Hello, adulting.
It's that time of year: college graduation season. That means lots of bittersweet tears, celebratory mimosas, and of course, gift-giving. It can be downright impossible to figure out a good graduation present for any person, but this year, you really want to nail some graduation gifts for your best friend. It can't be too expensive (student loans are about to become a real-life nightmare), but it shouldn't be a total waste of the few dollars you have to your name either, because come on, it's your bestie, and she deserves, well, the best. Getting your best friend a gift on any occasion, let alone for college graduation, is an art, one that requires a bit more thought and effort, as well as a little bit of cash.
Of course, the graduation gift always depends entirely on the best friend you're getting it for. Is your friend a travel junkie? A soon-to-be big-shot Wall Street executive? Are they on their way to the Peace Corps or planning a trip around the world? All of this should factor into what you decide to get for them. You not only have to think about who they are as people, but also what they're going to find useful in the next phase of their lives. Here are 12 sentimental graduation gifts for best friends with a guarantee that they'll absolutely love it.
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An Instagram Album To Celebrate Your College Or High School Memories
What better way to commemorate your time together than to compile your best friend's favorite Instagram photos into a bonafide photo album for them to take to their post-grad apartment? After all, coffee table books are always a good idea, and this graduation gift is the perfect combination of nostalgia and practicality.
A Bath Caddy To Make The Most Of Their Post-Grad Self-Care
Bath caddies are a perfect gift for pretty much anyone, not just a college graduate — but since your friend is about to potentially have her own bathtub that isn't shared with at least half a dozen people for the first time, why not give them the accessories to enjoy it?
You could consider adding bath salts or some lovely scented bubbles to the gift, as well — along with, perhaps, a link to a YouTube tutorial for how to actually clean a bathtub properly, because in post-grad life, you actually have to know how to do that stuff.
A Sound Machine For A Good Night’s Sleep
If your friend is a sensitive sleeper who's about to move into a shoebox apartment in Queens, then one of the best graduation gifts for your best friend is a white noise machine to block out all of those screaming trucks and wailing people that are about to try and ruin their sleep every night.
Now, your BFF can replace all that toxic noise with the soothing sounds of waves crashing or crickets chirping.
A Mac And Cheese Keychain Set To Express Your Love For Each Other
This set of matching mac and cheese keychains is like the modern-day version of those broken-heart charm bracelets you used to rock with your bestie back in middle school — except these little guys are a bit more subtle, and they clip onto your car-key lanyard like it's no big deal.
Not only do you and your BFF go together like mac and cheese, but these best friend keychains are also extremely cute.
A Set Of Indestructible Succulents
A set of succulents is a must for a graduation gift for your best friend because there's literally no effort involved on their part. When it comes to taking care of a succulent, all you have to do is spritz your little babies with water once a week, and they're good to go.
Keeping a succulent alive will be the easiest challenge of your bestie's first year out of high school or college, so why not gift them with an easy win, right off the bat?
Their Favorite Book — Revamped
This customizable book art is an amazing and thoughtful piece of decor to give to your bestie as a graduation gift. Choose a few of their favorite books, or maybe a few books that bring back college memories of the two of you reading or studying together, to display as an art piece for their new home.
An Airline Gift Card If Your Friendship's About To Be Long-Distance
If you're going to be living across the country from one another after graduation, then this set of airline gift cards is literally the most thoughtful graduation gift for your best friend . Maybe the two of you can plan a vacation in the future to decompress after jumping into the real world. An airline gift card never disappoints, and it will be the perfect graduation gift for your travel-loving best friend.
An Instant Camera To Capture All Your Post-Grad Memories
An instant camera is the perfect graduation gift for your best friend, especially in this day and age, when we all spend way too much of our time staring at screens instead of one another.
Giving your friend a camera like this will encourage her to drop the phone, interact with the real world, and make some amazing memories along the way. Have your bestie open the gift up the night of graduation to take some cute pictures together, it’ll be the most sentimental graduation gift for your best friend.
A Portable Phone Charger To Make Adulting A Bit Easier
This solar portable phone charger (yes, it gets its energy from the sun) is not only super innovative, but it's also the perfect gift for any friend moving to a big city after college, where it'll likely be obnoxiously difficult to find a place to charge up at a moment's notice.
If you live in Los Angeles, New York, or pretty much any other urban area in the world (or any place where it's unlikely to find an open outlet at the closest Starbucks), then a portable phone charger is a blessing to have on you at all times.
A Chic Wallet Since You’re Truly Adulting Now
If you want to give your bestie something useful yet trendy, consider getting them a chic wallet to hold their subway card, credit cards, and cash from their newfound career. A graduation gift like this will make your best friend smile from ear to ear, as you know just what his or her style is all about.
A Dainty Name Necklace For The First Day At The Office
For the first day of your bestie’s new job, this gold necklace with her name on it will be the cherry on top of her outfit, giving her the confidence she needs to kill it. This gold necklace goes with every outfit, and you know your best friend will totally love this graduation gift. You might just want to purchase a version for yourself.
A Candle That Triggers All The Feels
Choose between countless city names, or other fun sayings, that transport your best friend back to their favorite place. Maybe it’s a candle with their new city name on it, or of the city the two of you went to college. Either way, this is a sentimental graduation gift for your best friend that will make their first apartment or house out of college feel like a home.
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