WAG Christmas gifts for coaches

[esor]

Looking for new and best ideas for gifts for both female and male coaches - would love to hear from Coaches and parents what the best gifts are they have given or received. Also, if gift cards, what types of gift cards?

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

GCs to local coffee places or nicer fast food restaurants are always good. I usually give DDs HC one to a sporting goods store because of his passion for the outdoors.
Last year, the best gift I received (along with the handwritten cards, it sound cliche but I really DO love those!!) was a prepaid visa the families pooled together for. With it I went and got myself a perfume I had been coveting but wouldn't splurge on myself... the families spent only a couple of $ each and I got a great gift that I really wanted!

Turn around... us coaches usually give little gifts to the kids as well. What have been hits with your gymnasts? I have done everything from just candycanes with handwritten encouraging notes to fuzzy socks to homemade goodies... when you have 35+kids to give to, it has to be something inexpensive!

 

[MILgymFAM]

GCs to local coffee places or nicer fast food restaurants are always good. I usually give DDs HC one to a sporting goods store because of his passion for the outdoors.
Last year, the best gift I received (along with the handwritten cards, it sound cliche but I really DO love those!!) was a prepaid visa the families pooled together for. With it I went and got myself a perfume I had been coveting but wouldn't splurge on myself... the families spent only a couple of $ each and I got a great gift that I really wanted!

Turn around... us coaches usually give little gifts to the kids as well. What have been hits with your gymnasts? I have done everything from just candycanes with handwritten encouraging notes to fuzzy socks to homemade goodies... when you have 35+kids to give to, it has to be something inexpensive!

My DDs have been given little gifts in the past. Their favorites both were individualized notes, and respectively they loved fuzzy socks and headbands. I think taking the time to get something for everyone is amazingly thoughtful.

 

[NutterButter]

Ditto what MilgymFAM says...individual notes are very appreciated. And socks are a huge hit.

 

[suebee]

One year, one of the moms knew the coach’s husband and he told her that the coach had been coveting a particular item (I can’t even remember what is was - maybe a jacket?) and had been hinting to family members that she wanted it, but it was a little on the expensive side and he knew no one in the family was going to get it for her. Dd had a big team that year and I think we each chipped in $5-10 and easily covered the cost. The coach was so surprised and so thrilled. Her reaction was awesome and the girls and the parents all felt so great about being able to give it to her.

The whole team pitches in for holiday gifts for the coaches, and when we don’t know what it is that would make them thrilled, we get them a Visa or Amex gift card, so they can treat themselves to whatever it is that would make them happy. I think they’re pretty well received, although not particularly creative. And the girls each write a card or note to the coach.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

I was just out and about, and for my 2 teams I decided on waterbottles with candy for one group and Xmas socks/lipbalm/candy for the other (slightly older) group.

 

[2gymkids]

Our team (each level or multiple level training group) has always chipped in to get gift cards. In the past we've done local restaurants, etc, this year I believe we're doing Amazon.

At our last gym, each team gymnast got a beautiful gymnastics ornament with the gym name and year on it. They were really special and my daughter loves putting them on the tree.

 

[Texasmomof3]

A homemade card with cash.

 

[Flippin'A]

Back when I was a gymnast an amazing assistant coach made us each motivational posters to hang in our lockers. They were just print outs of things like "You can do it!" over pictures of our favorite gymnasts (mostly the 96 olympic team.) You can tell how much we loved them because I still remember it so well. Also without a doubt the cheapest thing you could do for 10+ kids.

 

[esor]

All great ideas! good to hear from coaches too what they prefer!

 

[coachmolly]

Thoughtful gifts are my favorite, little notes or drawings are great!
If you go the gift card route, make sure it's for something/someplace the coach likes. I once got a movie ticket and hardly ever go to see movies. More general gift cards are nice (Target, Amazon, Visa gift cards) and ensure the coach can get something he/she likes. If you get a more general gift or do a group gift, make the effort to include something personal- a handwritten card, a drawing, the coach's favorite candy or snack, something that says you thought about it more than just handing over $5 to the team mom/booster club president.

As for gymnast gifts- I am stuck this year! For the last 3 years I've done really time consuming homemade gifts and this year I have too many girls and not enough time/money. HC is also only doing candy for the older girls and requested I stay in the same ballpark for the little ones and I'm stuck. I was thinking maybe just a small notebook to use for a meet journal with a personal note in the front? Would that be acceptable for the 8-12 crowd? Any other ideas in the $2-3/gymnast range?
I feel like it will be a let down no matter what I do.

 

[Jard.the.gymnast]

As a coach, I have never gotten anything. I also don't give anything to my coach. It's not a thing here I guess.

I do get and give the gift of kindness and hard work through the entire year, which is something I appreciate way more than a normal gift

 

[John]

Mine is 10 almost 11 and every year she buys a notebook to journal and keeps scores at meets. Her coach adding a message would mean much to her.