Xmas gift ideas

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SoCal said:
I wasn't going to post this... but after reading the link above - Winex made me do it. Why settle for plastic when you can have the real thing: "the smelly, gooey gift of poop, or, scat!"

Let the City of Irvine help you with a "scat" gift. They will teach you how to make a Christmas ornament out of it to give away as a present. Poop. It's fun "for all ages" according to the link. http://www.irlandmarks.org/activities/sign-up.aspx?id=10841

:-\
Ho. Ho. Ho.

Hey, it's not all scat, there are some useful things in that list - take the wine rack for example -http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/12/04/2529891/wine-rack.html
 
http://www.strapya-world.com/categories/2331_6741_5683.html

http://www.strapya-world.com/products/60752.html  <---  watch video
http://www.strapya-world.com/products/40133.html
http://www.strapya-world.com/products/49198.html

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I was shopping for a Christmas garden flag on Amazon.

I found this "Christmans Reef" flag.

I guess it goes in your reefer garden. Merry Christmans.


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http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Reef-Garden-Indoor-outdoor/dp/B003P5XD2Y/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1353518809&sr=8-20&keywords=garden+flag+christmas+jesus
 
Christmas idea suggestion:

Buy the above flag for your friend
+
This single.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liX7zPV095Q[/youtube]

Don't forget the champagne and uh... gift bag.
 
Get these for your kids. They are cheap. Just do it.

Holiday Specs:http://www.amazon.com/Snowflake-Holiday-Glasses-Christmas-Lights/dp/B000MUT766

I got them at Home Depot for like $2 each. Tricky glasses don't normally WOW me but these DID. It is freaky. They turn holiday lights into: Snowflakes or Snowmen, etc. They come in a bunch of different themes. When lights blink so do the objects. When you tilt your head, the objects tilt. It's weird, People. Weird. I don't know how they do it. Grab some, put your kid in the car, and drive around to look at lights. Just don't wear them while you're driving. You don't want two large gingerbread men standing on your hood before you know it.
 
Ahem.. asked you guys before, asking again: What are buying for the teachers?

I am done one of the activity teacher. Since she doesn't wear earrings or bracelets, bought her this, and she loved it:http://www.amazon.com/Sterling-Silver-Sapphire-Turtle-Charm/dp/B000NGOGJ2/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Also, bought these boxes of chocolates to go with the gifts:

http://www.amazon.com/Lindor-Truffles-Assorted-5-1-Ounce-Packages/dp/B005F3IA9K/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1355157322&sr=1-1&keywords=lindt+lindor+truffles

And, some more chocolates from Costco. The ones in red and gold bag are a hit- gave them last year to friends and family, and everyone loves them!
 
Having friends who are teachers, the one thing I've learned is - don't buy anything you wouldn't want 32 of each and every year - or more often than that considering other holidays. The biggie is mugs. Never buy your teacher one. My teacher friends get so many that they have box them up and donate them immediately without even holding them twice. Therefore, I stay away from anything perishable and make sure anything I buy they can re-gift if necessary. I hope this helps those who are shopping for their teachers! Our school sends out "Like Lists" which is a questionnaire each teacher fills out stating his or her favorite color, music, food, etc.
 
To answer the question: We participated in the class gift fund but always give our teachers a little something extra. I bought one of those 2-pack of $50 restaurant gift cards from Costco which runs $80. I figure if they get a lot of those, they can dine out throughout the year or if they don't like the restaurant, easy enough to re-gift or even sell on Ebay if they want to.
 
Target card/ Amazon card is the best, ha? I did see some cute Math mugs, but thought some other mommy might have bought that already considering the teacher's been teaching math for more than ten years now.


 
SoCal said:
To answer the question: We participated in the class gift fund but always give our teachers a little something extra. I bought one of those 2-pack of $50 restaurant gift cards from Costco which runs $80. I figure if they get a lot of those, they can dine out throughout the year or if they don't like the restaurant, easy enough to re-gift or even sell on Ebay if they want to.

Never thought about using those Costco restaurant cards :) Thanks.. everybody can use them!
BTW, Counter gives you a $5 thank you card for every $25 gift card that you buy..
 
We give gift cards to teachers, also.  Usually Target or iTunes, but this year thinking Nordstroms.  They're all females, but not everyone shops at Nordstroms.  Hmm...would you rather get Target or Nordstroms if you were a teacher, assuming minimal amount...around $30 or so?
 
I'm not a parent so this may be a naive question, but what is up with gifts to teachers?  I know growing up our teachers didn't get gifts from parents.
 
OCgasman said:
We give gift cards to teachers, also.  Usually Target or iTunes, but this year thinking Nordstroms.  They're all females, but not everyone shops at Nordstroms.  Hmm...would you rather get Target or Nordstroms if you were a teacher, assuming minimal amount...around $30 or so?

My teacher friend was asked that and she said Target. The reason is they often buy school supplies on their own dime and they can buy some at Target but not the department stores. Although, I do think it's a nice idea to give them something not purely utilitarian but an excuse to splurge on themselves - something not all people would normally do. Meaning, you know they're not going to spend a Nordstrom gift card on, say, paper towels but rather something they truly enjoy. It's a tough call but I'd go with the Target if it was up to me. I don't think you can go wrong with either one, though.
 
It's kind of sad, well, not kind of. I've gone with my teacher friend to Michael's (the arts and craft store) where she picked up supplies for her high school students and then paid $50 out of pocket for it. She really cares about her students. Where she teaches, it's a low income area. Students come unprepared. She picks up the tab. It may not be that way in Irvine area schools but I find teachers are usually the same. They will buy things on their own for their kids whether they get reimbursed or not and usually not. That's what I meant above about buying supplies at Target.
 
qwerty said:
I'm not a parent so this may be a naive question, but what is up with gifts to teachers?  I know growing up our teachers didn't get gifts from parents.
How else are they going to get into Uni High unless you grease the palms?

(I'm kidding by the way)
 
Irvine/ Irvine-TUSD teachers don't really spend much on classroom supplies. Under $180 for 180 days program, I think everything is covered, and also you have other 'suggested' classroom funds/ teacher funds.

Frankly speaking, you gift a teacher because everyone is gifting and you don't want your child to be a victim of neglect because you neglected the teacher. A token gift of $25 and a box of chocolates say thank you, but anything more, and you are asking her to accept the bribe to give extra attention to your child. (I have seen people gifting around $100- last year a Coach purse from one parent!).
 
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