Back to School Bonanza

Ah, the first day back to school. It always seems to be filled with mixed emotions: sadness for the end of freedom, of late nights roaming the neighborhood, and of no jacket and no socks needed; but also excitement to see old friends, to have new classes, and to be one year closer to never having to go to school again (bad idea kids, take it from me). Why not give a back-to-schooler a small gift to start his or her day on the right side of the bed?

How about. . .

• an updated lunchbox?

Let them build their own lunchbox. This kit is from lunchboxes.com and comes with a stickerbook for decorating ($13.95). No two lunchboxes are alike!

Or, what about one of these cute, over-the-shoulder lunchbags from Land's End ($35.00)? This bag would be great for a middle- or high-schooler.

This lunch/snack bag, which can be personalized, is available from embroideryandmore at Etsy ($15.00). I love the zebra print shown here, and you can even choose the style of embroidery.

• a pencil bag/box?

This pencil box comes in pink and blue ($14.50) and is available at limited too (I love unintentional rhymes, don't you?).

When I was in high school, I had a Union Jack obsession. Union Jack t-shirts, Union Jack stickers, Union Jack rugs and posters...the list goes on. So, it goes without saying that if someone had given me this Union Jack Pencil Sack available at Karmaloop, I would have cherished it...that is, of course, until my next phase came along ($22.00).

• or, the obvious, a hip bookbag?

It seems like the messenger bag is the only way to carry books these days. This puma bag on ebags.com is a definite keeper ($70.00).

This penguin pack from morriluggage.com is obviously meant for a certain age group (or maybe not), but just think of all the great pics you can get and use for those embarrassing photo album sessions 10 years down the line ($34.99)!

I had a Timbuk2 bag when I was in school (in fact, I still own it---those bags are tough!). This bag isn't cheap ($165.00) but it will last for your schooler's entire career, assuming they don't leave it in the bus. Bonus: This bag is made of HEMP. . . gnarly!