Gifts for teachers

I have a revelation for you. Your child’s teacher does not want a coffee mug this year as a holiday gift. They also don’t want gifts that say #1 Teach, or paperweights for their desk, or cute little bags, or even a new ornament for their tree. Sure, these are all very sweet ways to show appreciation for the person that spends the most time with your child outside of your family. But your child’s teacher also has up to 30 other students giving the same thing to him or her – every year.

That is a lot of stuff.

But that doesn’t mean that your teacher doesn’t appreciate something special from your child to them. Here are a couple ideas to get that #1 Teach, showing them just how much they mean to you and your child, and to present them with for the holidays.

#1. Something homemade.
The one gift a teacher appreciates the most is something that can be consumed. A holiday tray of your favorite cookies, a loaf of banana bread, or a tin of your homemade fudge is a wonderful gift to give to any teacher. Make it special with the Martha Stewart Crafts® Snowflake Compartment Treat Boxes found over at Michael’s (2775 Santa Rosa Ave, Santa Rosa and 1359 N McDowell Blvd, Petaluma), separating your treats into separate boxes for that personal touch.

#2. Chocolate
You cannot go wrong with this gift. A sweet gift of tasty morsels from a specialty chocolate store will be received so graciously! Try the ones over at Viva Cocolat in Petaluma (110 Petaluma Blvd N, Petaluma), a shop that carries some of the most beautiful gifts wrapped in decadent cocoa.

#3. Gift Card or certificate
Give the gift of caffeine cash with a card towards coffee. Treat them to dinner with a gift certificate to a favorite restaurant. Or send them over to a pretty stationery store, like Corricks in Santa Rosa (637 Fourth Street, Santa Rosa), that sells beautiful gifts and stationery any teacher might want. Or give them a way to buy more supplies for their classroom – a treasured gift every teacher needs, especially when they are spending their own money, many times, to be able to have a fully functioning classroom. A favorite store for teachers is Skool Daze (806 Piner Rd, Santa Rosa), a store that has everything a teacher might need.

#4. A new children’s book
When buying books for your kids this year, buy an extra copy and wrap it up for their teacher. It’s a safe bet that if your child loves that book, the kids in their class will love it to – for years to come. And a new book is always welcome on a teacher’s bookshelf. Check out the selection of books over at Copperfield’s Books, located in many Sonoma County locations (like 176 N Main St, Sebastopol).

#5. Keep it clean
Pretty soaps or lotions are great for a teacher to either use in the classroom, or to enjoy at home. Tuscan Garden in Petaluma (316 B Street, Petaluma) has some lovely soap by Pre de Provence in all sorts of delicious aromas.

Are you a teacher? What are some gifts that you’ve been given over the years that you especially love?

P.S.  If you need more gift ideas, be sure to visit ShopSoCo.com.  Every day they are coming up with new ideas to wrap up in a box and give to those you love.