How to make Christmas gifts for teachers for £6, using bargains from Asda, B&M and Lidl – from a mum-of-two who did it
IT’S so difficult to know what to buy teachers for Christmas.
I always want to get them a gift to show my appreciation for all their hard work over the term, but don’t want to stick to the ‘norm’ of giving them a mug – particularly as we now know how much they hate them.
But with the cost of living crisis leaving people around the country stressed about money this Christmas, I was also aware that I needed to stick to a strict budget.
Especially as I have two teachers and two teaching assistants to buy for!
So I decided to see if I could create a gift bundle for each of them myself – for just £6 each.
Bag it
The bag the present comes in is arguably the most important part, as it’s what the receiver sees first.
As with most Christmassy things, if you shop for something specifically marketed as festive, the price is bound to shoot up.
So I decided to make my own Christmas gift bags.
I used some plain red gift bags, which cost £3 for five from Hobbycraft, alongside a stamp – £5 from Hobbycraft – and an ink pad I already had.
I then stamped ‘Merry Christmas’ all over the gift bag to give it a festive touch.
As another Christmas flourish, I used red, green and white ribbon to tie up the bag with flair.
This cost me just £5.99 on Amazon for reels of all different colours, and I’ll definitely be able to use it again in the future.
Merry & bright
Another ‘classic’ Christmas present, but one that is almost universally loved, is a candle.
It’s also something that can be given regardless of gender, as my 10-year-old son Lucas has a male teacher, while six-year-old Millie’s teacher is female.
So I decided to hit my local Lidl to see what I could find, and emerged with one of the Deluxe candles, which retails for £3.99 but looks a lot more expensive.
I popped that in Lucas’ teacher’s bag, while I picked up a £2 gingerbread candle in a tin from Asda to go in one of the TA’s bags.
B&M’s Himalayan salt tealight holder was another good option, especially as it’s currently reduced from just £4 to £2.
It comes in a cute star or heart shape, as well as a traditional ‘rock’ design, and
And Aldi’s slogan candle, which retails at £2.99, was also too good to miss – especially with cute slogans such as Fab Yule Ous and Sleigh All Day.
Scent-sational
Another gift that’s always a winner is something smelly.
While they undoubtedly get a few of these to choose from, courtesy of their students, it’s also something they’re likely to actually use.
So, for Millie’s teacher, I grabbed a pack of miniature fragrances from Aldi for £2.99.
The Hotel Collection set features some of Aldi’s best-selling scents, including Lime, Basil & Mandarin, Blackberry & Bay, or Bergamot & Oud.
And to make it even cuter, the set comes in adorable bauble-style packaging, meaning it can be hung from the Christmas tree too. Bonus!
I also picked up a bath bomb from Asda during my supermarket shop, as the festive fizzer come in at just £2 each.
I wasn’t sure about the questionable sounding brussels sprout-scented option, so decided to play it safe with a cute snowman one.
She can have a nice, relaxing bath after a day with my little horror then – with a festive candle lit nearby.
Fun and games
When it comes to stocking fillers, the shelves are fit to burst with them at this time of year.
From fart guns and toy poos, to family card games and joke books, there’s a huge range to choose from.
And while I don’t feel I’ve quite reached the pally level required to give one of my kids’ teachers a fart gun, I did find something I thought Lucas’ teacher would like.
A festive magic cube!
What’s not to love, really?
It was even budget friendly, as it cost just £2 from Asda.
Tuck in
Another option that’s often a hit among teachers is something to eat or drink.
But instead of giving the standard box of chocolates, or a boring mug, I decided to go for something a bit different, thanks to the Cosy Coco gift set from B&M.
This one’s just £3, and has a box of hot chocolate powder inside a festive embossed mug – making it a bit more special than a standard mug (at least, that’s what I’m hoping!)
And as an added extra for the gift bags, I picked up some 60p individual mint chocolate Maltesers Reindeer from Asda to pop in.
Finishing touch
Once I’d split up the gifts and put them in the decorated bags, I stapled the top and added the ribbons which I then curled with scissors.
I used a piece of card, on which I stamped with the festive stamp and drew some holly leaves, as a tag – attaching it with some rustic brown string.
Lucas and Millie can then write the tags for their teachers, and they make a cute little keepsake too.
I ended up putting together the gift bags for just £6 each – a real bargain when you consider how much some parents spend on teacher presents every year.
So don’t forget to check your supermarket for stocking fillers ideal to gift to teachers, as there’s a huge array to choose from.