Inspirational gifts for graduation. An inspirational gift for graduation might include a keepsake box to take to college. In ancient and more primitive times, a child became an adult by undertaking a Rite...
In ancient and more primitive times, a child became an adult by undertaking a Rite of Passage. These challenges generally involved long treks deep into the wilderness, and were meant to test the child for their readiness at handling the responsibilities of becoming an adult. Those who passed the test became full-fledged members of the community, while those who did not were often shunned or even banished,provided, of course, that they even survived the challenge at all.
The modern world still has rites of passage, but for the most part, they no longer involve harrowing ordeals far from home or the threat of banishment from the family or village. Today, the most common rite of passage is Graduation, where adolescents leave high school behind and prepare for college or career.
"Graduation is probably more for the general inspirational designs as opposed to the more religious inspirational designs that speak to a specific religious occasion," say Steve Shadrick, Vice President of Consumer Marketing, and Judith Vap, Marketing Communications Manager, for Inspirations.com.
"Graduation is not necessarily an inspirational gift kind of holiday," Steve and Judith continued. However, there are plenty of exceptions to that general statement. If the student is named after a patron saint, then a figure representing that saint might make for a perfect present.
Another possibility is a present designed to hold memories as the student travels from home. "Pristine picture frames are something that graduates could take to college." One of the most common items used to fill those picture frames are portraits shot at the graduation itself, posed with loved ones to commemorate the occasion.
Graduation gifts cover an entire range of possibilities. Since the graduate is "entering the real world," many gift-givers tend to lean towards the utilitarian, and offer gifts that will be put to good use in the near future. Such offerings include cars (just remember to keep gas, maintenance, license, and insurance costs in mind!), luggage, computers, or even the old standby, money (in the form of stocks, bonds, gift certificates, or just plain cash).
At the opposite end of the spectrum, popular graduation gifts include the humorous, like teddy bears in gown and mortarboard, and even the whimsical; the number 2 entry on the "Top Ten Graduation Gifts" list at About.com is the Dr. Seuss book, "Oh, the Places You'll Go."
Between those two extremes lies a wide variety of gifts, and many families have traditions that define the type of present. Advice is very popular, and often arrives in the form of inspirational or biographical books, as well as framed quotations or Bible verses. Another common suggestion is a gift specific to where the student is going, like clothing or memorabilia from their college.
Gifts for graduation may fall into several different categories, depending on their usefulness like luggage and picture frames, or their inspirational value, like graduation photos, quotes and advice, or even items invoking patron saints. Regardless, they are all meant to commemorate a happy and memorable occasion,the modern Rite of Passage.
