<p>My son’s seems to be being used as a car set cover at the moment. It will get doggy dirt all over it and land in the trash. It’s one of those do not wash or iron versions … and the wrinkles didn’t come out from bathroom steam. I think they are gross and disgusting. </p>
<p>Why oh why are we going along with this <em>bleep</em> … wouldn’t our money be better spent outfitting the kids for <em>life</em> rather than a costume parade? I personally vote for the blue blazer and white pants look for the boys and the white dress for the girls. After all, that’s what <em>I</em> wore for mine when we dodged dinosaurs on the walk …</p>
<p>I made a photo albumn for my D as a graduation gift (I am talking a HUNDRED photos from birth thru graduation). In the back of the book is a large flapped envelope where I put the tassel that came with the “gown”, event tickets and programs from senior year, etc. She is taking it with her to school to help when/if she gets homesick.</p>
<p>I put the “good” tassel (with the jeweled “X”), cords and hat in a shadowbox with her 5 varsity letters, bars, patches and other non-medal sports awards (at her school, varsity jackets are not popular and I couldn’t think what else to do with them) so that all that sort of thing is together.</p>
<p>Her senior year swim medals went into a smaller shadowbox. All the other ribbons, medals and trophies go into an archive box in the basement.</p>
<p>The gown goes to the neighbor girls for dress up.</p>
<p>When D finishes school and gets her own place, she will take the boxes, What she does with them will be her choice.</p>
<p>My son had to return his IB stole after graduation. It was only then that he mentioned he had the option to buy it. I felt a little bad and asked for details. He said “$36 to buy, $2 to rent”. It didn’t take me very long to reply “Good Decision”. And I was actually rather relieved to have one less thing to store.</p>
<p>I still have to tackle the fireplace mantle. We kid that it is the "shrine’ (senior photo, awards, class mug, graduation cap, tassles, cords, etc). Not sure I should have purchased the two class photos (serious and fun poses)… but tis framed and that will hang in his room. Once I get motivated to deal with it all.</p>
<p>With my oldest two, gowns & caps were provided and had to be returned immediately after the ceremony - before you got your diploma. My youngest had to buy one of the mystery fabric ones (different high school).</p>
<p>For college, DD1 had to buy hers and lent to a friend the next year. It is in her closet. DD2 was given one by a friend who graduated this year, so she is set and her younger sister is going to the same college and can also use it. I have no idea what DD1 will have to get for grad school if she decides to walk.</p>
<p>Tassles are hanging on their bulletin boards.</p>
<p>I tossed the cap and gown, then surprised S with a shadow box containing his graduation picture, tassel, cords, and his Geography Bee and Scholastic Bowl medals. :D</p>
<p>We have an entire closet that contains nothing but 1) three letter jackets 2) three graduation gowns 3) about a dozen formal dresses and 4) some other wierd clothes bought as costumes over the years. Oh, and a full sized cardboard cut-out of Elvis that was rescued from a dumpster at the end of a school year. He guards the clothes. This thread tells me it’s time to clear all that out.</p>
<p>The non pack rats such as myself get twitchy just reading all this. This falls into the category of stuff you’ll never look at again. One memory box per kid.</p>
<p>^^^
Pizzagirl, you expressed my thoughts exactly! Problem is, I married King Pack Rat. </p>
<p>So I am also incredibly relieved to learn most of you have been chunking this stuff into the “out of sight, out of mind” storage. We do, too, and I have been guilt-ridden over the fact that…if we MUST keep it…I have done nothing to properly display or archive it!</p>
<p>Great anxiety-poofing thread for me–thanks, OP!</p>
<p>Saved S1’s h.s. cap and gown. S2 wore it three years later. I think it went in the trash afterwards, not even sure. </p>
<p>When S1 graduated from college last year, he borrowed cap and gown fr. a friend. He had to buy his own tassel (each college within the university had diff. color tassels) and stole.</p>
<p>Our school went back to what we had in the good old days - rental gowns. They are heavier, you can iron them, and they hang better. After the ceremony, they were returned to the company where they are dry cleaned and stored for next year. Eco-friendly and they cost about the same.</p>