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Top 10 Graduation Gift Ideas

Posted: 15th April 2019 12:13

It's that gift giving time of year again.  No, not the holidays, but graduation season.  With all the work and emotion it's taken to get to that day, it's perhaps the toughest gift season of all to navigate.  That might be why the most widely offered graduation gifts last year were cash and gift cards, according to the National Retail Federation.

Michael LaHart, founder and President of M.LaHart & Co can empathize.  He has seen the graduation gift struggle up close working with over 100,000 customers and 100+ universities.  For 20 years, his company has been a participant in and eventual leader of the alumni gift marketplace, exclusively featuring such world-class brands as TAG Heuer, Montblanc, and Movado.  "It's been fascinating to see the swings in popularity through the years of various styles of gifts," explains Michael LaHart, "Tech gifts may be the darling one year, but are outdated the next.  There are a handful of classic items that remain tried and true and are 'can't miss' hits year after year."

According to Mr. LaHart, there are three factors that help elevate a graduation gift to becoming a lifetime memory.  "These graduates have been on a lengthy, challenging path leading up to this moment.  So, a gift that is intimately connected to the school, one that is personalized with engraving, and is also the sort of special gift that will accompany them to 'all the places they'll go' is truly a winning combination.  A gift with these three qualities will stand the test of time and still draw a smile in ten years, or, for that matter, fifty years."

Mr. LaHart has kindly offered to share his 20 years of accumulated knowledge on the topic. 

Drum roll please.

The M.LaHart Top 10 Graduation Gifts

1. Wrist watch with school name and initials

2. Personalized pewter frame with university crest

3. School ring with personalized engraving

4. Cuff links customized with school crest

5. Diploma frame made to fit their university diploma

6. Necklace with school pendant, engraved

7. Luxury writing pen with school name

8. Pewter school mug or cup

9. Etched glass business card holder

10. School chair with logo

A common denominator is that all of these gifts are connected to the graduate's school, by featuring a school logo or name.  That is a factor that Mr. LaHart feels is so important, he built his Litchfield Connecticut-based business around it.  The M.LaHart website has grown to include 111 university shops, and can be found at www.mlahart.com

"If this graduation gift list can help anyone feel more at ease or secure with their gift decision, then I'm very happy to offer it," says Mr. LaHart. "And if it prevents a few white elephants, so much the better."

About M.LaHart & Co:
For over 20 years, M.LaHart & Co has created and offered the finest quality commemorative gifts for alumni to honor their proud university affiliations.  Commitment to quality and design for over 110 Universities, matched with white-glove service, has made M.LaHart & Co one of the fastest growing and most respected businesses in the collegiate gifts market.  M.LaHart proudly and exclusively features TAG Heuer, Montblanc, and Movado products.

The Litchfield, Connecticut company's website is www.mlahart.com and main number is (860) 567-1400.

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