This year's teacher gifts were done at the very last minute. Each and every one of them. "Oh, you have dance in half an hour? Better get a couple gifts made up really fast!" Ditto with other dance teachers and piano. Heh.
I've done tissue holders for teachers before, but I'm pretty sure not for any of the teachers we gave to this year. Packaged with anti-bac gel and a Christmas card. Simple.
Neighbor gifts were a reusable grocery bag.
Aaron thought these gifts were weird, and that our neighbors already think we're weird anyway (hanging our laundry to dry, manual/electric lawn mowers, walking...). But I went with it anyway, sticking a simple card (couldn't think of anything really clever) in the bags. I found the bags at a grocery store, having scouted out ones that don't have a store logo on them. Conveniently, these also snap shut, which I like, and our neighbors liked them.
Our street traditionally does little gifts for everyone else on the street, but our neighborhood is super tight, so other friends in the 'hood got cards. I was going to print gocco ones this year again, but decided on Costco ones instead - in part because it's so cheap to get so many, and I can give out as many as I like.
Oh, and we finally made the paper mache lanterns I've been wanting to do for years! They were really cute to give out gifts with at night. The kids had fun with that.
The other day we headed to a new Asian market nearby. I was hoping for little cute stuff, but Aaron was hoping for mabutofu. I won. It's all gift stuff and restaurant supply. It's like a big ol' Daiso, folks. I was in heaven. In fact, I might go back today. Since we were there, we had the kiddos pick out their sib gifts to each other, and now we have a bunch of oddly-wrapped little packages under around our tree. With super cute stuff inside.
Another little gift this year that deserves to be mentioned, so I remember it for next year: I stuck some ribbon, jingle bells, and a gift tag on a Toblerone candy bar and stuck it in our mailbox. "To Our Mail-lady". She always waves to me since we're often out and about, and delivers many packages to us. I peeked out when I heard the mail truck coming and saw her pick up the candy - she got the biggest smile on her face! And then gave our house a big thumbs up out her window as she drove away. Loved it.
Now to finish up/wrap the bigger gifts! Are you done yet?
