Are you looking for simple teacher gifts that will work for ALL of your teachers, coaches, instructors, counselors, leaders, directors, bus drivers, babysitters, youth pastors, and all the other important people involved in your children’s daily lives?
Or maybe you want to bring holiday treats to your own friends, neighbors, coworkers, colleagues, extended family members, church staff, mentors, instructors, leaders, Bible Study group, mail delivery people, favorite barista, etc.?
If you’re like me, you have grand gift-giving plans, but don’t always follow through because it’s hard to find the time (or the budget) to give gifts to all these extra people.
This time of year is already so “full” of extra stuff, it’s hard to find the time to think of, make, buy, wrap, and deliver gifts for so many different people — especially on a tight schedule (and an even tighter budget).
If this scenario sounds familiar, I think you’ll love the simple holiday gifts I’m sharing today.
And yes, I have FREE printable gift tags to make the process that much simpler and easier for you!
I love giving small gifts to all the special people in our lives, and my clutter-free lifestyle means I’m always searching for disposable and consumable gifts versus giving one more coffee mug or Christmas tree ornament! 😉
And since I give LOTS of gifts during the holiday season, I need to come up with a way to keep the cost and time-commitment in check.
.
Thanks in part to the printable tags, I think this year’s gift is quite possibly my simplest, easiest, fastest gift idea yet!
In fact, I made my first 30 simple teacher gifts in under 30 minutes for under $30!
Does that sound doable?
Keep reading for detailed instructions, how-to tips, product sources, and my free printable gift tags!
How to Make 30 Simple Holiday Gifts in Under 30 Minutes for Under $30!
If you're looking for a simple, frugal, clutter-free way to spread a little Christmas cheer to all the special people in your life, THIS is it!
Be sure to use my free printable gift tags to make this gift extra special (and a little easier for you!)
Materials
- Snack size zip-top bags
- Whatever snacks you want to fill the bags with (see my suggestions below!)
- 12" x 12" Colorful Cardstock or Construction Paper
- Paper Cutter (or ruler and scissors)
- Stapler
- Glue Stick
- FREE Printable Gift Tags (download below)
Instructions
- Place your goodies in each zip-top bag (I did 5 pretzels or 5 caramels).
- Print as many free printables as you need (there are 5 tags per page)
- Cut printable tags to roughly 7" x 1.5"
- Cut craft paper into 8" x 4" rectangles.
- Fold cut craft paper in half (8" x 2" finished dimensions) and staple one paper on the top of each zip-top bag.
- Glue printable tags to card stock (covering staples)
- REPEAT and give to everyone on your gift list this year!
Notes
You can EASILY make this gift work for any season of the year -- just change out the treats inside, change the color of the cardstock, and add a different tag (or no tag at all).
Some other ideas for this type of gift are trail mix, granola, peanuts and M&M's, Chex mix, puppy chow, small pieces of fudge, fancy peppermints, fancy chocolates, peppermint sticks, and more!
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Didn’t they turn out so cute?!
Of course, you could beef up this simple teacher gift by adding a gift card or something else along with it. But even without anything extra, I feel these simple gifts will show the special people in your life that you value them and appreciate their role in your life (or your children’s lives).
Some of you might feel that giving food gifts is not appropriate — and there are always allergy issues to consider. However, in my “circle” of people, food gifts are extremely common and very acceptable. Plus, I honestly can’t think of a non-food gift idea that would be so simple, quick, and frugal to make.
If you’re looking for simple holiday gifts to spread a little Christmas cheer to all the special people in your life, THIS is it!
- no baking required
- no crafting expertise needed (just a little cutting and gluing)
- simple supplies (many of which you probably have in your home already)
- quick and simple to put together
- customizable based on your own preferences
- easily transportable (even in a child’s backpack)
- simple ingredients with a long shelf-life, so you can make the gifts in advance
- 100% clutter-free — no more junk for others to feel guilted into saving!
Download your FREE printable gift tags and create your simple teacher gifts today!
FREE “Merry Christmas” Printable Tags
FREE “Happy Holidays” Printable Tags
FREE “A Gift For You” Printable Tags (for non-holiday gifts)
Seriously, you can whip out 30 or more of these cute little gifts in 30 minutes flat.
One more BIG to-do crossed off your list this holiday season!
What are your favorite SIMPLE teacher gifts (or simple gifts for anyone else on your list)?
Follow me on Instagram for a behind-the-scenes peek into our family’s holiday season!
Linda says
Thank you for the gift tags! I used them last year and loved them and came to your site to find them again this year. They are perfect for my Sunday School class. I purchase a candy bar for each student and wrap it in white paper and decorate it like a snowman. (I saw this idea on Pinterest). I place it in a baggie with a package of hot chocolate. Your gift tag is perfect and keeps my cost down.
Andrea says
you’re very welcome, Linda! I’m glad you were able to use them 2 years in a row 🙂 I love your snowman candy bar idea — so fun, festive and frugal!
MaryWilliams says
What do you do if you don’t have a printer anyone you have access to cost money for every page you print then what
Andrea says
I’d probably take it to the library to print or just hand-write the Christmas greeting… both frugal and simple options! )
Airy’s Mom says
This looks cute & fun but our school district doesn’t allow homemade goods. Everything has to be store bought in its original packaging with ingredients listed and expiration dates. Some people in the past brought in tainted goods and made a lot of people ill. You have to fill out a form and leave the items at the front office for inspection. I bought a box of Christmas cards from the dollar tree and left it at that. We did put a $10 Golden Corral gift card inside the crossing guard’s envelope. My daughter hugs and thanks him daily for helping her cross.
Meghan says
Cute idea! This is a little too crafty for me 😉
The teacher/ random gift I keep on hand is Bath and Body Works handsoaps and holiday hand towels. The total gift costs about $6. I get the soaps then they are $2.95 and then have a 20% coupon. I get the towels from kohl’s for around $3.30 each after sales and coupons. Utilize kohl’s cash and the gift is even more inexpensive.
Karen says
Great ideas! I probably need to take my 29 yr old daughter’s beloved paper cutter to her next time I visit. That was her most beloved Christmas present when she was in junior high.
Andrea says
haha — yes, our kids LOVE the paper cutter, and I actually use it A LOT!
Lois says
What an excellent idea! I plan to take a bunch of these to a friend who is a resident in an assisted living facility so he can have something to give his helpers and friends that come by to visit him.
Thank you!
P.S. I could use a few more ideas for cheap non-food items. I’m thinking of some fabric bookmarks which I make myself with 2 pieces of fabric with fabric glue pressed between and cut with pinking shears.
Andrea says
oh that’s a GREAT idea! thanks for sharing Lois!
a few other readers left comments with non-food gift ideas. go check those out!
Linda Tenhage says
I like giving $10 gift cards to Tim Horton’s. Who doesn’t love a coffee? And even if they don’t, I’m not at all offended if they regift it!
Andrea says
yes, that’s a great gift. I’m not sure I could give $10 to EVERY person on our list, but I’m positive your teachers appreciate this gift from you!
Kelly S says
These are really cute! Here are a few things that could be put in these bags that are non-food (mostly kid ideas) –
– crayons (get a big 128 crayon box and divvy up)
– stickers
– jingle bells along with a piece of string to make into a necklace
– washi tape rolls (you can buy a tube of many rolls on Amazon for a good price. You could divide this among several bags. I think this would be good for adults too!)
– itty bitty clothespins, colorful paper clips, mini post it notes, or other cute office supplies
You could also do wrapped candies like Starburst, fun size candy bars, or Hershey’s kisses, which some people feel better about because it’s a sealed item…
Kelly says
Thanks for the printable!
Andrea says
you’re welcome 🙂
And thank YOU for these great ideas of non-food gifts!
Ashley says
Great idea! If people are concerned about having food gifts because of allergies, one could easily print a list of ingredients to glue on the back of the tag. Even if a person can’t eat it, I’m sure they’ll still appreciate the thought!
Andrea says
yes, that was my thought — it’s the gesture and the thought on this one. They can always re=-gift if they have dietary restrictions!
JJ says
We made cinnamon ornaments(just 2 regular sized bottles of cinnamon and 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce mixed together). Bake them or let air dry(baking works better in my opinion). The smell is amazing! My kids had fun cutting them out. You throw them away when you take your Christmas decorations down. Everyone loved them when we did them two years ago, so we did them this year. We still have to make more for our library and Target friends, Haha! I used discounted ribbon from Hobby Lobby and discounted bags from JoAnns.
I so wish my kids and all our friends didn’t have so many food allergies, or I would totally go your route!!!
Andrea says
cute – that sounds like a fun project for the kids (and easy!) I just got a food dehydrator — would that work well for this?
Also, some other readers have left comments with really good ideas for non-food gifts (perfect for your friends with allergies!)
Leslie says
Hi Andrea, what kind of dehydrator did you get? I’ll be looking for a post on this.
Andrea says
It’s the Casori brand — I haven’t used it yet, but I’m sure I’ll share more on the blog soon!
Nancy says
Love this idea! My husband and kids made cinnamon & applesauce ornaments for me one Christmas and we still have them more than a decade later.
Andrea says
I want to do that with my kids sometime — maybe next year when Clara is a little older!
Samantha says
Great idea, Andrea! I don’t have children but may use this idea for my hair stylist, neighbors and others! One thought for people who don’t want to give food gifts would be to pick up inexpensive and cute sticky note pads, small scented hand sanitizers/lotions, or even little doggie treats for friends with pets “happy paw-lidays.” Thanks for the constant inspiration and practical everyday advice. You are truly a breath of fresh air in a culture of “influencers” pushing to sell you the next best thing you “need” for the holidays to impress people. Happy holidays to you!
Andrea says
yes definitely! It’s not just limited to teachers — Dave and I are giving them to many people from church, neighbors, different friend groups, etc. etc.
Thanks for your kind words and loyal readership!