Teachers Reveal the 1 Item They Are Desperate to Not Be Gifted This Holiday Season: 'The Last Thing We Need'

Mar. 15, 2025

Students in a classroom with a teacher (stock image).Photo:skynesher/Getty

skynesher/Getty

School teachersare banding together to share a holiday PSA.Natalie Parmenter, a former kindergarten teacher, recently shared avideo on TikTok, in which she highlighted gifts that teachers do not want to receive during the holiday season.“Number one, another mug,” she began. “We’ve got pencil mugs, we’ve got plants growing in mugs — that’s it. It’s enough mugs.“Patricia Britton, another teacher, said in her ownTikTok videowhile holding up a mug inside a store, “Do not give us this.““We teachers do not want more mugs. I have a cabinet full of them, and I do not need more,” the educator continued.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Coffee mugs (stock image).Moment RF/GettySpeaking withToday.com, Parmenter doubled down on teachers' dislike of receiving mugs as a present, using her own personal experience.“When I moved in with my husband, he asked me to do a purge of my mugs because they filled up two cabinets in our kitchen,” she told the outlet. “The last thing we need is one more comically oversized mug that can’t go in the dishwasher.”The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!Still, she admitted she and other educators don’t mean to sound ungrateful, as “teachers always appreciate gifts.““Whether it’s art from a student or a handwritten card. It means a lot, because we work really hard and don’t always get recognition,” Parmenter continued.But if gifting something bought is a must for a parent, she offered: “Teachers love getting gift cards — no matter the dollar amount. It’s the thought that counts.”

School teachersare banding together to share a holiday PSA.

Natalie Parmenter, a former kindergarten teacher, recently shared avideo on TikTok, in which she highlighted gifts that teachers do not want to receive during the holiday season.

“Number one, another mug,” she began. “We’ve got pencil mugs, we’ve got plants growing in mugs — that’s it. It’s enough mugs.”

Patricia Britton, another teacher, said in her ownTikTok videowhile holding up a mug inside a store, “Do not give us this.”

“We teachers do not want more mugs. I have a cabinet full of them, and I do not need more,” the educator continued.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Coffee mugs (stock image).Moment RF/Getty

Moment RF/Getty

Speaking withToday.com, Parmenter doubled down on teachers' dislike of receiving mugs as a present, using her own personal experience.

“When I moved in with my husband, he asked me to do a purge of my mugs because they filled up two cabinets in our kitchen,” she told the outlet. “The last thing we need is one more comically oversized mug that can’t go in the dishwasher.”

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Still, she admitted she and other educators don’t mean to sound ungrateful, as “teachers always appreciate gifts.”

“Whether it’s art from a student or a handwritten card. It means a lot, because we work really hard and don’t always get recognition,” Parmenter continued.

But if gifting something bought is a must for a parent, she offered: “Teachers love getting gift cards — no matter the dollar amount. It’s the thought that counts.”

source: people.com