Welcome Home Present Ideas

When a loved one or friend returns home from college, a trip, a honeymoon or even for military leave, providing a token of your love with a unique or sentimental gift can make the homecoming much more joyous. From personalized gifts that preserve memories or accomplishments to helpful gestures to make their stay a pleasant one, a thoughtful welcome home present can ease the transition of returning home.

Graduation is a time to celebrate hard work, determination and success. Why not present your graduate with a gift that preserves this achievement? Homemade gifts, such as a scrapbook with report cards, term papers, photos and certificates, shows a graduate how proud you are of this accomplishment. As he or she is likely on a quest for employment, you could also present the graduate with a care package of resume paper, a gift card for smartphone apps to aid in the job hunt and bedding or household goods to prepare him or her for a new apartment.

It can be both exciting and overwhelming for new parents to bring home a baby from the hospital. Help smooth the transition with a welcome home present in the form of acts of kindness. While you can purchase baby supplies, create a basket of diapers, formula and bottles or knit a baby blanket for the little one, welcome mom and dad home, too, with a coupon book to meet their daily needs. For example, offer to make a meal one evening, mow the lawn, sort the laundry or babysit for an hour or two for the first few weeks. You could also prepare decorated jars with lotions and spa accessories to encourage some "me" time when needed. A personalized act can be one of the most appreciated welcome home presents a new parent could receive.

Since it is often difficult to transition back into civilian life, honor a military man or woman with a small family gathering so he or she can catch up with loved ones. You can honor the host with presents that represent his or her service, such as a shadow box with a flag and patriotic belongings, a framed photo collage of family and friends or a scrapbook or memory book with pictures and tokens of events during his or her time away from home.

If a job is keeping a loved one on the road quite a bit, gifts that remind him or her of home can help ease the jet lag. Welcome home your traveler with a home-cooked meal, present him or her with framed photos of the family or create a playlist with favorite songs that can be enjoyed at home or on the road. For snowbirds or leisure travelers, create a poster board or framed piece with airline tickets, museum flyers and playbills or photos to bring the memories of the trip home. You can also create a care package for his or her next trip by including hand sanitizer, airplane pillows, books, movies and travel-sized hygiene items.