I know it's probably too early in the season, but . . .

What do you get your skater's coach for Christmas? My skater has 2 coaches. Is one week's coaching fee a good gift (around $100 for one coach, $50 for the other)?

Or do you think it more appropriate to purchase a small, inexpensive gift. I honestly don't know what the coaches' personal tastes or hobbies are .

my mom gave my coaches nice coffee and coffee mugs for the holidays

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Waffles & Vodka

Breakfast of Champions

go with how well you know the coach. Our longtime coach got taken out for an expensive dinner and got about a 100 dollar gift. The dance pro who we didn't know so well got gift certificate for 50 dollars to a store we knew he went to.

After paying (and paying and paying...) for lessons, I don't have enough left over to by expensive gifts or give a cash bonus to my daughter's coaches. We try to give thoughtful gifts like baked goods, gloves, slippers, etc. I let my daughter pick the gifts and she writes a nice card to each of them. We love our coaches. They are all good people. We would love to do more but I think they know skating leaves us regular folks kinda poor! Truly, it's the thought that counts!

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Babyskater's Mom

I usually pay between $20 - 25 for a gift for my daughter to give her coach. I pay the coach for her time throughout the year, so I don't feel it necessary to give her anything from me (personally) at Christmas. A nice card is all I give.

Some people in my area give chocolates, wine, gloves, christmas ornaments. Things like that. Last year my daughter gave her coach a musical water globe which had little skaters around the base, and it played "Skater's Waltz". Her coach loved it. My daughter adored her coach (who has moved away this year, and she misses her a lot!)

For the new coach, not sure yet. She's much older and established; doesn't need (or probably want) much. As well, very serious type. So we'll probably go with Chocolates this time.

I go with something in the $25 - 30 range. If you're trying to tie it to lesson cost, I pay $30 each week for a half hour lesson.

Since my coach still skates, I gave him a gift certificate for skate sharpenings. Another time I gave him a gift certificate for a bookstore/cd store because we can never have too much music!

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"The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary." -- Vidal Sasson

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -- Unknown

Last christmas, i had been with my new coach for only about a month, so we gave her a 10 dollar gift certificate to a restuarant(marie calenders). most coaches at my rink charge 22-24 dollars a 1/2 hour, so gifts are usually simple, thoughtful, and not too expensive. In return, my coach gave all her students a little something for christmas, mine was a teddy bear on skates. i thought that was pretty nice of her, considering i hadnt even been her student that long. some coaches give 10 dollar gift certificates to stores,etc to their students. but yeah, 10-20 dollars in our area is about the going price for gifts.

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~Sk8Bunny~
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"I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?"

My coach gets a bottle of red wine (his favourite!) and his wife, who teaches my husband, gets a house-plant. I usually get something for their children, too.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Christmas? We can't afford it anymore! My daughter (6) chooses all her own gifts and last year it was candles from Yankee Candle and a stuffed animal.

I would say just bake something and give it as a gift - simple and inexpensive. It's still "the thought that count". I would stay away from any gift that includes a coffee mug though. How many coffee mug can you have in your house?

LOL Tell me about it. I put a bunch in a box and put them in the basement. Most were "gifts". I have two favorite coffee mugs that I use all the time. It's their shape or feel or something, but I don't like using the other ones. They don't feel "right."

I gave my coach personalized post-it notes with a little skater on them (an artsy skater not a cartoonish skater) She loved them.

Well, I'm glad to see that people are cheaper than I thought they would be. I am always surprised by my own generosity. Think I will be going with a "cheaper" gift this year. As my "mother" always said, "people don't appreciate it" (gifts and such), and I guess she's right.

Ill just get her a little mug saying the worlds best coach or something cheap and harmless like that.

Hey, that's a great idea. Never thought about that. It's the thought that counts, right

Right Right, and come on do the coaches do the coaches really expect anything?
And they really do love the cheap gifts !

Afetr all they arent gonna tell us what they want for christmas are they!

Well i hope not after all they do want to keep are business dont they.>?

you would think.

Just out of curiosity: how good of a tax deductible can you get out of giving the mugs away at a Goodwill or Salvation Army shop?

I brought extra coffee mugs, plates, silverware, etc...over to my job, so I'll always have my own dishes to eat off of, instead of the crappy paper plates. Plus, I've been warned to NOT microwave with Styrofoam boxes. It's considered toxic! Something to think about if you have an office job with your own cube or office... especially if your job has a dishwasher too...

Last year I gave a gold skating blade pin to go with his gold blades! (I don't know if he still has the pin but I've seen him wear it as late as around April(?) on his coaching jacket!) I have a standby gift if I can't find anything - a Starbucks card! I *know* he makes Starbucks runs... (But the gift I'm aiming to give him is "top secret!") But like everyone else, I can't spend a lot of money. After all, hubby and I are living on one paycheck.

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

My friend Leah and I were talking about having all of our coach's students pitch in to get her a personal license plate...I think we were going to get 1 COACH or something for number 1 coach

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- Ashley

Sounds like a great idea ashbugg44!

Well i cant get them alot seeing as i have 3 coaches!

That's kind of a neat idea--do you mean a plate for just the front of the car, or an actual vanity license plate? The reason I ask is, in my state, there's an additional charge for having a vanity plate not just at first, but also every year at renewal. (The gift that keeps on giving! ) Either way though, it's a spiffy idea.

Yeah that's what we were thinking too, because then she would have to pay for it every year which would kind of defeat the purpose lol

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- Ashley

On the other hand, Ashbugg, that would be Christmas sorted for many years to come...... if you and your skating circle paid the renewal fees as well, I mean.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

You might try to check this out with your coach first (maybe with a joke, so you don't give away the gift?). Some people prefer to have their car remain anonymous.

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