In this day an age of hurried parents and the lack of interest they take in the daycare in general the more I stopped doing special gifts. The cost and time spent just wasn't appreciated. Yes they gush to a certain extent when it is given but at the same time I didn't feel they were going out of their way to do something special in return. Yes the gift cards are nice and I get to buy what I want - which is what most of my parents give me but at the same time lacks the personal touch. Instead I build it into the program and up the number of crafts we do in December. We make ornaments mostly so up to the parents to hang and keep and reuse or save over the years. I only do a couple with the babies so they have something special but it is still simple - usually a hand or foot based gift but maybe done in foam over paper. Cost is definitely kept to a minimum. The kids are just as excited about the simple things they made if not more than when I went all out and worked with each one to create something wonderful but more complicated. It meant those not having a turn were left to "just play" till it was their turn. Now we keep it simple, make them together and spend the time we save on seasonal games and activities to play.