Teacher here - please do not even worry about something like this during the holiday season. We're all out here doing the best we can during the month of December.

If you feel like it...ask the teacher if she is low on any classroom supplies in January or later. I bet you could create joy with tissues and wipes....maybe some glue sticks.

I’m a teacher. Gifts are nice and very much appreciated, but not expected at all.

I have families that give gifts and/or cards every year so if they suddenly stopped, I might have wondered if I had done something wrong.

But that thought actually hasn’t crossed my mind this year because it’s been a really tough year for a lot of people, whether it’s money or just being too stressed to keep up. I am just glad when my students come to school every day.

Yes, you’re awful and should be ashamed of yourself.

Seriously though, what’s up with all these ridiculous questions lately?

It’s ok. Your kids will find jobs even if they don’t go to college.

You’re awful.

Anonymous wrote:Today in questions men never ask themselves

And women should take a lesson from them instead of creating more work and worry for themselves and other women.

Please don't feel guilty.
These gifts are just more work for me. I have to get them to my car and home, organize them send thank you notes .
The best gift is sending your child to school well rested and fed and with the attitude they are there to learn and to respect the environment and the teacher. That's all the appreciation that's needed.

Class gift covers you. I also like to do a card with cash (I just get cash back at the grocery store).

But don’t lament over it. If it’s still bugging you, get her something for Valentine’s Day.

My SIL died unexpectedly in her 40s, and sometimes I use it as a litmus test for, “would anybody care that she had or had not done that at her funeral”? For these situations.

No one would care that my awesome SIL had not given holiday gifts to the teachers, or sent a Christmas card. They loved her (and I loved her) just the same.

Guilt is a mothaf&&cker

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t think about it another minute.

If you’d like to and have bandwidth, you can send happy new year cards and gifts.

OP here. I keep thinking I should do this but worrying it will seem half-assed.

Orrrr like a delightful surprise, on a cold January day when they aren't expecting anything special at all.

2025 has been generally terrible for most of my family, too. I could not get it together in time to contribute to class gifts, but I did have the kids make thank-you holiday cards for their teachers (one teacher per kid--elementary school). In the future, offload what you can onto the kids.

The end of the year is when I send a thank-you email to each teacher.

No you are definitely not an awful person OP.

Sometimes life gets tough & time seems to not know this especially around the holidays.

No. I bought at least $300 in school supplies and snacks to support our teachers.

I am also a public employee who has to take annual ethics trainings and I am a bit bothered by individual family teacher gifts (in public schools) as a result. I make my kids draw and write holiday thank-yous to their teachers and always buy extra tissues and Clorox wipes to send to school with my kids during the winter when classroom supplies are running low.

Class gift is supposed to be in lieu of personal gifts.