[eldo]

ghostie,

Good suggestions here, but one thing you may want to do first is check with your room mom to see if she will be collecting $ for a single gift.

The first year of school I didn't realize this was the norm and I felt I should contribute the money rather than give the gift I had picked out and tell the room mom I couldn't help out. I was able to use my gift for someone else, but it would have saved me shopping time had I known I would be asked for $. Almost every class my kids have been in has done a collection for the teacher at Christmas and at the end of the school year.

If you confirm there are no plans for a class gift, then you can go ahead and select a gift on your own.