Right about now, we are all scrambling to organize our Christmas gift list. And top of list are the people who influence our children every day, their teachers. I have some ideas for you to simplify your shopping.
Typically, your room mom will coordinate the gifts and collect money from everyone in the class. The rule of thumb is to give anywhere from $5-$10 per teacher, basically whatever you are comfortable with. Don’t forget your school director, principal and specials teachers. I think most teachers probably have their share of Christmas ornaments, dip bowls and spreaders. I can say with confidence that no teacher would turn away a Visa/Mastercard/AmEx. That way they can purchase anything they like, either for themselves (hopefully) or finish up their Christmas shopping. Another great gift card is a mall gift card. The SouthPark and Concord Mills Malls sell Simon gift cards, redeemable at both malls. The Carolina Place Mall sells a GGP Mall gift card. The Northlake Mall sells a Northlake Prepaid gift card. I also like giving a spa gift card for the right teacher. Make sure you select a spa close to her house because she’ll be going there on a weekend. CVS has an entire rack of gift cards you can purchase there rather than going to the individual store, I am sure other places have this service too.
If you don’t have a coordinated class gift, I like to give groovy key chains from McKenzie’s in Foxcroft or L&M Monogramming in Dilworth. They have adorable key chains with monograms, or hand-painted round balls with pink and green designs or turquoise swirly designs. Super cute. I love the Buttercup in Myers Park. They have great Vera Bradley products as does Hallmark in Cotswold. Alphabet Soup in SouthPark has Lilly Notepad sets, precious frames and monogrammed Tervis Tumbler cups. I’m a huge fan of Tervis Tumblers– this could be due to my Florida roots. I have sipped out of these insulated tumblers since I was a toddler. What I like about Tervis is they have a lifetime guarantee, no questions asked and they’ll replace it. That’s my kind of customer service.
Alcoves in Stonecrest has a fabulous gift selection, including the best selection of Pandora bracelets. One cool idea would be a charm for her Pandora bracelet – you’ll have to make sure she has one of these, or not. You could use money from your class group gift to start a Pandora charm bracelet. Love these! They are a great price point – the silver bracelets start at $40 and the beads range from $15 for silver beads to $185 for a gold beads. There is also a Pandora store in the Blakeney Shopping Center. Candles & Stuff in Matthews is a cute boutique as well with fun gifts for the senses.
Along these lines, we always give our carpool buddies little treats. We like $5 gift certificates to Ben & Jerry’s and something fun for the drivers too – maybe a Starbuck’s gift card or an iTunes gift card to make their drive more bearable. Happy shopping!
2 comments
Love this article and links to some of the fun shops I get to go to when I visit Charlotte! Jen P., talked to Carolyn yesterday and we were reminiscing about our trip last year and wishing we were coming up again.You Jen’s are doing a great job here. Love, Kath
I am a former teacher and now a stay at home mom. Three years ago I received a Simon gift card to South Park mall from my students for Christmas. I was pregnant at the time and decided to save the card for a time I could buy clothes that fit. When I went to the mall several months later, the card had already expired!!!! I was so disappointed. I think it was for $300.00 or more. So if you go this route, please, please ask when the card expires and make sure and tell the teacher so she won’t let what I did happen.Great website, Angie