The other awesome thing about my scarf collection is that I think I only bought one or two at most. Receiving an additional three scarves this year as gifts, I felt like it was appropriate to write a blog dedicated mainly to my scarves and their stories.
Starting from the left:
This pink one was a gift from a student this year, and came with a matching set of gloves. I have already worn it several times because it is extremely warm and thick.
The next one also came from a student this year, and in some ways is more special than the first, because she actually made it for me. (Made in that she cut the fabric into the shape of the scarf). I love the pattern on this one, and I like how neutral the colors are, especially compared to many of my other scarves, so I can wear it at times I can't wear the others.
The beautiful blue and white scarf was knitted for me by a good friend from high school. I love the colors, and I love how it has a tendency to twist around a bit and show the pattern more.
The next four scarves were all crocheted for me by my mom. My favorite color-wise is the one with the brown, white and pink, though it is a tad bit long. I use the red one frequently as my "Christmas" scarf, since I honestly don't own a lot of red. The teal one is a beautiful color, and is an interesting design, since it actually has a hole purposely put into it to pull the other side through. This is a good scarf for short jackets where the other scarves might stick out of. The white one I would wear more frequently, except that it was one of (maybe the first) scarf that she made for me, and it is a bit short, especially the way that I like to wear all these scarves:
(super old picture... this was from our engagement photo shoot, and it was actually the photographer that taught me to wear my scarf this way, because it makes your neck look better than the only way I knew how to wear scarves before. Note how different Blake looks now!)
The next scarf is probably my most frequently worn (though it might be challenged by the pink one now) because it is wool, and the warmest of my scarves. This is the one that I pull out when it is less a fashion statement that will also keep my neck warm (though I use this one for that too) and more of a brrrr I want my neck to be warm time. This scarf is also special because it was bought for me by my mother in law in Ireland (and they know about cold weather, and how to make warm scarves).
The blue scarf is the same one that you see in the picture above, and to my memory was actually bought for that photo shoot because I wanted to match Blake's eyes and also because it was one of my wedding colors. It still comes out often because I love the bright blue, but I try to be conscious of what I wear with it... because it is a very bright color and the rest of the outfit needs to work with it.
The last two I have had for a very long time, and I am positive that my mother in law got me the lighter blue one... but I honestly don't remember the story of the last one. These are probably my least worn scarves. The far right one not only doesn't have a great story, it is a bit short and unflexible to do my normal style of wearing scarves, and so I don't grab it often. I think that the light blue one is beautiful and so I wear it on occasion for that reason, but it is very thin, and honestly can only be worn on days that I don't really need a scarf at all... and if it is warm enough for that, I wonder what people will think of me walking around in a scarf.
p.s. I know that both my mom and my mother in law read this blog, and I want to disclaim that I mean no offense by any statements made about my scarves. Please note that I do love all my scarves and they all have their place, and that is why I keep each and every one of them. Thank you for your contributions to my collection! :-D
In addition to this scarf tribute, I wanted to touch on a subject that I consider writing on every year, and yet never seem to do (I even checked back, because I feel like I have written on this before.. but it doesn't appear to be the case, and if I have, forgive me).
I was reading one of the blogs I follow today, who linked to another blog, where the person casually commented "you could do some of the same kinds of things you would do for teacher presents: some sort of candy, a cute mug, bath stuff, candles, cute little notebooks/notepads...". This list I do think is the common expectation of what teacher gifts should be... and looking over the list, I did get every single one of those things for Christmas this year. The problem is that I also got all those things for my birthday... and end of the year... and other Christmases. We will eat the candy, but even that tends to get stored, and we nibble away at it, and eventually have to toss it. I have drawers full of notepads and stationary that I never seem to make progress through. We have a section in our closet for the multitudes of bath stuff and lotions that I get (and if it isn't a body wash, they sometimes have to get re-gifted, since I generally don't take baths). I don't know who could possibly use all of the candles that I get, and they are spread out throughout the house as decorations, and some are put in various holiday boxes just so they have a time to come out without being out all of the time.
Mugs I have decided to embrace since I got so many (and still do), and I now unofficially collect mugs. Please don't take this to mean that I need any mugs as a gift to add to my collection, I get plenty as it is. My one contribution to my growing assortment of mugs is that now we buy a mug every trip we go on, so that it is more of a collection than just I have tons of mugs. And since many of them are Christmas gifts, I have 10 or so (and more every year) that I store with our Christmas decorations and swap out when I decorate the house, and then put them back in storage the rest of the year.
Adding to my list of frequent Christmas gifts is Christmas decorations. These are the least bothersome of my most often received teacher gifts, since they get stored every year, and I can usually find a spot for the ones I get, but it still isn't my favorite gift to receive.
To be clear, I don't expect any gifts, and I fully acknowledge the generosity and sweetness of every parent that decides to give their child's teacher a present. I just felt that if someone is out there perpetuating the stereotypical great teacher gifts that someone should also be out there representing the teachers (myself and those who I work with) and let others know what we would appreciate most. I figure that if a parent is generous enough to want to give a gift, they might want to know what we really want.
The best website that I have found explaining our side is http://christmasgiftsforteachers.com/how-to-choose-christmas-gift-for-teacher
If you don't feel inclined to read it, let me paraphrase: The typical "teacher gifts" are all ones that we all receive often, and while we appreciate the gesture, we frequently can't use or don't need more of these items.
In another spot of the website the author lists what gifts are preferred http://christmasgiftsforteachers.com/more-gift-ideas
Confirming that it isn't just me, she did the research and polled many teachers as to their preferred gifts. Number 1 choice for both me and most teachers is gift cards. I love the way that she put it so much I am actually going to quote her directly:
I know they get a bad rap, but this was the #1 requested item from all of the teachers we spoke with. A Gift Card is never unwelcome, doesn’t take up any space, and can be used to get something the teacher actually needs. If you prefer to make it more personal, my suggestion would be to make a handmade thank you card with your child. Include a sincere note of appreciation and a pouch where you can slip in the gift card. Believe me, this gift will be a hit!
As sad as it is... when I unwrap yet another candle, there is a part of me that thinks about how I would probably be happier with them spending half of the money they spent on that candle on a starbucks card. Honestly, I go to starbucks once a week, and if I don't have a gift card, I will spend my money on my weekly treat, but I NEVER buy candles. If all of the money already spent on that well meaning gift was spent on gift cards, I would benefit so much more. Also, her point about the note of appreciation is spot on. I save cards with personal notes of appreciation, and I treasure them, and I even pull them out and read them on a bad day. Much more appreciated than yet another lotion.
Her next suggestion is not one that I would normally say, but is probably true- school supplies. My school actually supplies most of the things I need, so this isn't a big concern for me in general. However, my mom can attest that at times I have asked her for glue sticks and scissors, and at the moment I am considering buying sets of number 2 pencils in different colors to keep the class teams accountable for their pencils. So yes, if you ask first, these would probably be appreciated as well.
I wholeheartedly agree with her suggestion of consumable items. I occasionally get coffee as a gift and I love it! The best thing with items that I can eat, especially those I can store and eat over time (like those make your own cookie, soup etc. jars) is that it doesn't matter how many I get, I can go through them eventually. She lists a few suggestions that include spa/lotion sets... but my problem (and many other teachers problem) is that I get so many every year, and go through them so slowly, that even though it is technically a consumable... I can never get through all that I have. (not to mention that personally, we receive this stuff from Blake's work too... so we REALLY never need it).
She did list personalized items too... but at least for me, it needs to be a practical personalized item. One of my favorite gifts of all time is a teacher bag that says Miss Lisa on the side. I got it my first year teaching, and I still use it every year, every day to keep my teaching stuff organized.
Her last category was inspirational teacher books and movies, and reading through her list, I probably would appreciate these as long as I didn't already have them.
Thinking back over the years, I have to say that my favorite gifts are those that really show that they thought about me, as a person, not as a teacher. Isn't that what we should all strive for in our gifts to others?
A few years back, I had a parent give me a healthy cookbook, not as a hint, but because she had heard from her son how much I liked cooking and how I strove to keep the classroom as healthy as I could. I loved it! So thoughtful!
Last year, I had a child write me a card that said that since she knew I liked reading she wanted me to pick out a book I wanted. It came with a Barnes and Noble gift card and a bookmark that I regularly use with the books I read. It may have been a gift card, but it was a gift card that really showed that the student thought about what I would want.
Not recommended for everyone, but I really appreciated a mom two years ago that worked for a clothing company and gave me shirts for both Christmas and the end of the year that really suited my style and fit me well. Talking with another teacher about this, we decided that this is a risky gift... make sure that you know the size and also the teacher's particular style, but if you get something good, it will be appreciated!
I could continue, but the point of this part of my post is that our main request as teachers is that you consider us as individuals when deciding to buy for us, and think about what gifts we frequently get before you purchase us something that we may already have one... or ten... of already.
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