For those who like to show their appreciation towards the person teaching their child all year round, there are definitely some good gifts and a few absolute no-nos. Posted to TikTok this time last year, one teacher pointed out that “teachers don’t actually want another mug this holiday season”.
Referencing the past eight years of teaching, she highlighted her favourite Christmas gifts given by students and their parents. “First off, these adorable personalised teacher bracelets,” the teacher said, showing off her “Mrs H” beaded bracelet. Another golden gift is one that makes her laugh, like the candle that reads: “Thanks for putting up with my kid.”
Mrs H “absolutely loves it” when students give her plants “because it’s the gift that keeps on growing”, making her remember students from year to year.
“I’ve also really enjoyed classroom decor, because I normally wouldn’t buy that for myself.”
Functional items are also highly cherished, especially if they’re “cute”, such as pens, white board pens and storage jars.
“Teachers also love gift cards of any kind, especially coffee ones,” she added, but there are some items that a teacher really shouldn’t be on the receiving end of.
Posted to a Reddit forum, one teacher bemoaned that she’s “lucky” if she gets “anything at all”, but one year, she “did get half a box of chocolate”. The teacher, Junerva, explained: “The student’s ‘brother’ had eaten the other half.”
Another posted: “I once got a loaf of bread.” Somebody else noted: “I got shower gel and deodorant; even weirder it was Lynx Attract For Her… I’m a man.”
One more teacher, while appreciative of all Christmas gifts, made clear that her “least favourite are pictures of their children”.
She elaborated: “I love the kids, but I would like to kindly tell parents that we teach a lot of children and probably don’t want to have framed photos of them all over our house.
“I also once got a plastic best teacher trophy. Like again… really appreciate the sentiment but, I mean… what am I going do with it?”