How many “Best Teacher” mugs have you given to your kid’s teachers over the years? Four? Five maybe? Now think of all the other parents who have done the same thing for the same amount of time. How many “Best Teacher” mugs do you think these teachers have at home?

This year, we’re levelling up our teacher Christmas gift giving game with small businesses at The Collective Beat.

Naked Care

Naked Care is a plant based skincare brand in NSW founded by mother and daughter duo who are on a mission to provide high quality, cruelty free, and naturally derived soaps and products. Their soaps are developed using a unique combination of oils, butters, clays and essential oils, all while remaining cruelty and palm oil free!

Each bar of soap is hand cut, hand stamped and hand packaged, and all made in small batches to keep from over producing and causing damage to our environment. The Naked products remind us that our skin should always be nurtured, soothed and hydrated as naturally as possible. By gifting Naked products, you’re not only giving to teachers (who deserve it most), but to the earth!

You can find Naked Care in The Collective Beat Handmade Gallery in Kiama, open 7 days from 10am

Hello Weekend

These shopping bags from Hello Weekend are not only stylish, but reusable and great for the planet! Made from recycled drink bottles, these have a fully circular life. Any PET drink bottles that are put into your yellow recycling bin are broken down into tiny pieces, melted together, then spun into rolls of fabric that then create your Hello Weekend shopping tote. And the best thing is, once they reach the end of their life, they can be recycled again! Just pop them into your local supermarket’s soft plastics bin!

So next time you see your children’s teachers at the supermarket (and your child asks them why they’re not at school), they’ll be using their Hello Weekend bag to take all their guilty pleasure chocolates home in.

You can find Hello Weekend in The Collective Beat Kiama, open 7 days

Jess MayBee

Jess specialises in funky earrings and beaded necklaces. What better or more appropriate gift for a teacher than a pair of super fun polymer clay earrings?

Based in Shellharbour, everything from Jess MayBee is handmade on the South Coast in small batches, so you can guarantee that what you are getting and giving is one of a kind. You will definitely want to bring your spending money though, because once you see one of Jess’s products, you are going to want all of them.

You can find Jess MayBee in The Collective Beat Handmade Gallery in Kiama, open 7 days from 10am

The Vase Co

Hand painted in Sydney, The Vase Co specialises in boho vases for your boho home. One of the best things about these vases is that because they are all handmade, no two are the same, so you can guarantee that whichever one you purchase will be one of a kind.

Focusing on neutrals but keeping everything modern and handmade, The Vase Co owner, Mindy, is a busy mum who does a little happy dance with her family whenever an order or sale comes through! What better way to show the teachers in your life some appreciation than a stunning handmade and hand painted vase from The Vase Co this Christmas!

You can find The Vase Co in The Collective Beat Kiama, open 7 days

Jess Hutchison Art

Time for our second Jess of the list, and this Jess is someone you are definitely going to want to buy from for yourself. These 2023 calendars are perfect for those busy teachers who are too busy looking after and influencing the next generation to think about what they are doing on Tuesday night after the staff meeting (that will definitely run late) but before the third birthday dinner for the week.

The stunning pages of the 2023 calendar are filled with prints of Jess’s original paintings of a multitude of different bird and plant species. And the best thing about a calendar is ripping the prints out at the end of the year and framing them (possibly even gifting those prints) to hang around the home. We know we will be purchasing at least three of the 2023 calendars before the year is out! These calendars are also available in other styles and colours.

You can find Jess Hutchison Art in The Collective Beat Gerringong, and The Collective Beat Huskisson, open 7 days

Immie and Me Apothecary

Everyone loves a body oil, and these luxurious oils from Immie and Me Apothecary are no exception. The body oils are made from essential oils and natural products so you can be sure that there are no nasties going into or onto the skin!

They are clean, pure, and simple, and feel like you should be at a day spa rather than at your own home, fresh from the bath. These oils are perfect for the teacher who needs a little extra self care in their life, and you can show them how to start with Immie and Me Apothecary body oils.

You can find Immie and Me Apothecary in The Collective Beat Gerringong, The Collective Beat Huskisson, The Collective Beat Milton, and our sister store, The Mill Marketplace in Pyree

SWEET HEALTH COOKIES

We don’t think there is anything better than a homemade cookie, however, these Sweet Health jars of cookie mix could change our mind. The easiest present, the easiest way to bake homemade cookies (that don’t come from a packet mix!), the easiest way to show your children’s teacher how much you appreciate them this Christmas with labels like “Thanks for making learning so sweet!” and “Thanks for making me a smart cookie!” Gift giving couldn’t be easier this Christmas.

We all know that teachers deserve more than they’re given credit for, especially over the last few years of home learning and hybrid learning, and everything in between. So, show the teachers in your life a little extra love this Christmas by shopping for them mindfully at The Collective Beat

Christmas Gift Guide: Teachers