The Not-Here-Next-Year Teacher Gift

There has been a lot of conversation around here about what to get my son's teacher. I come from a family of teachers, and they inform me that their staff room cupboards are bulging with coffee mugs from Christmases past. So, a mug is out. I've also witnessed that teachers get a lot of boxed chocolate and baked goods. My son's teacher is a runner -- fit as fiddle, thin as a pin. Scratch that idea. Teachers also get enough plants to open a small greenhouse business. Hmm. Do we want teachers to tend to plants or tend to our children? Because the whole purpose of gift giving, I think, is to communicate to someone that you appreciate them, the gesture shouldn't be, in any way, a burden to them. So, my son and I decided to give his teacher something that won't be around next Christmas: handmade soaps. These melt-and-pour soaps were so fun and easy to make, and I like the fact that my son played a huge role in their creation. It's his teacher, after all.

Other possible not-here-next-year gifts: hand-dipped beeswax candles, "busy teacher" bean soup, and handmade styrofoam block print note cards. What are your not-here-next-year ideas?