emidrew

I think a small gc to a movie, fast food, book store, etc...would be very nice. If you want, you could make it a small basket--Blockbuster card, micro popcorn and a couple of sodas; bookstore card, cocoa packet and a bookmark; Walmart or Office Depot with some colored pens, post-its and Purell....you get the idea. My brother is a (single) teacher and would love any of the things I mentioned above. He spends a lot of his own money on classroom items and special things for the kids...a small gift card allows him to spend (guilt free) on himself. He would also appreciate a handwritten (or drawn) note of thanks from the student. Is there a local deli or restaurant that delivers to the school? (Ask another staff member--it is the dirty little secret in the faculty lounge!) Perhaps a small gift card that would allow a lunch or two to be delivered? I hope you are enjoying this year. Male teachers (esp. in elementary school) are a rare bird--we have been fortunate enough to have 2 male teachers for my son. I think it is great that little boys can see that men can be smart and nurturing and still be men....

Hmmm...so, if I bought it today, and stopped by during the 7 hours on Friday, they would refund the difference? That might work...Walgreens is currently a bit out of the way and I don't want to lose out on bigger deals over the tree!

I noticed that my current Walgreens ad says they are open on Thanksgiving. Does anyone know if their special pricing is for Thursday and Friday, or just Friday? I sure would like to hit them for a $20 pre-lit tree on Thursday morning!

Just a suggestion to stay away from candles, perfumes and food gifts unless you really know the recipient very well. Allergies/intolerances can move a well meaning gift straight to the re-gifting basket. As a former teacher, I think small gift cards are great. One year a parent arranged to have lunches delivered once a month to her kids' teachers. She was able to cut a deal with the catering service and it only cost her about $20 each for 3 teachers. You could even do the lunches yourself--they needn't be fancy--just find out what they like. And, my favorite gift of all...for the kids to make a small donation or do a service in the name of the teacher. Just have your child make a nice card or letter explaining what they did/how they chose it and give that to the teacher. You wouldn't believe how good it makes a teacher feel to know that a student cares enough about them to do a good deed for someone else. I'd rather know that $5 went to the food bank than to get a $5 candle (or a $15 candle, for that matter!).

I love, love, love gift cards! My two kids, hubby and myself all have birthdays within 3 weeks of Christmas...we love to get gift cards, stash them away and then spend them over the year. It gives us the opportunity to get new clothes, toys, books, etc...ALL year and not feel guilty for dipping into the household money. I also love to give gift cards, but I never just give the card. I try to find a fun way to present the card, or something neat with which to package it. My dad wraps his Christmas gift cards/cash gifts in weighted plastic boxes (like gladware), because he is afraid they will get lost in the pile if they don't have some heft. He always says to leave the box if we want a refill--at the end of the night, there is always a neat little stack of boxes waiting to be stored for next year!

I was glad to see that the Chat Now is on the "hot" list...I picked up two sets, but my kids have decided they would rather have a pre-paid cell (THEY have to take care of refills!). It is only about $20 more and a lot more versatile... Anyway, I'll hold on to those Chat Now's and ebay them! (Grinning broadly as I remember selling a $40 Barbie cash register for $177.50...) The Fly Pen looks neat...BUT, it only does all that neat stuff if you are writing on FlyPen paper. I think it is one of those things that starts out reasonably priced, but by the time you add the extra cartridges, paper, etc...you have reached the price of a major gift. (Of course, DD wants one!)