Graduation season is about to commence in high schools, colleges and other educational institutions everywhere. Along with the awarding of diplomas and degrees, it’s traditional to bestow a gift on a graduate, the kind that makes a meaningful statement and represents the import of this occasion. To help you find that special gift that marks this major life achievement, we’ve put together a Santa Fe gift guide for graduates. Each suggestion is worthy of a graduate’s great accomplishment. Take a look at our list below and you’ll discover graduate gift ideas that are as unique as Santa Fe itself.
Santa Fe Goldworks
Commemorative jewelry is a timeless graduation gift. At Santa Fe Goldworks, David Griego’s one-of-a-kind signature pieces make a stunning long-lasting gift. For him, choose a handsome sterling silver ring topped with a horse shoe made of Sleeping Beauty Turquoise, for it represents good luck. For her, select an elegant charm so she can start a charm bracelet, a jewelry trend that’s been around for more than a thousand years. Each charm in a bracelet carries special meaning for those who wear them. Santa Fe Goldworks offers a variety of charms, but for a graduate, you could select the bear, a symbol of courage, strength and leadership, made with white or yellow gold and inlaid with turquoise or Australian opals.
El Gancho
Making the transition from student to post-grad life can be a stressful experience. So why not help a graduate keep things chill and stay healthy with a membership to El Gancho Fitness, Swim & Racquet Club? Working out in the gym, playing tennis or racquetball, swimming laps and simply floating serenely in a pool will keep any graduate in great shape. Add in yoga classes and this gift will ensure that any graduate balances body, mind and spirit.
Ghost Ranch
For the graduate who loves learning, consider gifting a workshop at Ghost Ranch, a dramatically beautiful educational and retreat center run by the Presbyterian Church in O’Keeffe’s red rock country, north of Santa Fe. Choose from an array of creative workshops devoted to music and performing arts, science, social justice and many other topics. Guests stay in rustic accommodations that reflect this property’s history as a working ranch. Along with workshops that engage the mind, guests have access to scenic hiking trails, horseback rides and the on-site anthropology, archeology and paleontology museums.
Meow Wolf
An annual pass to Meow Wolf, good for one year, guarantees a mind-bending experience on each and every visit. No one can ever see everything in the fantastical “House of Eternal Return.” No matter how many times you return, there’s always some new corner of this multiverse to discover. And the young artists of Meow Wolf make changes and updates to the interactive exhibit, so fans are eternally returning, seeking new sights and inspiration.
Santa Fe Botanical Garden
For a graduate interested in landscaping and environmental science or in growing their green thumb, an annual membership to the Santa Fe Botanical Garden makes a perfect present. With two public sites in Santa Fe, the main one on Museum Hill and the Leonora Curtin Wetlands Preserve in La Cienega, the garden offers more than 55 acres devoted to the botanical heritage and biodiversity of this area. Year-round educational programs include bee workshops, botanical book clubs and yoga in the garden. Rotating art exhibits pay tribute to the natural surroundings. Annual events include Shakespeare in the Garden performances, concerts and the popular holiday Glow! light festival.
Museum of New Mexico Foundation
Any graduate with an interest in art, culture, and history would flip for a membership to one of Santa Fe’s acclaimed museums. Better yet, give a membership to the Museum of New Mexico Foundation, which provides unlimited free admission for one year to Santa Fe’s four state museums—New Mexico History Museum/Palace of the Governors, New Mexico Museum of Art, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture and the International Folk Art Museum. Your gift includes access to member events and exhibition previews, as well as a subscription to El Palacio magazine and a 10% discount at museum shops. Now that’s a gift that keeps on giving.
Santa Fe RV
If you have money to burn, you could splurge on some wheels that will give your graduate the chance to get out and see the world. No, we’re not talking about a Porsche or a Lamborghini but rather a vehicle that doubles as a place to hang your hat. At Santa Fe RV, you’ll find a wide range of new and used RVs, Aliner, Airstreams and Little Guy Teardrops, some with small footprints that offer great adventures. Whether your graduate wants to get off-road and camp out in the wilderness or take a road trip across the country to visit friends and family, this gift will get them moving. Best of all, if you’re harboring any worry about your graduate becoming another boomerang kid and ending up back at home with you, this gift ensures that they have someplace else to live, even if the camper ends up parked in your back yard.
This article was posted by Cheryl Fallstead
