School holidays are fast upon us. Teachers are counting down, transitions to new schools are nearly done and parents are considering what holiday camps* still have spaces left.

Holiday fever has also generated a lot of social media chat locally about what to give teachers.

We don’t want to rob the teachers who do appreciate their gifts, they’ve earned that choccie. But how many “Best Teacher Ever” mugs can one person use? So do check, but a lot are happy to go without. 

A survey last year found that in the UK, people gave 60 million unwanted Christmas presents. That’s worth about £380 million in wasted gifts. I can find MUCH better ways to spend that money. Of those unwanted gifts, about one in 10 went straight to landfill.

The same YouGov survey found that more than one in three people were happy to receive charity donations instead.

We know that some teachers are choosing this too. One school we know donated more than £100 to the Foodbank in lieu of teacher gifts.

Another class gave their teacher a voucher to spend on the local High Street. Supporting local business supports local families. Gift cards for the whole of East Lothian - or your local area - are also available.

Vouchers in general are a more sustainable option, ensuring we are using our resources to ‘spark joy’ as the cleaning sensation Marie Kondo encourages. And while it’s nice to hand over a wrapped gift, it’s something we might need to rethink as we head towards 2030 – our global deadline for limiting the climate disaster. Giving a gift token in a handmade card with your child’s artwork is just as thoughtful – for the recipient and the planet. In fact, >spoiler alert< - a card printed with artwork is precisely what my daughter’s nursery staff are getting. This lovely pic was done by Lil’s gorgeous friend AudArt as a fundraiser for SiMBA, featuring my daughter’s imaginary friend crocodile who had promised the nursery staff a lift to Aus... (carbon neutral travel!)

Failing imaginary crocodiles or vouchers, we would be remiss to not point out some Lil gift ideas too: reusable festival cups? Reusable coffee cups? A luxury shampoo bar? Or a school resource book??

Whatever you choose, we hope you get through the last few days of term with a Lil spring in your step! Holidays are nearly here!!!

*Looking for holiday camps? We love the East Lothian Council Ranger Service Junior Explorers and the Seabird Centre.