With graduation hardly a month away, inevitable gift shopping must occur. Unlike Christmas or birthday gifts, there’s no standard for celebrating a senior’s graduation. After all, knowing a senior doesn’t necessarily mean you’re best friends forever. With varying degrees of familiarity and budget concerns, gift etiquette becomes murky. There’s no need to fear, however, since Tower has ideas for four different tiers, we’ve got your back.
Tier 1: For acquaintances ($5.00 – $20.00)
Food is a universal love language, and packaged snacks ensure that no blame could fall on you if they’re not up to par. As a failed cook myself, I feel that pain. With careful observation and veiled questions, favorite chips, candies and other snacks can be easily uncovered. For this gift, it’s the listening and presentation that brings this together. Once you’ve gathered however many snacks you’d like, find a basket or box and use tissue paper to create a cozy care package full of your senior’s beloved foods. If looking for some way to upgrade this idea, try putting some trinkets between the goldfish, kisses and popcorn. Oh, wait…those are just my favorite snacks. Oops.
Tier 2: For friends ($30.00 – $50.00)
Style is one of the hardest things to pin down in the process of gift-giving…that is, in terms of classic clothing. Accessories, on the other hand, give a lot more creative liberty to the gift-giver. While a solid hat or jacket could be great, one of the most versatile pieces is jewelry. Nothing can match anybody’s aesthetic like some sort of bling. If your senior is a lover of all things cluttered, the maximalist of all maximalist, get them a piece of jewelry with some of their favorite things on it. If your senior is a proponent of simple, elegant style, find out whether they’re a gold, silver or both type of person, and find a sleek chain. It’s androgynous, adaptable and accessible–many beautiful pieces (minus the karats) can be bought for less than $50.00 on Etsy.
Tier 3: For loved ones (Price dependent on materials)
While gift-giving is its own love language, it also provides opportunities to expand on some of the others. One thing universal to every love language, official or not, is the concept of sharing things you love with the person you love. Whether that be time, touch or words, it can also mean using the skills and passions you possess to show your senior how much you care. If you’re artsy, put your hands to use and create something they’ll love. Though cliche, the thought really does count in a gift that will be memorable. I never experienced the custom mixtape fad in its prime, but one of my friends gifted me one I’ll never forget. Any skill you have, from collaging to singing, can make something low effort sentimental.
Tier 4: For your favorite person on planet Earth (Price dependent on service)
Inverting the previous idea, finding a skill or passion of your recipient senior creates an even more thoughtful gift. Often, these skills have impacted their high school years, which creates an even more appropriate gift for graduation. It could be a sport, a visual art, or even something like reading. Take this passion and personalize it to them. Say you’re shopping for a hockey player. Have one of their sticks engraved with their name. If they love to write, give them a monogrammed notebook. Though the price could be pretty expensive depending on your course of action, the smile you will get in return will be priceless. By connecting your receiver with something they love through something as concrete as an engraving, you not only validate their passion but give them even more fuel to pursue it.
