holiday gifts

[froggy]

just curious...how much is one expected to give their coach for the holidays as a gift??

[Sk8pdx]

Gifts can be as elaborate or as simple as you make them. It is important to stay within your means and your budget. I made my coach fleece mittens and a fleece hat. Inside, I also included a $5 Starbucks card for something to help keep their hands warm.

[Mel On Ice]

went in on a group gift with her other adults skaters and we all chipped in $16 to buy a $100 gift certificate for $80 (Costco).

[Skate@Delaware]

For my main coach, I bought a beautiful hand-dyed silk scarf from Flo and for my secondary coach, a beautiful hand-dyed silk tissue holder (can't remember how much I paid, though). They were reasonably priced. Last year, since I only had the one coach, I got her a candle and a holder from Yankee Candles (not the really big ones, but the medium-sized ones).

I should get another scarf next time (for myself) :D

I would think there is no steadfast "rule" but you don't want to go overboard and embarrass your coach/instructor with an extremely costly gift; unless you are known as someone that does that! (if so, please buy me something!)

[jazzpants]

I got both my coaches $30 Starbucks card. Both drink a lot of coffee from Starbucks.

I thought of getting a thermis for my secondary coach since she's there with her coffee all the time. (I've only seen my primary coach drink Starbucks once... though he DOES have one of those really nice Starbucks coffee maker in his home...)

The funny part of giving the gift card for my secondary coach was that on the day I gave her her Xmas present, she had 4 presents sitting right next to her... all Starbucks gifts!!! :lol:

[phoenix]

I got my coach a couple small things related to one of his hobbies--spent about $25 or $30.

[skaternum]

I gave my primary coach a tiger eye beaded necklace (about $25).

My secondary coach and his wife, my choreographer, are really more "couples friends" with me & my husband than they are my professional associates, so we spent a little more on them. We gave them a gift certificate to a restaurant they haven't tried yet (enough for dinners & wine) and a hand-made coupon for up to 4 hours of babysitting so they can enjoy going out.

[MQSeries]

I would go with "It's the thought that count." Unless you consider the coach to be a close personal friend, I wouldn't bother with trying to be too elaborate about it. A gift-certificate ($5-10) or some packaged sweets, etc. Stay away from giving mug though. I don't think anyone really need another mug taking up precious space in his cabinet :)

[Mel On Ice]

I think my past two coaches (my MO coach and my MI coach) appreciate not getting figure skating trinkets but adult gifts. It's similar to a teacher friend of mine who hates anything with an apple motif - it's too much of the same old theme.

[flying~camel]

I think my past two coaches (my MO coach and my MI coach) appreciate not getting figure skating trinkets but adult gifts. It's similar to a teacher friend of mine who hates anything with an apple motif - it's too much of the same old theme.

I like how you put it - "She's going to get tons of 'moose on skates' ornaments from her younger skaters, let's get her something she'd like." ;)

[Kelli]

Both of my coaches got gift cards and a fancy piece of chocolate. My primary coach gets a pretty generous card because of some other financial arrangements we have (and also because she rocks!). My secondary coach got (or will get in a few hours) a Starbucks gift card for $25 (she rocks too, but I haven't been with her as long). My family and friends aren't gift givers at all, so I kinda find the whole process a bit annoying and go with easy gifts that I know will be appreciated.

[Mrs Redboots]

My coach will get a bottle of red wine; his wife (our coach2) will get some of my home-made soap, some home-made body-scrub, a flannel and a wheat bag. And a tub of Rolos for their sons. Another choice for coach2 would have been a houseplant, or even a bottle of white wine.

We have also bought a tin of chocolate biscuits for "The pros' room" in general, for all the pros to help themselves to. And tomorrow I'm going to take my soap and body-scrubs to the rink and pass them round....

[flo]

Skate@delaware - thanks!
I gave my coaches wine bottle holders that I made and wine. One had moves diagrams on it, and for my main coach who is a pairs coach, pairs requirements and his pictures.

[mikawendy]

I gave my coach a box of pears from Harry and David. When flo told me what she was giving him, she said the wine box had "pears" on it (at least that's what I was thinking because I had pears on the brain)--then I realized she meant "pairs" because he's a pairs coach. Lol! :D

[Mel On Ice]

I like how you put it - "She's going to get tons of 'moose on skates' ornaments from her younger skaters, let's get her something she'd like." ;)

let me rephrase THAT: Steve would appreciate not to be deluged with moose on skates.

[doubletoe]

I always give a bottle of champagne (the best stuff I can find for under $15, usually Piper-Sonoma). If my coach drinks, GOOD, because he needs a drink after coaching ME. If my coach doesn't drink, at least a bottle of champagne is a good item for re-gifting, saving him a trip to the store. ;)

[twokidsskatemom]

a case of Molsons or moose head beer, about 25.00

Is what she really likes and we know her well enough to know she will use it well !!

[Terri C]

Both coaches are getting gift cards from the local wine discount store.
I also went in with other parents for my secondary coach's gift- a Pro Planner!

[Moto Guzzi]

I gave my coach two scarves I knitted in colors to match the coat and sweaters she wears while teaching. I also gave her some nice hand lotion that I got at a craft show (we both complain about how badly our hands chap) and some peppermint foot lotion to soothe her feet after long hours on the ice. She gets lots of cookies and fudge from her other students that she puts out in the pro room, and I gave her a round tray with a skating scene on it so she'd have something pretty to put the treats on. I found the tray in a fabric store, of all places.

On Saturday, we're going out for breakfast.

[AnnM]

I usually use the cost of a lesson as a guideline. Last year I gave my coach gourmet cookies that were shaped and decorated like ice skates and mittens. This year I gave her scented, luxe hand & foot lotion, peppermint truffles, and a sampler of teas.

My coach always gives her students really cute gloves. This year I got a pair of baby blue gloves with ice skates on the palm and words like "skate", "twirl", "jump", etc. on the fingers.

[sk8pics]

I often give Blockbuster gift cards for around $20 as gifts. I gave my spin coach an iTunes gift card (he loves iTunes and downloads a lot of music) and a Starbucks gift card (because he drinks a lot of coffee as a pre-med student). I got my moves coach a Blockbuster gift card because he recently bought a projection TV. Can't say what I got my primary coach because I haven't given it to him yet, and someone might blab. ;) But last year I gave him a boom box/CD player with a remote control that he loved and called the perfect gift (because he'd been complaining for a while about not having one, and I listened!).

Can I say, too, that my coach gave me the most thoughtful gift last year? He gave me an embroidered sweatshirt with my name on the front and "TEAM U.S.A." on the back because he knew I wanted to go to Oberstdorf. So, I suppose we both gave each other the most thoughtful gifts last year! Hopefully he will like what i got him this year... I tried to "listen" again!