Gifts for 17 Yr Old Girl

iTunes gift cards are wonderful! Actually, any gift card! That is what my nephews and neices request every year and they are SOOOO appreciative!

I'm 60 now, and my all-time favorite Christmas present was when I was 17 and my parents gave me luggage. It acknowledged in a very real and useful way that I was growing up and would be going places.

how about something from Bath and Bodyworks, makeup is always good. Girls like decorative canvas bags or a gift card to a clothing store-Americam Eagle, Areopostle, etc

Hi S., see if you can find out some of her faves, like colour, flowers, music, what will her major be if she has decided etc. Then try to buy her things for college that will go with it... My niece loves pink and pigs...I bought her a set of glasses with pink pigs on it she loved it! I got another niece an amazing cook book that not only had recipes in it but all kinds of how to's from party planning and decorating ideas to how to make drinks. I have bought them towels in their "colours", sheets, flatwear, etc. But if that still makes you nervous, get a gift card for a great multipurpose store like Target and offer to take her out for lunch and shopping. She will love that too I am sure! Have fun, that is the best part!!!

Hi S.:
Dorm rooms have extra long twin beds so bedding for an extra long twin might be a good idea. The also tend to be cold in winter so flease pajamas would be nice for winter. You could also talk to Mom's of kids in college and see what they need. A lot if the kids decorate their dorm rooms and have small refrigerators and microwaves and need laundry baskets and supplies. You could also call or email the school she is going to and see what they suggest.

Gift cards! Gift cards! Gift cards! I'm sure others have probably posted on this, but my teenage neices LOVE gift cards. They can feel independent when spending them, which is a fun thing. Book stores...gas cards...the mall. Those are all hits with the teens I know.

What about a Wickless Candle? Since most dorms will not allow flames, Scentsy Wickless Candles are great! Here is the website WWW.SCENTSY.COM/DFW

I give all potential college kids a Quesadilla maker for a high school graduation gift (could be nice for Christmas, too) They have no stoves in the dorms, for obvious reasons, so a Q-maker is nice to whip up a variety of meals or snacks for them. :)

You can get her anything from towels to microwave to dishes to bathroom stuff. Is she staying on campus? A dorm size frig. It really depends on $ you want to spend.

Anything for moving out. Because after a dorm, will more than likely come an apartment or house.... If you go shopping day after Thanksgiving you can make a haul and it will look like you spent a ton more than you did!

~crockpot
~bath towels (JCPenny's has some great fast dry ones!)
~bed set (comforter, sheets, etc)
~wash basket filled with supplies (paper products, utensils, cups, soaps, cleaners, etc.)

She most probably has an iPod and would like an iTunes gift card, I would imagine.

She may also like a nice blanket or towels for the dorm.

Maybe this list will give you more ideas:
http://www.alldormshopping.com/Dorm-Shopping-List.html

I think Christmas might be a little too early to start putting stuff away for next fall :) As a mom who has sent two girls off to college, I can say that it would have been difficult to store college stuff that early (we are pretty pressed for space, though - maybe that family has more room). That being said, CASH, CASH, CASH, or GIFT CARDS :) My girls got alot of different things in the months before they left for college: stationary, frames, kitchen stuff, etc. Most of the items were returned for a different color, or because they already had one, or they were never going to use it. So much work for me . . . They LOVED getting the gift cards/cash. We stock piled all of it and the week before they left, we went and got everything they needed. Alot of the stuff they really needed was stuff people wouldn't have thought of anyways (razor blades, feminine products, laundry soap, cases of water, contacts, etc), or was out of the price range for normal gift giving. Another favorite was gas cards! One more idea: I don't know where she is going to college and how she plans to get home for visits, but my oldest takes the Greyhound and I got her a discount card from their website. They are good for a year, I believe, so again you may want to wait for the grad party if you purchase that.

Good luck!

Hi, I didn't have any girls but from my own experience I would thing that a talking picture frame with a funny picture in it would be what I would have wanted. I might not have the picture out all the time but in the clutches I would bring it out and help push that terrible homesickness away. Maybe put a smile on her face when things get tuff. And they will get tuff. Good luck. K.

Personalized Stationery! Check out www.oopsadaisycards.com
Everybody loves something personalized. Encourage them to write home when they are away at school. It's a gift that Mom and Dad will really enjoy when they see a note in the mail from their college student.

The dorm angle is a good instinct, but be careful not to be too specific in colors or styles of things. A lot of the "dorm" stuff that is out now just doesn't appeal to a lot of tastes. If she has an iPod, etc, than a gift card for music would probably be good. Downloading music can get expensive and a gift card would encourage her to download music legally. Gift cards for restaurants around the college that she will be attending too would be good because she will be trying to make friends and socialize and food is a great way to make that happen. Plus, how many college freshman cook!

I think that a giftcard is usually the best bet at this age, especially if you're not sure what she's into. If she drives, a gas card is always appreciated.