Thursday, November 05, 2009

11.6.09

Good morning. :) I am making gift lists and thinking about putting up the Christmas decor, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite small gift ideas from the past few years as well as some favorite new finds. These are all perfect for teachers, neighbors, or anyone who receives something small and meaningful from your family during the holidays.

1. Movie Night - I gave Noah's 1st grade teachers a Christmas tin with a new movie, a fleece blanket, two boxes of movie candy, and a bag of popcorn. I got everything at Walmart and Target, total less than $20. If you watch the sales, especially around Thanksgiving, you can get movies for $5. The blankets always go on sale, too.

2. Christmas CD - One year I gathered some of our favorite Christmas songs from Itunes and burned them onto CDs. I created the CD label using a program that came with the blank labels. Everyone loved them! Note: This is perfectly legal to do if you do it from Itunes. You have a set number of "burns" you can do of each song, so just don't go over your limit. I think each CD cost around $2.00 total. Noah drew the Christmas tree and I scanned it and added it to the CD label artwork with the label program. Also, I had him record, "Merry Christmas from the Stewart family!" via the microphone on my computer and I saved that as a sound file and put it as the first track on each CD. So sweet to hear his little voice on there now. :) I still get comments from friends and teachers that they still listen to the CD each year.

3. Coffee Cuffs - My friend Jaime has a sweet little Etsy shop and she sells these really cute coffee cuffs. I have ordered some from her to give to Noah's teachers this year. How cute and original are these?? You can customize the colors of the cuff, monster, and hearts. She also sells them with flowers and other designs on them. I am on a mission to give lots of handmade gifts this year, whether they be from my hands or someone else's. :)


4. Starbucks - Who doesn't love a Starbucks gift card? However....make it interesting. Instead of putting the card in an envelope or gift card holder, ask for an empty red cup! Put the card inside and tie a pretty, wide (wired) ribbon around the cup. (wired ribbon will keep its shape better) If you want to add some extras inside, how about a little shaker of red sugar, cocoa, or cinnamon?

What are your favorite ideas for teacher/neighbor/little gifts? Would love to hear them. :) I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

7 comments:

Karen Lopez said...

Love your gift giving ideas, Jennifer. I love giving the movie night theme. Love that you put them in a cute tin. Thanks for sharing. :)

Courtney Gregory said...

My sister wants some layouts made with pictures of her and her niece together. So I am going to have photos printed in black and white and use some coordinating papers and embellishments and have them framed so she can hang them.

I am also going to make some recipe boxes for a few people.

Love you ideas too Jennifer!

Courtney

Teresa said...

Lovin' the ideas Jen! Given that we're all on a budget these days, these suggestions are perfect. I'm always looking to put together a few 'emergency' gift ideas for those last minute gift exchanges or party invites. Last year I found a great deal on those larger jar cangles, brought them home, peeled the labels off and made customized little sleeves to go around them. Perfect for a neighbor or coworker. Keep the great ideas coming; you inspire me. Love ya girl!

Marcie said...

I have loved that CD idea from the year you did it, and I finally used that as our Christmas gifts for teachers and extended family last year. It was awesome! We had so much fun picking the songs and it was my first experience burning CD's and making labels for CD's...it was a great gift and a learning experience for me! Thanks for sharing your ideas!

PCovi said...

I like your ideas!
How about...sneak a class photo while the teacher is away and frame it :)

Anonymous said...

Love the CD idea! However, it is illegal to burn your music for others.

Jennifer Stewart said...

It's actually not. :) You are allowed a certain number of "burns" per song, as noted on Itunes. I also noted that above. :)

Thanks for visiting my blog!
Jennifer