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My son is still very good friends with the girlfriend he dated his senior year of high school. It is now two years later and she is about to relocate from DE to CA in about two weeks and will be gone for at least two years. He has asked for my help in figuring out a small going away gift. She is 19 almost 20 and in the nursing field. He would like to get her something "she could use in CA"...I don't think he wants it to be too personal as she is relocating with her boyfriend so he wants it to be appropriate. Before I get any responses...her boyfriend and my son are cool with each other, he is fine with them still being friends (so much so that it was his idea last year for my son to be her "date" for prom when he was not able to come home for it himself) and jealousy is not an issue which is why we want it to be appropriate.
I am seriously drawing a blank, do you ladies have any ideas?
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You could go with a theme: Fill a sand bucket with some flip flops, beach towel, beach ball, sunscreen etc....
Is she going into an apartment or some sort of student housing? Is this her first independent living? Maybe something for the apartment - something to decorate the place and make her think of your son. Picture frames, nice kitchen stuff (something nice she wouldn't buy herself, not purely practical), something for her walls (art, photography that can be packed easily). The picture frames could have words on them ("friends" for example) but he could also give her a collage frame she can use for pictures she takes of her new surroundings. Something nice for storage if she doesn't have a lot of furniture already accumulated? Nesting baskets that can pack inside each other (with stuff in the smallest one) can then be used for attractive storage on open shelves. Usually they are lined with fabric - maybe you can find something "California-y". It also depends where in California she's going - San Diego is very beach-y, San Francisco is not, wine country is hilly and wide open, and Lake Tahoe/the mountains are totally different. I'd worry less about a California theme and think more about what this girl likes. How about 2 coffee mugs they can use together? Does she like to cook or entertain? A nice set of oil/vinegar bottles are practical but look nice on a dining room table or the kitchen counter. They'll be making new friends out there - maybe some appetizer serving pieces (cheese spreaders, chip & dip set, cheese board) would get her started. Practical, attractive, appropriate.
These gifts would be for her but still something the boyfriend can be comfortable with and use. I think it is awesome that these boys have worked out a great relationship and that your son has the experience of having a female friend who is not a romantic interest.
When my stepdaughter was moving, I got her an iTunes giftcard. That way, she could buy music she liked, but didn't have anything more to pack.
Another time, I bought her a four-leaf clover that had been preserved in a clear rectangle, for good luck. I found it at www.redenvelope.com
If she is going to be in the nursing field, he could get a stethoscope or pair of medical scissors engraved for her.
A gift card to starbucks, or if he wants to spend a lot a camera.
A gift card ~ Starbucks, iTunes, whatever she is in to : )
When I moved from Seattle to California, my coworkers gave me a really nice outdoor umbrella to use at the beach; very practical. :-) But if they're not moving near the beach, the idea of a gift card is really nice; that way they can buy anything they might need for an apartment or for going out, and it wouldn't be something they need to worry about packing.
He could research something fun for her in the city she'll be moving to that he could get an online gift certificate for (or something she could do with her boyfriend--a unique restaurant or tourist attraction, etc.). Gift cards are nice because you don't have to take up space, so even a gift card to someplace they could buy something for the apartment/house would probably be good. I always liked to buy people towels when they went off on their own because I made do with hand-me-downs from parents that were old and ratty and didn't match, and I thought nice towels were a treat most people don't indulge themselves in. (I bought my own towels to replace our college towels when my husband and I had been married almost five years--I felt so decadent!!).
Otherwise, something for a kitchen is nice, or a book about the area they're moving to would probably be neat, too.
California is a big state with lots of variety of climates/terrain.
Any sort of simple house warming type gift would be appropriate.
How about a really pretty/cool photo album.
http://www.amazon.com/Cuisine-California-Diane-Rossen-Wor...
When I graduated from college-one of my mother's friend gave me a cookbook-she said, "If you can read-you can cook!"
If she is a watch lover, then giving a watch case would be good option!
http://www.gogappa.com/watch-cases
