Christmas Gifts

When my kids were first in daycare, I really struggled with what I was going to give their teachers for Christmas each year. I wanted to give them something personal to say thank you, something practical that wouldn't go to waste, and something that wasn't typical. I have a friend who is a teacher and she said - no apples, no smelly stuff and no mugs. Okay, that helped narrow things down a bit.

Then I thought about what I gave to other people outside of my family to help spread holiday cheer. For my neighbors, I like to put together a small platter of baked goods to share some holiday cheer. I also take a large platter to work to share with everyone. I thought, why not make a plate of tasty treats that they could eat or share with friends and family that visit during this holiday season.

Now, for my neighbors, I generally am just using a paper plate - economical, convenient, but for the teachers I decided it would be better to give them a plate that they could use over and over again. I headed out to the store and found some really cute little square plates. They were winter themed, not just holiday themed. I piled them with our homemade holiday cookies and candies, covered them in some plastic and attached a big bow.

I got a nice of lot compliments and thank you notes from the teachers. I've had teachers who didn't have my kids express disappointment that they didn't have one of the kids in their class at Christmas, so they could get the holiday treats. Now that the kids are older, they help me with baking the cookies and making the candies. Which, of course, makes it an even better gift for them to give to their teachers, because they helped make it.

Homemade treats and a fancy plate as a Christmas gift for teachers works for me. For more tips and tricks, check out Works for Me Wednesday over at We Are THAT Family.