Winchester pendant necklace (which we also gave Johnny’s sister for her college graduation– each one means something different and special, but the ‘Protect’ coin has such perfect significance for a graduation). I also couldn’t help but include this pearl ring as well– pearls are the most classic and timeless stone, and this ring would look beautiful at any age, way beyond graduation!