teacher gifts and christmas traditions.

okay, so i pretty much suck when it comes to teacher gifts...i always have these great, elaborate plans, but then i do things like, have a baby, and my plans go out the window.

i pre-planned my teacher gifts this year, since i knew if i didn't, they would end up getting an orange or something else lame.

i have a lot of teachers to buy for---each kiddo has 2 each, plus teacher aides. i ended up having 11 gifts i needed to get.

they needed to be easy.

i found this idea on pinterest, via this site.

it was so super easy---and super cute.

inside each cup is a starbucks gift card.

when i bought the gift cards, i just asked for the same amount of small cups with lids.

then i made some tags, and voila.

easiest gift ever.

{these containers have their favorite chocolate in them}

 

look, our teachers deal with A LOT.

they deserve a little somethin' somethin'.

not only are my kids a handful, they are dealing with everyone else's kids.

i get all sweaty and stressed just walking into their classrooms.

bravo to you teachers...ya'll are the best.

 

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up next...

a few of our favorite christmas traditions.

 

the first one is my favorite and it involves the presents.

tradition #1:

each little person gets their own wrapping paper---none of the gifts are marked, and in order to know which gifts are theirs, they have to find a tiny piece of their wrapping paper in the bottom of their stocking.

it's a little last minute excitement, as they see the gifts, but don't know which belongs to who :)

the front gifts are from us---the 193,000 other gifts are from family.

there are a ton of gifts under there, i realize---keep in mind we have a large family.

since moving here, christmas morning has been over the top, because relatives send their gifts, and we wait till christmas morning to open them.

tradition #2:

each kiddo gets 3 gifts (from us): a WANT, a NEED and a SURPRISE.

we've done this every year since caedmon was born, and i really like the idea of it. it keeps christmas simple for us, and works for now. i imagine things might change one day when they start asking for more expensive items.

tradition #3:

christmas eve---we all open christmas jammies that have already been washed and are ready to put on. after jammies, the kids get another present which involves books. so, not only do they get the 3 gifts on christmas morning, but on christmas eve they also get something to WEAR and something to READ.

the kids know they are getting these 2 gifts and look forward to them all day.

 

this year, after church service that evening we added a new tradition of eating

ice cream sundaes

and drinking hot chocolate...all in our new jammers...when we were finished we watched a short christmas movie, then read our books, then off to bed!

christmas morning we usually have a big breakfast of french toast or pancakes...and we spend the day playing with our new toys and taking naps.

mr. anderson and i decided (the first year caedmon was born) that no matter where we lived, we would always stay home for christmas. i like that we made that decision, but it does make christmas a little sad, not being around family.

i enjoy making traditions with my husband and children, but i do miss friends and family.

at this point, traveling with all of the littles at christmas time, dragging gifts to and from, it just all sounds too complicated, so for now we stay home :)

 

i hope my kids remember the things we do for a lifetime...and that it helps them to understand the importance of establishing traditions with their own family.

do you have any family traditions?