17 Teacher Gifts That Aren't Another Mug
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By the second week of December an elementary school teacher has usually received four mugs, two candles and a box of chocolates from a class of twenty-six. None of it is wrong, exactly. It just doesn't survive the year.
A personalized ornament does. It costs about the same as a decent mug, it gets hung on a tree every December, and it has that teacher's name on it — which is the whole point. Here are the ones worth sending in.
Before you choose
- Put the school year on it, not just the name. "Mrs Alvarez — 2026" is a record. "Mrs Alvarez" is a label.
- Coordinate with two other parents. Three families splitting a $27.95 suncatcher beats three separate $9 gifts.
- Specialist teachers get forgotten. Art, music and library teachers see every child in the building and receive a fraction of the gifts.
The classic classroom picks
- #1 Teacher Red Apple Acrylic Ornament — $14.95. The obvious one, done properly — layered acrylic with her name across the apple.
- Teacher Classroom Door Acrylic Ornament — $14.95. A decorated classroom door with her name on it. Recognisable to anyone who has been in one.
- Classroom Blackboard Teacher Acrylic Ornament — $14.95. Name written on the board in chalk lettering.
- #1 Teacher Pencil Holder Acrylic Ornament — $14.95. Good for a teacher who is not an apple-and-bunting kind of person.
- #1 Teacher Coffee Mug Acrylic Ornament — $14.95. The joke being that it's a mug she can actually keep.
For the teacher who lives in books
- Teacher Composition Book Stack Acrylic Ornament — $14.95. A stack of marbled composition books with her name on the top spine.
- Teacher Composition Notebook Gift Box Ornament — $14.95. Same family, wrapped as a gift box.
- Bookshop Cozy Library Arch Wood Ornament — $14.95. Laser-cut wood. Suits a middle-school English teacher better than an apple.
- Vintage Library Bookstore Arched Wood Ornament — $14.95. Warm wood, arched doorway, name on the shop sign.
For art, music and specialist teachers
These cost a little more and look it, which is right for the teacher the whole school shares.
- Art Teacher Palette & Brushes Heart Suncatcher — $27.95. Heart-shaped stained glass. Hangs in a classroom window and throws colour on the wall.
- Tree from Open Book with Art Tools Suncatcher — $23.95. A tree growing out of a book — the whole teaching metaphor in one object.
- "Art Makes the World Brighter" Round Suncatcher — $23.95. The one to send from a class group rather than one family.
When you want to say thank you without a theme
These carry a thank-you message rather than the word "teacher", which makes them right for a coach, a bus driver, a teaching assistant or a principal.
- Thank You Christmas Star & Evergreen Arch Ornament — $14.95. Simple, arched, nothing school-specific.
- Thank You Christmas Lights & Snowflakes Heart Ornament — $14.95. Heart-shaped and a little warmer in tone.
- Thank You Floral Border Round Wood Ornament — $14.95. The most neutral of the group — works for any recipient.
- Lantern & Fairy Lights Thank You Ornament — $14.95. A lit lantern. Good for an end-of-career thank you.
- Gratitude Christmas Lights Heart Ornament — $14.95. Add a short line of your own rather than just a name.
How personalization and shipping work
Every piece on this page is personalized at no extra cost — names, dates and photos are included in the price, not an add-on. Each one is printed and finished in the USA and ships from a US facility, and personalized orders are made after you place them.
For US delivery before December 25, order by December 10. Photo pieces take an extra day, so treat December 8 as the cutoff for those. Everything is covered by our 45-Day Happiness Guarantee.
Browse the full Gifts for Teachers collection for more.