Holiday Gift Ideas

ginger1228 · November 2018

I’m selfishly starting this bc I need some ideas for my daughter’s teachers, but thought others might be able to use it for ideas for their teachers/kids/whomever. Didn’t want to clutter up the randoms thread.

ginger1228 · November 2018

Does anyone have any ideas for teachers? It’s for my daughter’s daycare teachers - she has 4.

She’s still in the infant room, so no shoes are allowed. I thought about a giftcard to a local bakery (there are a few locations, so convenient) and some warm fuzzy socks since they can’t wese shoes, but wanted to see if anyone had more original ideas. I feel like that’s pretty generic, but also useful so not a horrible gift if I can’t think of something else.

AshleySparkle720 · November 2018

I think those are great ideas @ginger1228! Cute and simple for you to grab.

AshleySparkle720 · November 2018

We do a local coffee shop giftcard for extracurricular teachers, but for my eldest prek3 teacher I decided to ask the other families to be a part of a group gift. Their teacher is truly incredible and I figured instead of her getting a bunch of random gifts it'd be nice to get her one larger gift. So I put together a date night basket for her and her SO. I put together a restaurant giftcard, cute mugs, starbucks hot chocolate kit, fuzzy blanket, a cute christmas movie, and some chocolate covered strawberries. Cannot wait to give it to her!

kayjay44 · November 2018

Teachers get homemade baked goods - I usually do sugar cookies, almond roca, and pecan bars. Total there are like 12 teachers split between three rooms and this way they can all share. DD isn't doing dance this year, but I wouldn't have done anything for her dance teachers anyway.

I'll do the same with people at work - I don't get them actual gifts and don't expect them to get me anything.

I've never understood the "get everyone a gift" thing. We didn't do teacher gifts when I was a kid nor did we do gifts for mail/garbage people...

For our family, we do santa gift, stockings, and want/need/wear/read. DH and I just get want/need/wear/read (and sometimes we don't do all of them for each other). This is the first year we're going to let the kids pick out something small for each other. Other than that, we have my parents, my ILs and SIL who all get a gift.

kdrn913 · November 2018

I think I’m going to do personalized coffee mugs and Starbucks gift cards for dd’s teachers. This is generic but I know they drink coffee and who can’t use another coffee mug!

danixbanani24 · November 2018

Well my mom and cousins are all teachers (my mom is actually a principal and has been for like 15 years lol) they recommend MONEY hahah but no I know what they like. I’m giving small wristlets with a coffee gift card in it and maybe a bottle of wine for main classroom teacher hahah she probably needs it.

i give my super a holiday tip and make it nice like $150 nice because he does so much for me and I like to keep him on my good side hahaha I also really like him

ohsunnydays · November 2018

For what it’s worth, I’m a teacher, and the best gift I got recently is a tumbler with a straw that I use for water.

I don’t prefer homemade baked goods (I’m a germaphobe) or mugs (I get so many, and they usually don’t match what I have- exception to this would be travel mugs). Gift cards to anywhere are great. I also love getting Flair pens, Sharpie sets, nice pens, etc. I love them but I don’t love spending my own $ on them ;-) I’ve also received bottles of wine ;-)

bottom line, though, I appreciate any family that remembers me at holiday time, and every family gets a handwritten thank you even if it is just one piece of chocolate. Seriously .

cali1710 · November 2018

My daughter is in preschool and has about 6 to 8 teachers. I was thinking about getting them all a group gift basket from somewhere and maybe a gift card to a craft store or dollar store. I’m sure they’re constantly buying stuff for the classroom and would appreciate that.

We definitely don’t do garbage man/mail man. I agree we never did teacher gifts as kids so not sure when it became a big thing. My family we only do the kids and I get my parents and grandparents a little something. I do get my two neighbours a small gift (gift card and baked goods) because they are awesome and always shovel my driveway when DH is working or away.

riatortillaxo · November 2018

I second what @ohsunnydays said. I am also a teacher and I always love gift cards or a little treat like chocolate. Additionally school supplies like nice pens as she mentioned or a student last year for me a jar of colored binder clips and I loved them! I always seem to run out of those! It’s little things that end up being so useful and I still think of her when I pull a clip out of the jar

I have siblings younger than me by a big age gap and I remember my mom would buy a tray of something from the store for their daycare teachers. This way it is not something you have to buy for each teacher and it is prepackaged because some teachers are nervous about homemade baked goods. She would just drop off the tray and the whole daycare staff would enjoy. You could do cookies, bagels, fruit, etc.

sjnsjnsjn · November 2018

I like this ‘tray of something’ idea for my son’s daycare teachers... 👍

BourbonBiscuits · November 2018

We always made chocolate covered pretzel sticks for our teachers when I was a kid with sprinkles and stuff like that. But that was the 90's lol. Since DS is home with DH we don't have daycare teachers to contend with this year, but last year we did Starbucks gift cards, a travel mug and a picture DS had scribbled. We also sent a Christmas card to his daycare last year. This year we'll do something as a group for his Sunday school teachers (since it rotates how many people are in that room) and send a Christmas card to his pediatrician's office. We haven't done gifts for our leasing office/garbage men/postman in the past, but I think we'll send a Christmas card to our leasing office if we have extras and leave a gift card for the valet trash service this year.

Aside from stocking stuffers, we are DONE with DS's Christmas shopping!! He's getting a train table with a gigantic brio train set, some Cars stuff that works with the train set, a little basketball hoop and some books. I'm sure his grandparents will be getting him additional things, but Santa is going to be up late setting up that train set ... We decided to punt the play kitchen to his (February) birthday, so we've got a bit more time with that. Still have no idea what I'm getting DH for Christmas. UGH. Our moms are getting a set of coasters with DS's hand print on them. We'll do something for the great grandmothers as well, although we haven't landed on that yet.

The only thing new baby is getting is a set of Little Feminist books. Although I'm sure grandparents will get her stuff too.

wrensnest · November 2018

I think your socks idea is super cute @ginger1228!

(following this thread for ideas because I’m at a loss).

ginger1228 · November 2018

I agree that this “get everyone something” trend gets out of hand. I don’t do anything for our trash/mailmen but always wonder if I should leave something for the mailman.

I gave small gifts to my teachers when I was in elementary school. But it was just one teacher/year. So stinks DD has four!

Last year we had only been at her daycare for a couple months (and knew we were switching the following year bc a new center was opening) so I just took a tray of cookies from a bakery.

sjnsjnsjn · November 2018

@ginger1228 - Yeah we definitely did not do that as kids (but my single mom was too broke so maybe that’s why), and I have never given a gift to mail carrier or trash collector in my life.
Apartment building supers, however, are def a different story, @danixbanani24! You need them when the water shuts off, and how!

lmaplejc · November 2018

Agree and won’t give to the mailman/trash ppl. We do give $$ to our doggy daycare that the staff splits. My town has a jitney that picks up/drops off at the train station. I’m definitely getting the night time jitney driver a gift card to dunkin since he makes a special stop to drop my pregger behind off a few blocks closer to my house every night.

@ginger1228 your sock idea is genius!

My mother and aunt are teachers and they definitely love a gift card. Something I know they don’t like/use are those bath and body works gift set things which they get every year. Mom had a closet full of unopened sets dating to the 90s until I made her purge.

okayestmom12 · November 2018

Teacher turned SAHM here. Avoid the “number one teacher” crap - I accumulated SO MUCH of it.

Gift cards, hand written notes, or treats were always appreciated.

I try and do consumables for teacher gifts. For my DD’s school teachers, were doing Mrs. Prindables Gourmet Apples. For her dance teachers, we did Philosophy gift sets w/ a Starbucks GC.

danixbanani24 · November 2018

So my sons school sent home a letter from the HAA that they are collecting $50 per child in every grade for that grades teacher/aid gifts throughout the year (gifts for holidays, teacher appreciation, end of year gift and one other BS non holiday LOL) so I’m like should I even bother giving his teachers another gift? I know probably not but I feel weird because it IS such a thing and I just think of my mom who is a principal and gets tons of things from her students.

bleucheeznwine · November 2018

ohsunnydays said:

For what it’s worth, I’m a teacher, and the best gift I got recently is a tumbler with a straw that I use for water.

I don’t prefer homemade baked goods (I’m a germaphobe) or mugs (I get so many, and they usually don’t match what I have- exception to this would be travel mugs). Gift cards to anywhere are great. I also love getting Flair pens, Sharpie sets, nice pens, etc. I love them but I don’t love spending my own $ on them ;-) I’ve also received bottles of wine ;-)

bottom line, though, I appreciate any family that remembers me at holiday time, and every family gets a handwritten thank you even if it is just one piece of chocolate. Seriously .

Also a teacher; agree with all of this. Everyone gets a thank you no matter what because the thought is so sweet, but I won't ever eat anything homemade, have 40 mugs in one of my classroom closets, and have enough comfy socks to last a lifetime. Gift cards (even small $5 for a cup of coffee), prewrapped candy/bakery foods, and lottery tickets are what I love the most though. I don't expect anything, and I always feel guilty of dumping all homemade baked goods in the trash and stashing mugs and socks everywhere when people make the effort, so honestly I'd rather have nothing than the gift guilt.

ohsunnydays · November 2018

@bleucheeznwine Exactly! The guilt is real.

shellperry · December 2018

bleucheeznwine said:

ohsunnydays said:

For what it’s worth, I’m a teacher, and the best gift I got recently is a tumbler with a straw that I use for water.

I don’t prefer homemade baked goods (I’m a germaphobe) or mugs (I get so many, and they usually don’t match what I have- exception to this would be travel mugs). Gift cards to anywhere are great. I also love getting Flair pens, Sharpie sets, nice pens, etc. I love them but I don’t love spending my own $ on them ;-) I’ve also received bottles of wine ;-)

bottom line, though, I appreciate any family that remembers me at holiday time, and every family gets a handwritten thank you even if it is just one piece of chocolate. Seriously .

Also a teacher; agree with all of this. Everyone gets a thank you no matter what because the thought is so sweet, but I won't ever eat anything homemade, have 40 mugs in one of my classroom closets, and have enough comfy socks to last a lifetime. Gift cards (even small $5 for a cup of coffee), prewrapped candy/bakery foods, and lottery tickets are what I love the most though. I don't expect anything, and I always feel guilty of dumping all homemade baked goods in the trash and stashing mugs and socks everywhere when people make the effort, so honestly I'd rather have nothing than the gift guilt.

We do a holiday card with lottery every year last year my oldest sons teacher won 400$ on it. We never do bake goods to many allergies for ppl. My husband runs a small company he only has 6 employees so I give them homemade cookies platters and a gift card for them and there SO to the local stake house. And then they get there bounce one on thanks giving and an end of the year bounce plus they have payed vacation form 12/22 to 1/4.

ohsunnydays · December 2018

@shellperry I love getting lottery scratch offs as gift! It's fun!

danixbanani24 · December 2018

I love the lottery scratch off idea! I’m going to do that for my sons teachers!

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