Quote Originally Posted by OakLeaf View Post
Can you go in with other parents for a bigger gift? A spa day? A year of Netflix?
I think I remember our "room moms" organizing things like this at least a couple times when I was in elementary school. The teacher didn't end up with a bunch of cr@p and it also helped any kids whose family wasn't interested or couldn't afford to give a gift to the teacher from feeling awkward the last day before winter break since *no one* was giving individual presents.

I was really into arts and crafts, so in 2nd grade I gave my teacher a Christmas-themed cross-stitch with her name on it--I told my mom what I wanted to do, she helped me design the pattern on graph paper, then I stitched it--I was also a teacher's pet