# What is a good gift for a new US Citizen? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 19, 2004, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-gift-for-a-new-us-citizen/240846 "2004-04-19T16:55:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-gift-for-a-new-us-citizen/240846/1 "2004-04-19T16:55:36Z")
My boss just became a citizen. I would like to get him a gift to honor the occasion. I plan to spend around $100.00 US. Any good ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-gift-for-a-new-us-citizen/240846/2 "2004-04-19T17:01:01Z")
Why don’t you tell us a bit about your boss? What kind of person is he? What are his favorite things to do/read/listen to? ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-gift-for-a-new-us-citizen/240846/3 "2004-04-19T17:07:35Z")
How long has your boss lived here? Is he fluent in English? (Thinking of book ideas) ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-gift-for-a-new-us-citizen/240846/4 "2004-04-19T18:17:59Z")
My boss is a driven man whose primary interest seems to be work. I’m told that he actually read circuit diagrams while on his honeymoon. I know that he reads some, but don’t know what he reads. He is a Brit, so yes, he does speak English. He is quite fond of wine and good whiskey, but since he just had a triple bypass, I figure booze is a bad idea. Although he is a good man and a good friend, I can’t really say that I know much about him outside of work. This is not unique to me, I know people who have known him for years that will tell me the same thing. I have tried to get him to out for beers with the group, but he always declined. I recently found out that he declines because of his heart condition. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-gift-for-a-new-us-citizen/240846/5 "2004-04-19T18:22:16Z")
How about a nice, high-quality flag and maybe a bracket? Something that can be used for years as long as it’s taken care of. ---
**Author:** ![Aries28](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Aries28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aries28)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-gift-for-a-new-us-citizen/240846/6 "2004-04-19T19:10:58Z")
I like the flag/bracket idea. Maybe get it engraved on the outside of the display box with the date or some other thing to remind him of the significance? ---
**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-gift-for-a-new-us-citizen/240846/7 "2004-04-19T19:35:52Z")
A gun? ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-gift-for-a-new-us-citizen/240846/8 "2004-04-19T19:55:38Z")
How about a nice leather passport folder? ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-gift-for-a-new-us-citizen/240846/9 "2004-04-19T20:10:02Z")
Maybe a big ol’ cowboy hat, or if he watches US sport maybe his fave teams colors. Sort-of now you can be an official yank sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Elenfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cc9497/32.png) [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-gift-for-a-new-us-citizen/240846/10 "2004-04-19T20:16:03Z")
You give him a certificate, in an expensive frame. The certificate should read: CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE BEEN EMANCIPATED FROM THE USCIS (formerly known as the BCIS for about 4 months, but then they didn’t like the word “bureau”, formerly the INS) Trust me, he’ll get a chuckle out of it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-gift-for-a-new-us-citizen/240846/11 "2004-04-19T20:47:08Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > How about a nice, high-quality flag and maybe a bracket? Something that can be used for years as long as it’s taken care of. The flag is a great idea. But the VP of our department is getting him one. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-gift-for-a-new-us-citizen/240846/12 "2004-04-19T21:24:34Z")
Membership in the NRA, some booze, and some hard-core pornography. All LEGAL! 🆒 I dunno…maybe a copy of the Constitution? (Well…if he’s gotten his citizenship, he probably already has a copy.) Maybe just a Kentucky Rifle, so he can keep the King of England from pushin’ him around. 😃 Oh! I got it…a big, obnoxious, Cowboy hat. And a cattle-skull bolo tie. 😃 All kidding aside, though…if he’s a true techno-geek, he’ll probably appreciate nothing better than some obscure, detailed, technical information. Maybe you could find a diagram-poster of a nuclear reactor, or something?