Easy Holiday Gift Ideas for Neighbors and Teachers
Easy Gift Ideas for Neighbors and Teachers – Finish off your holiday gifting with one of these easy gift ideas for teachers, neighbors, and friends!
We’re wrapping up the final stretch before Christmas over here and this week, we’ll be delivering gifts to Michael’s co-workers, neighborhood friends, and our teachers. As we pack up our own gifts (all things from this list!), I thought I’d pass along some of our favorite (EASY) gift ideas for teachers and neighbors.
For neighbor gifts, I find these are all perfect as is, maybe with a holiday card attached. For teachers, I love pairing these with a gift card. I love choosing places I know they’ll love, like Amazon or Target, so they can choose to buy things they need for their classroom, something fun for themselves, or gifts for their own families. We also include handmade cards from the kids (nothing super fancy, just a drawing and a quick note from us and the child in their class).
In case you’re in the same boat, here are some of our favorite easy gift ideas for teachers and neighbors…
1. Vegan Hot Chocolate Mix
Homemade hot cocoa is tough to beat and this version is allergy friendly–it’s dairy, gluten, nut, and soy free. Your friends can make it with whatever milk they drink (almond, cashew, rice, dairy, etc.).
Package this in a jar with a bow and maybe a side of marshmallows or peppermint sticks. Yum!
2. Stovetop Christmas Potpourri
This is a recipe for your stove! It’s a perfect gift for someone who’s trying to eat healthfully, has food allergies, prefers non-food gifts, or love to entertain. The sweet holiday smell always wins people over. Plus, you can re-use it for a few days (just continue adding water + refrigerate it overnight) or leave it simmering in a slow cooker all day long for a cozy smell.
Don’t miss the FREE PRINTABLE GIFT TAGS that come with it!
3. My Favorite Spiced Nuts
Ooooh, friends. These are SO easy (just a few ingredients!) and they’re naturally sweetened, vegan, paleo, gluten free, and dairy free. They taste AMAZING–just the right blend of sweetness and warm spices.
Pop them in a bag or jar with a ribbon, and they’re ready to go!
PS – I share my favorite basic recipe, but you’ll also find 3 other ways to spice them in the post!
4. We “Wash” You a Merry Christmas Soaps
My favorite holiday teacher gift idea. No cooking, baking, or extra stress involved! Who doesn’t love soap this time of year? (Cold & flu season, anyone?) I’ve got some printable tags in the post you can use, or you can easily make your own. I often package these up with a box of tissues and a gift card for our teachers’ classrooms. They’re always so glad for the extra supplies + gift card!
PS – Sensitive to fragrances? You might like Mrs. Meyers, Method, Dr. Bronners, or Seventh Generation brands, which tend to use natural scents (like essential oils) instead of chemical fragrances. You can order from Amazon, or find them at Target or Sprouts.
5. Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Popcorn
This yummy chocolate peanut butter popcorn has it ALL, making it the perfect neighbor gift idea. It’s gooey, crispy, crunchy, chocolatey, peanut buttery goodness all in one. AND it’s naturally sweetened, vegan, gluten free, etc. You’d never know!
This looks darling in a jar or bag tied with a bow!
6. Mom’s Sweet Christmas Chex
A LOT of folks have their own version of sticky Chex mix, but our favorite is my mom’s. It’s no health food, but it’s my childhood favorite and totally worth mentioning. She uses a few different ingredients that make it special, and it’s so fun to play with add-ins. (I often swap macadamia nuts for the almonds–yum!) In all the places we’ve lived, my neighbors have loved this neighbor gift the best!
Psst! Gluten Free or Dairy Free? We now make this with a mix of corn & rice Chex and vegan butter or coconut oil instead. Works like a charm!