High Five Day Gifts

The creation of this special day dates back to 2002. It was created by college students at the University of Virginia. Those students were Conor Lastowka from San Diego, California, Sam Miotke of Corvallis, Oregon, and Wynn Walent of New York City. They celebrated with lemonade and a profusion of High Fives.

The origins of the "high five" gesture is somewhat murky. There are a few competing stories about how the gesture came to be initially, but the origin story that most people have settled on is that the gesture originated when Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke of the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium "high fived" each other in an impromptu celebration on October 2, 1977, the last day of the regular season. The reason for the celebration was that in the sixth inning, Dusty Baker hit a home run off Houston Astros pitcher J. R. Richard. It was Baker's 30th home run, making the Dodgers the first team in history to have four hitters with at least 30 home runs each in a single season.

Since that time, the gesture and the phrase "gimmie five" has worked its way into our national subconscious. These days, it is everywhere.

It may have remained a simple gesture of impromptu celebration if not for some students at the University of Virginia. They decided to set up a lemonade stand on campus and start doling out lemonade and high fives.

To say that their humble lemonade stand was a hit would be an understatement, and since then, they've been celebrating National High Five Day on the third Thursday of April (this year, 2022, it fell on April 21st).

They're not the only ones celebrating, either. The group now has a dedicated website (http://nationalhighfiveday.com/ ), and last year, the High Five Day related hashtags #nationalhighfiveday and #nh5d were trending on Twitter with millions of people all over the world talking about the quirky little holiday and sending each other virtual high fives.

And it's not just people on social media, either. Big name companies have gotten in on the act. Last year, the following major brands celebrated National High Five day, either in their offices or online:

• McDonalds
• American Express
• Sprite
• Wheat Thins
• Subway
• Subaru
• AMC Theaters
• Arby's
• Southwest Airlines
• Slim Jim
• Dr. Pepper
• Budweiser
• Bing
• Hampton Hotels
• Snapple
• Best Buy

Don't be left out! Next year, join the growing chorus of brands celebrating National High Five Day! If you're not sure how to celebrate it, exactly, it couldn't be easier. Just give inexpensive gifts to your employees that are sure to bring smiles, and when you give the gifts, make sure they're accompanied by, you guessed it, high fives!

Here are a few fun, high-five gift ideas that would be perfect for the day

The Thanks for Being Awesome Tumbler and Supplies Gift Box

This set includes all sorts of brightly colored, fun yet practical gifts, perfect for just about anyone. The box contains a 20 ounce insulated stainless steel tumbler that's guaranteed to keep hot drinks hot for up to eight hours, and keep cold drinks cold for twice that duration.

It also includes a highlighter set in the shape of a hand, with each of the "fingers" being a different colored highlighter, and a trio of "thanks for being awesome" notepads, each with 80 pages measuring 8.25" x 5.25."

Rounding out the set, you'll find a rubberized pen, plus a Ghirardelli milk chocolate square as a sweet treat to make the collection complete!

The High Five Pen 4-Pack

At first glance, this appears to be a stylized figurine of a man giving a high five. It comes with a suction cup base so it will stand upright, and the body of the little smiling figure is actually the barrel of a pen! Just lift him out of his holder and use.

The High Five Praise Pad Sticky Notes

If you're looking for something a bit simpler, you can't go wrong with this fun pad of sticky notes. You get 100 sticky notes per pad and the pastel colors in the shape of a handprint on each note is sure to bring a smile.

And the High Five Gift Box

Finally, there's our High Five Gift Box. It might represent the perfect High Five Day gift, because it covers all the bases. Inside, this gift box, you'll find:

• A 50 sheet notepad, whose pages measure 4" x 6"
• A 3" x3" 100 sheet sticky notepad
• A 1" high five lapel pin
• A Smiling, high five pen with a suction cup base

And a Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Caramel Square to round out the gift and leave the recipient smiling! If none of those gift ideas are exactly what you're looking for, just spend some time browsing through our extensive collection online. You're sure to find the perfect gift!

12 Ways to High Five

1. The Simple Yet Profound High Five

You can't go wrong with the classic high five. Raise your right hand and let your palms smack.

2. The Double High Five

Throw them both up for an aggressively awesome face-to-face high five.

3. The Standard Low Five

Just as awesome as the classic, but maybe slightly cooler it's subtlety. None of that "Too Slow" stuff. Not cool.

4. The Inverted High Five

For the germaphobic, this is a great way to keep your dirty paws off each other while celebrating.

5. The Just Washed My Hands Five

Nothing worse is than getting a high five coming out of the bathroom having washed your hands but they are not dry yet. No one wants a wet slap, but that doesn't mean you should leave them hanging. Welcome the elegant elbow bump.

6. The Verbal High Five

It's the "What's up?", the silent head nod, the alternative to a passing smile... keep them on their toes and bring a smile to their face.

7. The Fist Bump

Also a favorite among germaphobics, this modern turn on the high have can have just as many alternatives. Whether you keep it cool and classic or explode like Baymax from Big Hero 6, this is a favorite among Millenials.

8. The Generation Divide High Five

Don't worry about styles clashing, Baby Boomers and Millenials can laugh off the awkward exchange and teach each other a thing or two about what it means to be groovy or on fleek.

9. The Self High Five

Before the selfie came the self congratulatory high five. Raise your right hand like someone is gonna high five you, but you come in the left and take care of business yourself.

10. The Premature High Five

High Fives are supposed to be quick, but once in awhile you will see the person you want to high five who is just a little too far away. Raise it up and keep it up until you are finally within proximity to your target.

11. The Dancing High Five

Victory dances are a great way to celebrate. Pile on by giving a high five.

12. The Epic High Five

The whole team can participate in a group high five. A great way to connect and celebrate. No one is left hanging.

13. High Five Gifts

Give them a physical representation of a high five for a lasting impression. Successories has a unique collection of exclusive gifts to show your appreciation.