There are two major events when someone can expect gifts: Christmas and their birthday. In high school, there’s one more — graduation. 

Whether it’s one graduation party or 20, the gifts can get repetitive and impersonal fast. That’s why I composed my go-to gift guide with customizable options that every graduate will love. 

Scrapbook

This is a gift that gets more emotional the longer the friendship has been. For ones that began in freshman year or before especially, a scrapbook of old photos and memories is sure to make someone cry. If the pictures aren’t enough, adding small notes and letters throughout the scrapbook will bring it to life. 

I recommend ordering photos on Shutterfly and buying a small scrapbook at any nearby craft store. It will take a few hours to make, so don’t wait until the last minute. Keep a few tissues nearby, because this project is known to tug on heartstrings.

Water bottle

This is both a necessity for college and an easily-customizable idea. Plus, one can never have too many water bottles. This is a gift that can be given to acquaintances or close friends — it can be cheap or expensive, and basic or unique. To bring this gift above and beyond, the water bottle can be stuffed with cash, Tide-pods or candy to help with a graduate’s transition to college. 

Water bottles can be found at almost any store. Depending on skill level, this gift can be customized using paint or a Silhouette and Cricut machine. If none of those are viable options, there are plenty of websites that customize water bottles for an extra charge. 

Blankets

College packing has to be light — after all, there’s a thousand things to pack. Instead of sleeping with a bundle of blankets on top of them, grads will have to adapt to having only a few, higher-quality blankets for when the dorm gets too cold. 

There’s an endless supply of different types of blankets: homemade, throw, weighted, cooling, heated and photo — chosen depending on where the graduate is going and how they enjoy sleeping. Patterns are also important to consider; think about the graduate’s favorite colors, animals and if they’ve shared their dorm room decoration plans. 

Polaroid camera

A highly-coveted object, a Polaroid camera is the perfect gift for any graduate. The film packs can include personalized quotes and symbols. Especially as Polaroid walls grow in popularity for dorm rooms, a Polaroid camera is a serviceable and fun item. 

The cameras come in different colors and with different extensions. Though its price tag might be hefty, going in with a friend on this gift is an easy fix. Not only can the graduate then make memories, but they can capture them, too. 

Build-A-Bear

The cutest graduation gift I’ve ever seen, a Build-A-Bear brings back nostalgia while looking toward the future. The stuffed animal is a huggable reminder of home for graduates who take it with them to college and can go with dorm decorations. 

A cute idea is to find the animal the graduate’s college has as a mascot, and go online or to a nearby store to find that animal. Depending on the college’s notability, the store might even have one dedicated to it. An added bonus is dressing the animal in a graduation outfit to commemorate the special day.