The natural progression of gifts are as follows.
Watch:
Since 4th degrees all wear the same thing, they soon learn to like more fashionable watches to differentiate themselves. Think Swiss movements.
The watches cannot stand out. I gave my DS my Omega. It's a classic design without the "bling". He was eyeing it at Acceptance Day so I pulled it off my wrist and gave it to him. Parents FYI: Your son or daughter will soon have plenty of disposable income. While they may not appreciate watches now, they many soon will get bit by that (expensive) bug. There are several cadets wearing watches north of $1000.
After BCT: Printer and monitor.
1.) Printer: (buy extra black cartridges). The printer has to be SMALL if you want it to squeeze in the bottom side of the desk. Look at the desk layout before you buy. Costco is has a great return policy is something goes wrong.
2.)
Monitor: There is a size constraint (I forgot how large). But most don't have speakers in the "monitor". But TV's do. A TV is a monitor with a built in tuner AND speakers. Why could speakers be important? After recognition day, many want their XBox or Playstations and they need audio to play them.
Christmas:
Snowboards, goggles, snowboard jackets etc. Also a "GoPro" is a popular but expensive item (google it). Golf Clubs might be on next years list.
After Recognition:
Music and video game boxes seem to be a priority. Small stereo's, nice headphones/earbuds all are appreciated.
The rule of thumb is size matters: Smaller gifts are better. Money of course is REALLY small.