Suggestions for gifts?

[pegkerr]

Can anyone suggest an appropriate confirmation gift idea for my nephew/godson? I need to get it today; the service is tomorrow afternoon. Thanks.

Comments

[king-tirian.livejournal.com]

I'm inclined towards pens with the recipient's name engraved on it. There are times when I want to write something with My nice pen, and in times like that I'm glad I have one.

[aome.livejournal.com]

I'm assuming he's teenager-ish? We got the son of a family friend (confirmed last year, age 16, I think?) a watch, kind of a 'grownup' gift. I'm not talking about anything gold or super-fancy like that, just an 'ordinary' watch, but I picked something that had some bells and whistles on it - stopwatch, alarm, stuff that a teenage boy would like to twiddle with and think it was cool. He loved it. I think I spent maybe $30-40, don't know if that fits in your budget.

Watch

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Aren't watches considered old school? I recently started looking, and nobody young wears a watch anymore. (It makes sense, really; your phone can tell you what time it is.)

B

Re: Watch

[aome.livejournal.com]

*shrug* No idea. This kid didn't have a cell phone. No idea if he's still wearing the watch, but he enjoyed it at least in the beginning.

Re: Watch

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I first heard this theory in an essay by a dad who wanted to buy his son a heirloom-like present for a significant achievement. He wanted to buy his son a good watch. His son wanted an iPod instead. The dad wrote about the deline of present possibilities that can last a lifetime.

B

Re: Watch

[malinaldarose.livejournal.com]

No watch?! I feel lost without my watch...but I've worn one since I was in first grade and only got a cell phone two weeks ago.

[(Anonymous)]

Why don't you give your nephew money for his confirmation gift? Then he can use the money any way that he wants. You could also give him a gold cross if he wears jewlrey. I think money is the way to go in a nice card. I hope this helps.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I agree with this; money is actually the best gift.

B

[roadnotes.livejournal.com]

A fountain pen.

I know, they're traditionally bar/bas mitzvah gifts, but in Italy, they used to give white fountain pens as confirmation gifts as well.

Fountain Pen

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I run hot and cold on this idea. It is a traditional gift for about that age, but it's dicey. The recipient will either think it's really cool or think it's absolutely no big deal at all.

I guess you have to know your audience.

B

[http://users.livejournal.com/_lindsay_/]

The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Ooo. This is a good idea. How about Sexism and God-talk: Towards a Feminist Theology.

B

[malinaldarose.livejournal.com]

My parents gave me a really nice cross as a confirmation gift, but I don't suppose your nephew would want a necklace. What about an ID-style bracelet? Do kids still wear those? You could have his name and the confirmation date engraved on it (assuming you can find someplace to do it this afternoon, but since you live in rather a larger place than I do, it shouldn't be too terribly tough).

[tiellan.livejournal.com]

I got my goddaughter a crystal rosary for her confirmation, but that's more girly. If he picked a saint who might have a medallion, you could try to hunt up the medallion. Or maybe even a very nice book about that saint, if he's even slightly bookish. We got rosary rings at our school, both the boys and the girls. They're bulky godawful ugly things, with ten bumps around the edge of the ring, and a cross on it, so you can say the rosary without just the ring instead of a string of beads. You could also get him a nice manly ring with a cross on it.

[jbru.livejournal.com]

I read this initially as your nephew/godson's christening (is that capitalized?) and so the recommendations for pens and such seemed weird. Now that I've got the age correct, I thought the traditional gift for this sort of thing was a Bible. But then, I'm certainly not an authority on the subject.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Confirmation means confirmation of baptism, and it is the point in the Lutheran church when a child has grown enough to say, "Yes, I am confirming the promises my parents made at my baptism and joining the church of my own will." Generally, the church itself gives each child a bible, in the fifth grade.

My nephew is 15.

[huladavid.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's why ya'll call it that. The church I grew up in did adult baptism (and we're talking the "full dunk" version.)

Interestingly enough I'm planning on joining Grace-Trinity, where I've been going the last couple of months, and there's three ways this can be done. My membership can be transfered (but my hometown church imploded 15 or 20 years ago), I can be baptised (but I've already done that), or I can do a "reaffermation". The Rev. & I talked about this a bit, and he'll show me a text we can use.

[kristenj.livejournal.com]

If he likes books ... I was given a copy of The Interior Castle, by Teresa of Avila, which I liked quite well, and appreciated even more when I was older.

Learn to Pray: A Practical Guide to Faith and Inspiration, by Marcus Braybrooke is a wonderful book which is practical and is not condescending or simplistic. "Beautifully illustrated, this inspirational guide to spiritual transformation presents over 25 step-by-step exercises illuminating the possibilities that prayer has to offer..." (From the front flap.)

Spiritual Literacy: Reading the Sacred in Everyday Life, by Frederick and Mary Ann Brussat is much larger (608 pages vs. 160 for the previous), and is more a series of reflections on finding and integrating spirituality into ones life (rather than prayer methods.) Still, a very nice introduction to the subject.

The Life You Save May Be Your Own: An American Pilgrimage, by Paul Elie. "...the story of four great writers who sought to change their lives through their work, the way their own lives had been changed by books." (From the back cover.) The 4 writers are Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, Flannery O'Connor, and Walker Percy.

Why Religion Matters: The Fate of the Human Spirit in an Age of Disbelief, by Huston Smith. Very thought-provoking.

If he has read and liked the "Narnia" books, you might try the more "adult" fiction of C.S. Lewis -- maybe The Great Divorce or The Screwtape Letters.

Joshua, by Joseph F. Girzone. Ponders the question, what if Jesus came again, this time to contemporary America?

[jemyl.livejournal.com]

He will likely get a Bible from someone. A masculine, zippered carrying case to hold his Bible would be nice. If you don't have time to get a gift, you can always go to your favorite catalog of appropriate things, or print some off an online site or two, that cost the amount of money you tuck into the last page. This is called a gift wishbook. The giftee then only has to choose the gift and go get it with the cash provided.

You might also gift him a two or three hour walk in your favorite place of beauty, with you, and a tablet, throw away camera, or some such to observe and record some of your favorite examples of God's blessings and beauty in your surroundings. Sharing your faith and a place to get "renewed" could be the best, most lasting gift he will get, ever.

[jemyl.livejournal.com]

Also, my Bill carried a cross in his pocket, always. His was a battered one on his keys. Now they make little plastic ovals with a cross imbedded in them, just right to fit in a pocket, kind of like a worry stone but a faith touchstone instead. A cross (brand name) pen or pencil would also be nice and some of them are not too expensive now. There is a double meaning in that as the pen is a symbol of superb writing instruments and the brand name reminds us of Jesus.