Part of our Counselor’s Corner series. Click to read other posts in the Counselor’s Corner.

Looking for a festive way to celebrate teachers and staff at your school? Here are a few easy and inexpensive ways to celebrate your teachers and other staff members. You can work with other faculty members or partner with your local parent-teacher association to spread holiday cheer without breaking the bank.

Deck the Lounge
Teachers and staff visit their lounge area each day. Usually this is a place that could use some sprucing up. If you decorate it in a winter/snow/snowflake theme, it will be appropriate throughout—and past—the holiday season. It’s also a good idea to go with a winter theme instead of a specific holiday so that you are sensitive to your staff and don’t offend anyone’s religious beliefs.

Head to your local party supply store or dollar store and purchase plastic tablecloths and other festive decorations for the tables in the lounge. You can also purchase inexpensive holiday plates and cups for staff to use. Add some cheer to windows with wintery window clings or by drawing on them with window crayons or markers.

These simple ideas can make a big impact on the lounge area and put teachers and staff in a jolly mood during their breaks.

Warm Their Mugs
Host a hot cocoa bar in the staff lounge or other central location in the school. Staff can stop at their convenience to warm their mugs with a festive cup of hot chocolate.

To make a hot cocoa bar, purchase different flavors of hot chocolate mix and other add-ins such as marshmallows, whipped cream, caramel sauce, and peppermint sticks or candy canes. You can display all of the ingredients in glass containers purchased from the dollar store. Purchase wintery mugs that staff can re-use or festive paper travel cups. Provide a Keurig or an electric kettle so everyone can make hot water and add whatever ingredients they want to make a customized cup of hot cocoa.

You can get some great ideas by looking at Pinterest and searching for “Hot Cocoa Bar” or “Hot Chocolate Bar.”

Provide Pampering
Partner with a local massage school or cosmetology school to provide massages and spa services for teachers and staff. Many students in massage or cosmetology programs need to work on real people to gain hours towards their education, and so are able to offer free or low-cost services.

Have the massage and cosmetology students set up a station for a day or two and invite teachers and staff to stop by during prep time or lunch for a massage, manicure, or pedicure. They can de-stress by sitting back, relaxing, and being pampered.

What inexpensive things do you do to spread holiday cheer to teachers and staff at your school?

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