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Elementary School-Aged Kids
Bar/Bat Mitzvah Gift Ideas
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Anonymous
| My 13- year old has been invited to quite a number of bar and bat mitzvahs this year. I'd love to hear some advice about the appropriate gift. We would prefer not to give cash and I think lots of people will give iTunes cards. I'd prefer to do something different. Any ideas for a special gift? |
Anonymous
| How much do you want to spend? Maybe a piece of sports or music memorabilia from favorite sports teams or music act. Maybe gift card for a movie theater so they can OD on 3D movies with their friends. |
Anonymous
|
OP,
We'd ask the parents or have our child ask the mitzvah boy or girl. Some requested cash. When they did, we obliged. Some were saving for special things, like a trip. You know the multiples of $18 tradition? Chai, life, has a numeric value of $18, gifts of cash in multiples of $18 is a tradition (at weddings, too). Some did not want gifts, they asked for a contribution to a charity. (I love those.) |
Anonymous
People really ask for cash? Wow. |
Anonymous
| I just described a Jewish gift giving tradition, and you express dismay. That's insensitive bordering on something else. Educate yourself. What's a gift card? It's cash to be spent at a specific store. What's the difference? |
Anonymous
| I think Savings Bonds are a good gift. Yes, the interest rate is horrid, but it's a nice alternative to "right now" cash. |
Anonymous
| Interesting that for some people gift giving is about them and not what the person wants! A saving bond isn't going to help if a boy is saving for a special trip somewhere the following summer. |
Anonymous
| Money is a standard, excellent choice. If you give a check (or Savings Bond), it's (even more) likely to go into long-term savings, for something big like junior year abroad in college (that's where mine went). For girls, "real" items, like gold earrings, a silver bracelet, or a little Coach pouch, are nice: the idea is that she's now an adult, so it's nice to get something that lasts. An iTunes gift card feels less appropriate than a check, honestly, since it's for immediate consumption. Maybe a share of stock? More complicated (and you might need to team up with others), but it comes with an economics lesson. |
Anonymous
| We used to get boys a handmade wooden box from Appachian Spring. It can be used to storage watches, etc. They come in a variety of sizes and price ranges. |
Anonymous
|
I am not Jewish, but have attended a number of bar/bat mitzvot. Took me a bit of time to get over the cash thing, but it really makes the most sense. We now give in multiples of chai (18). Thrilled to not worry about picking out the right gift. If we know the child well, then we pick out a very small personal item, but the major portion of the gift is cash.
Gift giving is not for the giver, it is for the recipient. |
Anonymous
Ooops - 18, not  !
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Anonymous
That's ok, PP. Kudos for using the appropriate plural! |