Graduation season is here, and it's time to be shopping for presents. (Past time, really.) Ease your graduating friends and family into the Real World with these awesome, Wordcandy-approved gift ideas.

For the graduate who's about to enter the brave new world of Life Away From The Parents:


This is a damn handy book, and it would go really well with some equally handy gift cards--maybe some gift certificates for gasoline, the grocery store, and a phone card home (for when the graduate in question is in need of more immediate help)?

For the graduate who's facing the brave new world of a Grown-Up Job:


When my friends and I graduated from college a few years back, I gave everybody a kit containing some confidence-boosting essentials for job interviews (or first days on the job). The kit included a mirror, a touch-up kit and this book, placed inside an attractive-yet-professional-looking bag.

For pretty much any graduate:


If you're pressed for time, here are a few pre-made kits. They have great ones for just about any occasion. The Now What? kit looks like a great option for college grads who are completely lost, and there's the Freshman Survival Kit for all those soon-to-be college students, but the best two kits are all about cleaning. The Keep It Clean kit and the Dirty Laundry kit are our absolute favorites. Give your favorite graduate one of these much-needed care packages--along with some Wordcandy-approved paperbacks to read while they wait for the dryer--and they're sure to think of you fondly whenever they tidy up their new digs*.

*Read: every other month... or so.

Labels: Graduation, Shopping