Despite the seeming difficulty of choosing a Christmas gift for a teacher, the rewards can be worth it: some of the teachers I surveyed said that receiving gifts and thank you notes from their students (and their parents) was one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching. Some retired teachers I know have kept all of the thank you notes and gifts they’ve ever received over the years, proudly displaying them as evidence of the many lives they’ve touched. Teachers do one of the most important jobs out there, yet they generally don’t receive a lot of prestige (or pay). Giving a thoughtful gift is an opportunity for you to show how much you appreciate the work that they do. A great gift for teachers doesn’t have to cost a lot of money — the most important thing is the thoughtfulness and care you put in to the gift, which shows the teacher that you truly respect them and appreciate what they do — and that is a gift that they will truly always cherish!

“I am a preschool teacher and [...] I deeply treasure every gift I have received from every student and even write their names and the date on each one so when I get them out to display them every year I am reminded of them! These children are so proud of the gifts that they have lovingly picked out, I wouldn’t trade them for anything!”       ~Teacher from Indiana

Our Suggestions for the Best Teacher Christmas Gifts

The following list of teacher Christmas gifts is just a starting point. Please make sure to also read my advice on how to choose a Christmas gift for a teacher, and my list of recommended gift ideas for teachers. You can also browse according to gift occasion, recipient, or type, by using the navigation menu on the right hand side of the page.

• Book: I Remember My Teacher
  Author David Shribman spoke with 365 people of all ages and backgrounds to find out about the role that teachers played in their lives. What emerged is a story as surprising as it is heartwarming, and one of the best books for truly understanding the enormous impact that teachers have in our society. A gift that will be appreciated by pretty much any teacher!
• Custom Gift Card
  Gift cards and gift certificates are almost always the most-wished for gift among teachers, and they are especially practical when you don’t know them very well. But how do you make a gift card a bit more personal and unique? Finally, someone came up with a solution: GiftCards.com lets you customize gift cards with a picture of your child or a thank you note, making this gift both personal and useful!
• Book: New Yorker Book of Teacher Cartoons
  Apparently teachers are a source of great humor for the witty intellectuals at the New Yorker, as they’ve produced an entire book of cartoons just about teachers, making for a perfect gift for a teacher with a great sense of humor. Try this one for your English teacher, art teacher, philosophy teacher, or any other intellectual teacher, as they are probably most likely to be a fan of the New Yorker!
• Custom Photo Gifts
  Print a photo of the class on a coffee cup or a mouse pad. Make a calendar with all your child’s favorite memories from the year. With a few photos and a little bit of imagination, the opportunities for great gifts for teachers are endless!
• Hand Sanitizer (Bulk Pack)
  Give the gift of good health! As you can imagine, teachers and daycare providers go through a lot of hand sanitizer around this time of year, making this a very practical and appreciated gift, especially for elementary school teachers and kindergarten teachers.
• Apple Basket — for your homemade gift basket!
  Use this super-cute apple basket as the starting point of a unique homemade gift basket with your teacher’s favorite foods, a book or two, and a sincere thank you card. Voila! The perfect Christmas gift for teachers!
• Lenox Apple for Teacher Christmas Ornament
  Elegant yet understated, leave it to Lenox to make a beautiful Christmas ornament gift that won’t just get thrown away!
• Gingerbread Cookie-scented Bath and Body Kit
  Like a relaxing day at the spa, but in one low-priced gift basket!
• Give the gift of spa! Shop SpaFinder.com
  A visit to the spa is appreciated by nearly all women I know, but is a particularly good gift for younger female teachers.
• Craft Kits and Supplies
  Teachers of younger grades (elementary school, preschool, kindergarten) who do lots of craft projects are always having to restock their supplies (often out of their own money. You can get “Craft Kits” with dozens of fun goodies suitable for making all kinds of creative projects.
• Gift Cards for Less than Face Value!
  Plastic Jungle is one of those ideas so simple and brilliant you wish you’d thought of it: people sell their unwanted gift cards for less than face value; you can therefore buy a great gift card for a teacher at less than its cash value! The recipient doesn’t know that you got a great deal (although I hope they wouldn’t mind anyway!), and the upside is that you get a lot more bang for your buck. This would make a great gift for high school teachers, music teachers, the gym coach, the bus driver– anyone you don’t know as well but still want to show your appreciation for.
• Discounted Gift Cards
  Why pay full price for Gift Cards? Did you know it’s possible to buy unwanted gift cards at huge discounts to the face value? The recipient will never know that you didn’t pay full price, but definitely will appreciate the extra spending power!
• Book: Give Your Teacher This Note
  Humor and inspiration in one delightful gift for all teachers!
• Book: Chicken Soup for the Soul Celebrates Teachers
  The delightful Chicken Soup series always makes for a great gift, but this special edition is unique, a commemorative dedicated especially to teachers and the gifts that they give our children every day.
• Teacher’s Coffee Mug
  Coffee mugs are a popular gift for a reason: everyone can use more coffee mugs! This one stands out with a unique hand-painted sculpted ceramic design. Ask your child if the teacher drinks coffee before getting them a mug, of course, and it generally makes a better gift for new teachers than for more experienced teachers who may have already collected a lot of mugs over the years!
• Make a Donation in their Honor
  Here’s a great gift idea: Make a donation on behalf of the teacher to an organization that you know they would like to support. Include a note telling them how they inspire you with the good work that they do. Perfect for that idealistic government/ history/ environmental science teacher.
• A Nice Pen
  A nice pen can make an elegant gift that everyone can use. This is one that male teachers will like as well! For a very special thank you (think advisor, long-time coach, favorite teacher, etc), nice metal pens can even be engraved to add a personal touch.
• A Day at the Spa
  A trip to the spa is a luxury that few teachers can afford on their own. But how many would like it? Ummm, pretty much all of them could use that kind of relaxation!

More Teacher Christmas Gifts

• Coffee Mug filled with chocolates or gourmet coffee
• Handmade thank you card from your child, with a gift certificate for a nearby restaurant
• Craft supplies the teacher can use in their class
• Books are generally appreciated by teachers
• Gift Certificate for an office supply store
• Coffee mug with photo of the class
• Handmade Christmas Ornament
• Personalized Photo Book with best memories collected from the class
• Gift certificate for a bit of relaxation at the spa
• Gourmet Gift Basket
• Thoughtful, hand-written thank you note – this is the most important element and should accompany any gift!

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The most important thing to keep in mind when choosing a gift for a teacher is to consider their interests. Even if you’ve never met them personally and have only seen their classroom once on Parent-Teacher Night (you did go to Parent Teacher Night, right?), there’s still a lot you can infer to help you in choosing the right gift.

For example, does the teacher display many handmade decorations around her classroom? Does she have prominent bookshelves, and if so, what kinds of books are on display? Ask your child what kinds of personal information the teacher has shared– for example, if she mentions going to the movies, you might get a gift certificate to the local cinema. If she talks about travel to Europe, a picture book for her favorite destination would probably be appreciated.

Whatever you choose as a gift for a female teacher, make sure you don’t forget the most important part: a genuine and heartfelt note of appreciation thanking the teacher for their work. They will treasure this note for years to come, and that’s the greatest gift you could give a teacher!

Last but not least, make sure you’re aware of school guidelines on gift-giving, and the teacher’s perspective on gifts, as discussed on my Advice page.

Gift Ideas for a Female Teacher

If you’re looking for some more concrete suggestions, I recommend starting with my list of Recommended Gifts for Teachers. I also have another list specifically for teacher Christmas gifts, and one with suggested gifts for new teachers.

And here a few specific gifts for female teachers, if you’re really looking for something that is particularly good for women (in general, of course!):
Ladies, I apologize in advance if the gifts on this page seem a bit stereotypically feminine. As I mention above, elsewhere on this site you’ll find ideas which will work for all teachers, including woman. So I decided to make this page about gifts that are most likely appropriate only for women.

• Therepe Spa Candle Gift Set
  Perfect gift for a teacher who could use a bit of relaxation!
• Give the gift of spa! Shop SpaFinder.com
  A visit to the spa is appreciated by nearly all women I know, but is a particularly good gift for younger female teachers.
• Therepe Soy Candles
  These scented candles from Therepe are soy-based, meaning no harmful petroleum products are used, and they burn up to 10 times longer than conventional candles!
• Apple Pendant Jewelry for Teacher
  For the truly special teacher, this pendant makes a gift that they will never forget!
• Make a Donation in their Honor
  Here’s a great gift idea: Make a donation on behalf of the teacher to an organization that you know they would like to support. Include a note telling them how they inspire you with the good work that they do.
• A Day at the Spa
  A trip to the spa is a luxury that few teachers can afford on their own. But how many would like it? Ummm, pretty much all of them could use that kind of relaxation!
• Gingerbread Cookie-scented Bath and Body Kit
  A very unique Christmas gift for female teacher!
• Apple for the Teacher Bookmark
  Never has a teacher enjoyed an apple this much! Great gift for female teachers.
• Gingerbread Cookie-scented Bath and Body Kit
  Like a day at the spa, but in one low-priced gift basket!
• Gingerbread Cookie-scented Bath and Body Kit
  Female teachers in particular will love the treats in this reasonably-priced gift basket.
• Citrus Spa Pampering Kit
  What teacher couldn’t use a little pampering from time to time? Great gift for Teacher Appreciation Week!
• Gift Cards for Less than Face Value!
  If you’re still not finding inspiration with this list of gifts for teachers, you can always go for the old standby: gift cards! Gift cards are honestly a very welcome gift from all the teachers I spoke with — it’s not like your buying for your S.O. and need to demonstrate how well you know them. With teachers it’s likely and normal that you don’t actually know them well, which is one major reason that gift cards are so popular. Consider getting your gift cards from Plastic Jungle so that you can buy them at less than face value!

Teachers, help us make this list better!

Are you a woman and a teacher! Well, you’re in luck! In the brief moment that it takes to make a comment on the bottom of this post, you have the opportunity to help your fellow teachers everywhere by informing well-intentioned but clueless parents what it is that you really would like to receive as a gift. I’ll make sure your comments are added to this post!

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