How I lazy genius teacher gifts by deciding once

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

There are peppermint mochas in hand (or choose your favorite holiday beverage).
There are holiday decorations a plenty, with their lights shining bright.
There are letters to Santa with hoped-for gifts with a dash of unrealistic expectations for parents to reign in.

There are lists of gifts to be purchased, checked off, and the ones we forgot all about.

Just typing all of this has filled me with joy, anxiety, and the realization that some things need to change. I have figured out how I lazy genius teacher gifts at Christmas, and perhaps I need to figure this out with more people on my list. I’ll have to come up with that plan at a later date, but let’s talk about teacher holiday gifts.

Actually, let’s pause before we begin. If you are a teacher who knows me IRL, particularly if you teach at my daughters’ school, I need you to stop what you are doing. I know this may seem strange, but I’m asking begging you not to read this blog post. I know that I should want you to read the things that I write because that’s good for the site, but it’s not good for gift-giving. Well, you can continue reading this if you like to ruin your own surprises. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 

Okay, now that we have that done, let’s continue.

First, let’s talk about being a Lazy Genius. Kendra Adachi is one of my favorite humans. Well, I’d like to think that if we met in real life we’d be great friends. She has a dry sense of humor (like yours truly), her husband is Japanese American (again, like yours truly), and she likes to work smarter not hard (aka being a Lazy Genius). She shared a type in her book, the Lazy Genius Way (I’ll pause while you go purchase this), about deciding once. I have not perfected all the things that I will decide once on in life, but teacher gifts have been decided. 

Teacher Gifts deciding once

Let’s continue…

A few years ago, I had the bright idea to purchase a notepad similar to this one for my daughters’ teachers, along with these paperclips, and this page marker from Simplified. They were items that I had purchased for myself (well slightly different shapes and patterns, but you get the point). I knew these were great items, that received considerable use AND I found them on sale. I’m not saying I’m a cheapskate, but I am a mom on a budget. So finding great items at a great price, is like finding a magical unicorn. All this to say, this was the recipe for the perfect gift, or at least near perfect in my book.

Christmas Decide Once

I have decided once…

and I am not sure I will ever turn back. Okay, maybe I will if I find out the teachers don’t really like these things. Also, I may need to rethink things if my daughters end up with the same teachers (I do have a younger daughter following behind her big sister at the same elementary school). Here’s hoping all the teachers like this gift in case we have to repeat this gift. I share this lazy genius teacher gift to help you. I’m not saying you need to purchase the same gift, but do yourself the mental favor and decide once. You’ll thank yourself later.

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crystalp
Crystal is a lifelong Richmonder and mother of two girls. If you wonder how deep those RVA roots go...she was born at MCV, graduated from Mills E. Godwin High School, is a VCU alumna, and got her masters from Union Presbyterian Seminary. While attending seminary, she met her husband while working at the church where he grew up. This RVA gal is the is co-founder of The 91 Rewind, which she started with her childhood friend Erica. She hopes that her writing, both here and at The 91 Rewind, will help you take a moment to catch your breath, hit rewind, and try again. We can be far too hard on ourselves and we all deserve love and kindness, but we often forget to share it with ourselves. Crystal believes treating ourselves well sets the example for how we care for others. When Crystal is not chasing after pink, purple, and sparkles, I mean her daughters, you can find her working as a financial educator, investing in her community, enjoying local restaurants, blogging it up, and connecting with folks on social media (Instagram's her favorite).