>The most memorable gifts are those that spark stories. The story might about the gift, the giver, or the recipient, but the story is the heart of it. Like fruitcake, it’s the piece that gets remembered, long after the holiday itself is gone.
Like fruitcake, the gift isn’t always fancy. One of my favorite Teacher Gifts was a gift card to a garden center in town. this student and his parents knew enough about that they went beyond the World’s Best Teacher coffee mug (which would’ve been nice, too) and addressed one of my favorite activities: digging in the dirt.
Many years ago, one of my dad’s idols (Bart Starr) published an autobiography. I stood in line for two hours to get it autographed, and it was worth every minute. My dad was notoriously hard to buy for, and this was perfect — and he let me read it when he was done.
A student gave me this cute little popsicle stick sculpture. I’ll always remember her when I see it because she finished gluing it together at the last minute in class…much like the way she did homework!
So you see, it really is the thought that counts. All the students who have given me coffee mugs or Green Bay Packer ornaments are in my memory because of the stories their gifts inspire. As my little snowman insisted (below), I did, indeed, have a very merry Christmas.

This post inspired by the Parent Bloggers Network and their Blog Blasts, and Excitations, a site designed to make gift giving fun and memorable for givers and receivers alike.