It's that time of the year where we are all running in twenty seven different directions, right?  The stress of the holiday season, office parties, family gatherings, end of year things, and oh, shopping.

Shopping for family members, friends, secret snowflake gift swaps, the boss, and the one that stresses me out above all others - those teacher gifts.

Last year was my first official year with a school aged child, and let me tell you, the amount of time I spent trying to figure out what to do for her kindergarten teacher and other school staff members, insane.  She had been in daycare, and then a pre-K program, but I knew all of the teachers and support staff, really well in fact, so shopping for them was quite easy.

So here's what I ask of you, teachers and school staff of the Hudson Valley, what is it that you REALLY want our kids to bring you as a gift this holiday season?

  • Mug with a cute saying?  You probably have a million of those.
  • Candle?  Pass.
  • Body lotions and sprays?  You're probably not into that either.
  • Baked goods or homemade holiday treats?  Welllll...nah.
  • Home decor, holiday trinkets, signs with cutesy sayings or monogrammed with the teachers initials? No, no, big no.

Are we allowed to send you alcohol, because we should be able to.

Some basic research indicated that what teachers really appreciate most are things they are able to utilize in their classrooms that they are often non funded for.

  • Additional supplies for the class (think dry erase markers that are starting to dry up or regular markers that have seen better days)
  • Gift cards to help keep classroom items stocked through the end of the year.

As for 'outside of school' gifts, our research is showing the following:

  • Gift card for a local restaurant.
  • A coffee shop gift certificate.
  • A local boutique gift card.
  • A heartfelt hand written card from the student (with one of the gift cards above).

So, we're leaving it up to you to let us know, what else can we add to this list to make the teacher smile heading into the holiday break?  They surely deserve it.

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