Hello jellybn99-ga!
I have been checking in on your question on and off over the past
couple of weeks, curious to see an answer (I really like these kinds
of questions). I?ve been pretty busy myself, otherwise, I would have
answered it myself sooner than this. But I see that it is just about
to go unanswered and after all of the work you?ve put in (over 10
years!), I think you deserve an answer to your considerate question.
I?m sure that your parents have many reasons to be proud of you and
the ?thank you? for them lies in who you are and what you do above and
beyond anything you could give them as a gift, but I do believe that
the gesture is sweet and kind and will be most appreciated. It?s nice
to show appreciation and it?s nice to be appreciated. I love creative
questions like this and I truly enjoy doing nice things for people, so
these kinds of questions are fun for me!
So, since I?ve been giving thought to your question over the past
couple of weeks, I already have some cool ideas in mind. So, to help
me figure out how many ideas to give you, I?ve decided to give you 15
ideas?one for every dollar you?ve offered to pay in exchange. They
range from simple to more elaborate, but they are all thoughtful and
creative. I hope you enjoy! OH! And first off, Congratulations!! I
wish you much success! Okay, now on to your very thoughtful gesture of
appreciation. Can I help you with ideas? YES! Here we go:
1. My first few ideas are my favorites. They take a little bit of
work, but giving these kinds of gifts makes putting them together so
fun and I?m sure that your parents will be most appreciative (no
matter what you do). How about a scrapbook (or poster or collage) full
of pictures of you at college, studying, with friends from college,
etc., interspersed with pictures of you and your parents with a big
?THANK YOU? on it? If scrapbooking isn?t your thing, I can almost
guarantee that you know somebody who loves to scrapbook and could help
you put it together. I think you?d really enjoy the stroll down memory
lane assembling it and giving it.
2. How about a nice picture of you in cap and gown with diploma in
hand (perhaps in black and white) with a silver frame inscribed with
the date and a thank you to your parents? A personalized picture frame
is a thoughtful gift. From previous research on a similar question, I
know of a website that specializes in specialty frames that you
create. They create frames for all occasions and you can customize
yours from scratch! It looks like a lot of fun as well! And they add
that most frames ship in 24 hours, if that helps. Personalization is
inherent in this special gift. You can use it to display a picture of
yourself in cap and gown or anything else that strikes your fancy. And
YOU create it! Check out the website (http://www.1stframe.com/) for
more ideas.
3. This piggybacks number 2, but is a little bit more involved in
scope. Do you have siblings? How about pictures of every one of you at
some sort of graduation or ceremony of achievement in individual
frames? Again, you could do a collage or scrapbook, but a display of
frames would be really nice looking. To explain/illustrate, this idea
comes from a hallway of pictures that I?ve seen at the home of the
parents of one of our friends. They have 8 children and one of them
arranged to get black and white family pictures of everyone (with
their spouses and children) and framed them in similar frames. Walking
down the hallway, looking at the display, well, it?s quite impressive
and a very lovely gift. You could do something similar to document and
illustrate the various achievements in your family. You could also
include your parents? achievements as well. Perhaps you could get a
copy of your diploma as well as that of all of your siblings and your
parents and put together a similar (but different) presentation! It
would take some legwork, but it?s certainly unique and thoughtful.
4. A typed-up thank you or tribute on a pretty piece of paper or
perhaps with a diploma watermark or something like that (Microsoft
Word, for example, has a lot of online clip art that you can use) in a
nice frame is a very nice reminder and thank you. I?ve got one right
in front of me from my husband thanking me for supporting him in his
schooling and education and things and I see it every time I sit down
at the computer. I often read it and I always smile. It?s nice to see
very specific thank yous in such a nice tribute!
5. One of my favorite gifts to give (and receive) is a ?100 reasons?
list. It can be ?100 reasons why I love you? or ?100 reasons why I
thank you? list. That may sound like a lot, but take it from someone
who has made a lot of these lists (FYI, my parents and in-laws *love*
them), you?d be amazed how many things you can come up with and how
quickly, too. It?s also, I believe, a very spiritually healthy project
to do, to sit down and consider what you appreciate about other
people. If you don?t use it for this occasion, I encourage you to use
it sometime.
6. I don?t know what you majored in, but you?ve graduated college and
in today?s day and age, I bet you?ve learned to use Microsoft Power
Point. How about making a ?thank you? presentation with pictures set
to music? It can be given on a CD or simply presented by having them
sit around the computer while you pop it in and begin it. I?ve also
given and received these as gifts and I love them and can enjoy them
again and again.
7. You could also give a gift of sculpture or artwork or something
representative of your field. Have you majored in the arts? How about
a nice art print or sculpture by one of the greats, like Michelangelo
or Monet? http://art.com/ is a great place to browse for such gifts.
You can even get it framed and matted to present it beautifully. Have
you majored in film? How about a classic film DVD or one or two of
your parents? favorites? Perhaps a commemorative edition? Have you
majored in law? How about a sculpture of legal/justice scales? Here?s
a nice set of bookends:
http://www.kingsrivergifts.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/118_123/products_id/1250
(for example). Have you majored in business? How about one of those
nicely-framed motivation posters about ?success? or ?determination??
Here are some examples:
http://www.art.com/asp/search/ProductSearch-asp/_/search_String--success/posters.htm?filteroptions=0&isSearch=Y&ui=EA72D330C4B34EB0B093DCC04D30B135
(you can also look up other terms like determination, challenge,
confidence, etc.) You get the idea, right?
8. A basket full of all of your parents ?favorites? (it shows you?ve
been listening and paying attention) as a thank you! You may have to
talk to siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends, etc., but the
result would be fabulous! Have your mom?s favorite movie, book, and
perfume in there as well as your father?s favorite drink, magazine,
and music. You can also include tickets to museums and sporting events
(though you?ve already mentioned that they?re well-stocked in that
area) and movies and local events that might interest them. You could
put in a mix of music about parents and children and love. Tie it all
up with a big, huge THANK YOU ribbon!
9. Have you received various letters of recommendation or notes from
professors about you as a student? Even if it?s just in a simple note
at the top of a paper? How about a collection of such things that
represent your work and efforts in school as well as some feedback
from your professors? Any chance you?ve saved all of your course
syllabi? A nice book of those would be kind of a neat keepsake for
them (and for you) to see what classes you?ve taken, what books you?ve
read, what projects you?ve completed, etc. Kind of different, but also
very cool?if you do this in a book form, add a thank you letter as
explanation to the front.
10. How about taking them out to dinner and telling them personally?
It may seem a bit cheesy, but it could make for a very nice,
enjoyable, and memorable evening. Perhaps do something extra special
as a surprise at dinner?something the waiter brings out or a special
song the band plays.
11. Along the lines of #8 (the thank you basket), how about a
college-themed basket? You could fill it with college sports
memorabilia, a college pennant of yours, typical college goodies, and
college-themed movies like ?Rudy? (especially since they like sports)
or ?Animal House? (though I?d personally go for classier) or ?With
Honors.? I?ve even found a list of the top 10 college movies of all
time: http://www.youngmoney.com/entertainment/movies/040305_01 and you
can use those, too! College bookstores are always full of neat stuff
you could add as well!
12. You could give a very nice framed picture of your alma mater
(isn?t it exciting to be able to say that?!) or a double-framed side
by side presentation with a picture of your university and another
picture of the happy graduate with your parents?
13. How about a framed lithograph of your college campus? Here?s a
website that has over 300 universities available:
http://www.allgraduationgifts.com/searchitem.cfm?productid=2615&storeid=14&csvd=34317814
Depending on the price, you could also give them lithographs of their
alma maters as a combination gift!
14. You?ve mentioned that they?re remodeling the house?any way that
you could send them away for a fun outing, get some friends together
to hurry and finish a room (paint, trim, etc.), and then hang one of
the nice pictures up that I?ve mentioned in this answer? Or perhaps
have one of the baskets I?ve discussed sitting on the floor under the
new hanging light fixture? You get the idea.
15. You could thank them in a newspaper ad (if they like that kind of
attention). You could do a spoof on the MasterCard commercials.
Something like ?Tuition . . . . $60,000. Books . . . . $3000. Love and
support of parents . . . . priceless!? Or you could write your own
specific thank you. Maybe surprise them with a homemade breakfast the
morning that ad is in the paper?be sure to have the paper on the
table! Wrap it in a pretty ribbon if they need a hint or nudge.
I know that yours is a fairly subjective question, so I?ve tried to
give you a wide variety of suggestions and creative gift ideas. I hope
they help you out! I know how it feels to want to give something very,
very special to show honor, thanks, and appreciation. I hope that
these ideas help you and, at the very least, help to generate even
more ideas if necessary. If you need any help or further
clarification, or if you have trouble with any of the above links,
please let me know. This is a very fun question and I appreciate being
able to help you out! Congratulations to you, again! And I wish you
well in your show of appreciation to your parents. I?m sure that
they?ll be very happy to receive whatever you do!
Best wishes and happy gift giving!!
Boquinha-ga
Search Strategy: Brainstorming/my own ideas/consulting with
others/searching the web for examples/researching my own previous
answers on a similar topic
Search Terms: various example ideas mentioned in the answer (like
art.com, legal scales, success business motivation posters, college
movies, etc.) |
