Ornaments for Teachers??

As a teacher I can tell you we get a lot of mugs and ornaments and home made food goods. Of the 3, an ornament is the best choice, but you do run into taste issues and so on. Overall, I'd skip it. The thought is nice, but you can only have so many mugs and ornaments!
I think the best gift is a heart felt thank you note for all they do. If you can afford it, you could do a small $5/10 Starbucks/Sonic/Blockbuster/Book Store GC.

I would hesitate to get teachers ornaments unless you are absolutely POSITIVE they celebrate Christimas. Just because they are attending the Christmas party doesn't mean they celebrate Christmas. As a former preschool teacher, I have worked with several teachers who do not celebrate Christmas (Jewish and Muslim women) and ornaments meant nothing to them. In fact, it sort of hurt their feelings to realize the parents didn't stop to think about what they were doing.

If I were you I would consider getting them something that has nothing to do with Christmas. Maybe you could have your child make something for her treachers instead, like a picture or a beaded bracelet, or something similar. Really, it's more the thought behind the present that means the most, not the amount of money you spend. Also, if you spend money, you run the risk of upsetting other parents who cannot afford to spend the same amount of money for presents as you can and both the parent and child wind up feeling bad.

I hope I didn't offend you, it's just something to think about.

M.

being a mom and a former teacher, I'd say get a photo frame ornament. Put a picture of your daughter in there, but tell her to replace it later with a photo of her darling baby.

Or if you get a personalized ornament, "Mrs. Smith" on her tree may be kinda lame. But "3rd grade 2010-2011. Wentz Elementary." might be better. Or if her new baby's name is rare, baby probably doesn't have a Hallmark ornament with his/her name on it. (my son is Vince. Mine's Jessica. I have at least 4 ornaments with my name on them, all given to me in the past couple years. He has NO ornament with his name on it, he's two years old)

Oh and as for "baby's first christmas." If baby is recently born, then he/she will probably get quite a few ornaments. I'd skip that idea. My son was born in April and he has two 'baby's first' ornaments. That was enough I thought.

My mom has been a preschool teacher for over 20 years and has SO many ornaments! She actually has a mini Christmas tree in her classroom that she hangs them on, so they are displayed but not on her tree at home (an idea for you teachers out there!). I LOVE the idea of a cute notepad/pencil or gift card to an office store or teacher's store. Other things teachers love getting are gift cards to restaurants, book stores, the movies...Depending how old the teachers are, they may have all the standard "teacher" gifts (ornaments, mugs, pins, etc.). And don't underestimate the value of a nice note with kinds words!

Can you imagine how many ornaments, mugs, lotions a teacher gets per year? LOL
Although your heart is in the right place, give them a gift card for gas/coffee/food. And include a handwritten note about how they have positively imparted your child--priceless! And more practical. JMO!

I second the photo frame ornament and replace it with the baby for her tree.

I have two nieces who are teachers - they get SO many ornaments and collectibles type things like mugs. It's tough when you can't afford to spend much - but a gift card to a bookstore or coffee shop is nice. One year I found these pads with matching pencils that were from a museum shop - I gave them - who couldn't use a list pad? Many COSTCO's also sell movie theater tickets to local the theaters. Local printers will also make customized pads with their name on it "From the desk of..." - even pencils can be ordered "Miss Smith's class - Ave A school 2010-2011" so she can give them out to kids. From what I see my nieces spend a lot of their own money at Staples for class room stuff - so even a gift card there would be appreciated! If you really want to get a sentimentla thing how about a suncatcher - she could even hang it in her classroom? Be sur to include a suction cup hook.

I did daycare for over 25 years and I love each year pulling out the ornaments from the children I have cared for. This year will be even more special because I had to close my daycare to help care for family members. Coffee mugs now that is a different story!

I dont think you should do for one and not for the other. It would be like saying "I like you better". I don't think ornaments are a bad gift. I think even handmade ornaments are awesome. Get a craft pack of ornaments you are supposed to make of foam. That is very personal. And for the teacher a baby's first ornament, I am pretty sure she already has one. My Mom bought my kids all a Baby's first ornament. You can always buy something different, like a gift pack of nuts or jelly. Very inexpensive and very useful.

Get the parents together as a group and do the giftcard thing for both teachers - say $5 from each family (that comes out to be a pretty good sum divided in 2) - give the personal ornaments and a card from your daughter to her 2 teachers separately.

I first want to applaud you for caring about a teacher and wanting to express it with something personal and beautiful. But, I also want to applaud you for exercising additional consideration by asking this question. It is very good to consider such things from more than one perspective and get some creative ideas.

I was going to suggest that you ask teachers instead of mothers, but I see many of the answers are from that perspective and have covered the fact that, whatever you give, remember that the teacher may receive 20 more of the same thing... every year. Even when considering edibles, it is difficult to know about particular tastes, diets, etc. Small gift certificates rock. It puts the choosing into the teachers' hands, at least to some degree.

But there is a consideration which many tend to overlook. We tend to assume that the teacher belongs to a religion that observes Christmas with things like trees and ornaments. One has to wonder how many Jewish teachers have a stash of personalized Christmas ornaments.

But there are some really good gift certificate ideas. There are bookstores, novelty shops, botanical gardens, movie theaters, bath & body shops, specialty food shops, restaurants, or even a clothing store where a small gift certificate might be able to buy something practical like socks or gloves.

What might help a more generic gift touch teachers' hearts is the note you write to go with it. Telling someone what quality they bring forth in their work is one of the best gifts anyone can receive. To be able to say that you appreciate the happiness they bring to their work, how their storytelling inspires the children, how their gentleness meant so much to you or your child, how the patience the show has helped your child, etc, let's the teacher know that she has been recognized. This is a beautiful way to personalize any gift. If you feel you are not much of a writer, you might want to find a quote or a poem that says it for you. A Google search for 'teachers poems' or 'teachers quotes' will, I am certain, offer you a treasure trove of options.

Hope this is helpful!

My sister & bro-in-law are both teachers. I would encourage a gift card, no matter how small in monetary amount!

And always remember, don't ever get teachers gifts with apples on them...they all hate that stuff. My sister even put that on her wedding registry, "no apple motifs".

Actually, teachers get a TON of ornaments. As far as a one for the baby's first christmas, I'm sure the teacher and her husband will be getting that themselves, or a family member will. I recommend gift cards, even $10 for a school supply store since they have to buy their own classroom supplies. Or, make some homemade goodies. My kids' teachers remind me when their candy jar is empty after they eat up the hard candy or chocolate fudge my kids help me make.