May is the month of graduations and celebrations for those who are crossing over from school to school or from school to new job. Be ready to acknowledge accomplishments with these 12 Gift Ideas for Grads.

Fun and Useful Gift Ideas for Grads

• SOCKS. What graduate doesn’t need more socks? These socks are ranked by Men’s Health as the best for everyday wear.  Feetures! High Performance No Show. Click here to order from Amazon. Place them in a gift back with shoe deoderizer, clippers, peppermint foot balm, and a copy of Andy Stanley’s practical book on Love, Sex & Dating. Hmm. Clean feet and a good book. Or is it clean book and good feet? Oh, well, it’s a win/win either way.

• POLO SHIRT. Every college girl needs one of these. It’s the University Coop’s bestselling Nike Ladies Longhorn Classic Victory Polo. She can feel great about representing her school at all kinds of fundraisers, mentoring events, classroom presentations and volunteer efforts in this classic collared shirt.Order from the Coop here if you have a future Longhorn, or for your college graduates, who will have a whole lot more time for golf, here.

• The Allen Edmonds Field Watch. This watch is ruggedly durable, while maintaining the style known by every Allen Edmonds fan. On sale now at a half-price bargain, this sleek timekeeper can be ordered for your graduate here , or try the store’s Austin location on Congress Avenue.

•  MY PILLOW. Granted, a pillow is not the most glamorous grad gift ever. However, every college kid needs a good night’s sleep. I mean, when his poor little head finally hits the pillow after hours and hours in the library (?), you hope he doesn’t have to toss and turn and wad up a flimsy pillow. Right? At $49.95, this is no cheap gift, but if you want to add some sparkle, include some fancy room spray and a super soft plush blanket with fringe.

•  SHOWER CADDY. Monogrammed gifts are always appreciated, especially if you’re trying to keep your stuff to yourself! So, if you know a graduate who will have roommates, she will love this plastic shower caddy with her burnt orange initials right on the front! Order one here from Etsy, and add in some trending activated charcoal body wash, mud mask, and teeth whitening powder.

• IPHONE CASE. Another Etsy find is this stylish leather iPhone case for the minimalist graduate. Don’t let him fool you, though. He may not like a lot of stuff, but he likes good stuff, like these bluetooth headphones. Give both, and you will have knocked it out of the park with your grad gift.

• ALEX AND ANI BRACELET. Armenian flower bangle bracelet from Alex and Ani. This very popular jewelry company will donate 20% of the proceeds from these bracelets to a fun to help Armenian families in need. If your graduate is all about helping others, she’ll love this gift.

• UBER CARD. Uber gift cards make great gifts for graduates. Send a card via email or order the physical version. Both available here.

• SLEEP PANTS. Girls love everything from Anthropologie. These sleep pants are soft and silky and will go with any t-shirt or tank she’s got in her dorm room drawer. Order here or do your graduation shopping in-store at either of Austin’s locations at the Domain or 6th and Lamar.

• PERSONALIZED PEN. If your graduate enjoys carrying a pen, he or she will really like this personalized Tornado. Order from Amazon here. If you want to add on something that fits the theme, go for this Moleskin classic notebook for guys or one of these from Erin Condren for the girls.

• FRENCH PRESS COFFEE MAKER. Voted best French press coffee maker by Coffeedx is this Bodum Chambord model. Order one here for the coffee-loving graduate on your list. Add a bunch of beans from local roaster Little City Coffee Roasters or a bag of Lake Austin Blend from Mozart’s and they’ll think of home with every dorm room or apartment morning brew.

• Amazon Prime. There will be lots of things they need for their new dorm room or apartment. Make it easy to receive them and allow your favorite graduate to spend valuable time on something more important than shopping, i.e., s – t – u – d – y.

What was your favorite graduation gift back in the day?

Mine was a Lane cedar chest given to me by my mother and grandmother. At the time, it was considered a “hope chest,” and it was the place to store delicately folded household treasures for the future, as in – when you get married. On graduation wish lists today, there’s probably not a “hope chest” to be found; however, if one of your favorite grads might like a sweet place to keep some treasures for the future, check out this fabric-lined wicker storage chest. It’s even collapsible for flat storage.

Congratulations to you and your favorite graduates!

Encouraging intentional adventure, for you AND them,

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