Best Graduation Parties and Gifts
Party Do's and Don'ts
Author Venable offers these tips:
- Do include your grad in the planning. Ask her what food she'd like you to serve and which friends she'd like on the guest list. Make sure she knows who you are adding to the invitation list, and familiarize her with relatives she may not have seen in a while. Let her know you'll expect her to help with setting and cleaning up.
- Don't be too selective. Venable says she often hears from families who felt guilty for not including someone after the invitations went out. She thinks having more guests makes for a better party.
- Do talk to your teen about her behavior. Remind her to be polite to guests and to think ahead of time about her responses to questions she'll get about why she chose the college she'll be attending or what she'll be majoring in.
- Don't plan your party the same weekend as everyone else's party. Venable suggests hosting your party a week or two before graduation to avoid conflicts with other celebrations.
- Don't be dull. Serve unusual food or ethnic specialties. For something different, rent a cotton candy machine or a moon bounce for kids to jump on. Hire a fortune teller or a DJ.
Best Graduation Gifts
Gift cards galore: For the middle or high school grad, you can't go wrong with a gift card to a local book or clothing store, Starbucks or iTunes.
Off-to-college gifts: Purchase a cap, sweatshirt or T-shirt from the college she'll be attending. Most colleges have Web sites where you can purchase these items online.
The high school grad will soon be furnishing her dorm room. That creates lots of gift possibilities:
- Towels (A monogram adds a personal touch.)
- A laundry basket filled with practical items: a screwdriver, a hammer and nails, duct tape, Scotch tape, Post-Its and highlighters
- A coffee mug or two; add a selection of teas and hot-chocolate packets and an electric teapot
- A tin filled with quarters (Students never seem to have enough for the washing machines in the dorms.)
- A picture frame (perhaps a personalized one or one that says "Class of 2009")
Say thank you in style. Personalized stationery makes a proper gift for all those thank-you notes she'll be writing.
There's always money. Kim Pessah, a California mother of four boys, two of whom are recent high school grads, suggests that cash is best. "My recommendation for a gift is money because most of them need to buy a computer and they really appreciate the money."
Venable suggests talking to your teen ahead of time about gifts of money to avoid arguments later. "Warn him that he'll probably get some gifts of money and it's not just cash for fun," she says. "Discuss with him how it would be wise to put money in the bank for college necessities."
If you're looking for more party and gift ideas, check out Venable and Mary Anderson's Graduation Parties: Everything You Need to Know From Start to Finish. The authors, two moms, have lots of party-planning experience. The idea for their book came from Anderson, who was looking for party ideas when her own son was graduating from high school. She teamed up with Venable, an event planner and writer, and they interviewed hundreds of parents and party experts and created this 100-page book. They also host a Web site, Graduationparty.com.
