Why Choose Gifts ‘N Things For Your Holiday Shop

Gifts ‘N Things has been family owned and operated since 1976; you could say we know a thing or two about holiday shops. Because we’ve been doing this for over 40 years, we’ve been able to learn and grow, becoming the best in the industry.

If you’re new to holiday shops, you may be wondering, “What’s a holiday shop anyway?” The answer: A gift buying service where the merchandise ships directly to schools (mostly elementary schools) and children are able to shop independently for their family members and friends.

Another way to think about holiday shops is by comparing them to how a book fair operates. Just like a book fair, there’s no risk to you because everything is under consignment, and if you don’t sell it—just send it back!

Our holiday shop, Lil’ Shopper’s Shoppe, understands that all kids want to give gifts to their families—giving is fun! That’s why most of our gifts are less than $5, allowing everyone to participate.

What else makes us different? We believe 3 key factors set us apart from our competitors.

1. The Best Quality Gifts Available

The number one complaint in our industry is low-quality gifts that break or look bad. We take pride in our gifts and want your children to be proud to gift them. That’s why we design 100% of our gifts right down to the packaging. They’re not just a novelty with an imprint—they’re unique, thought out, and high quality.

2. Our Attention to Detail

We go beyond just sending boxes of gifts your way and leaving it at that. We’ve made sure there are images of all of our items on everything we do: inventory sheets, tent cards, etc. The process for volunteers is painless and simple, from the start to the very end. If we’re able to make your jobs easier, we do!

3. We are Leaders in Technology

Our technology is top-notch. We have a chairperson website which provides the chairperson access to all the information they need to have a successful holiday shop. We also have an app that makes the check out process quick and easy. And, we have an online gift certificate program where parents can pay online instead of sending their kids to school with cash.


This holiday, provide your kids with an experience they’ll treasure forever. If you’d like more information, please feel free to visit our website or request a free information kit.

Sign Up For Your Own Holiday Shop

Ready or not, the holidays are right around the corner. Cookies will be frosted, stockings will be hung, and gifts will be bought. All that’s missing is your very own Holiday Shop with Gifts N’ Things.

You don’t want to miss out on the perfect fundraising opportunity for your school this season – and signing up couldn’t be easier! Sign up by October 31st and you’ll receive our Cash Register App AND a bonus:

• 150 Lil’ Shoppers Shoppe Dollars or 5% additional profit on your Shoppe
• $300 Carnival Kit
• Giant 6’ Gift Stocking
• Pre-programmed coded cash register rental with 10% or 20% profit markup

All you have to do is select your dates, profit, and sign up bonus. Then it’s smooth sailing and happy shoppers!

You should expect your Chairperson Kit about 4 weeks before your sale, which includes everything you need to promote your shoppe. When the time comes to get shopping, your merchandise arrives with pre-priced tent cards making it easier than ever to set up. Bags and tablecloths are provided and merchandise is price coded to make checkout fast and easy.

When you’re done, use our simple inventory or no count inventory system to make returns simple and hassle-free. You’ll get prepaid UPS labels for easy and free product returns.

By fundraising with a Holiday Shop, children learn the joys of giving and the value of money. All gifts are supplied and designed by us, safety tested, and cost-friendly. Children will love that they’re able to join in the gift giving and parents will love that shopping has never been easier, safer, or more affordable.

We’re a family business with over 40 years of experience and we’re proud of our products and our volunteers. We’d love to add your students to our team of Lil’ Shoppers and make the holiday season a holly jolly giving time.

The Benefits of Running a School Holiday Shop

The holiday season is for spreading cheer, so start it right by shopping here!

The Lil’ Shopper’s Shoppe is a place where children discover the joy of giving. We have the highest quality gifts in the school holiday shop industry. We are also an affordable option, because 85% of our gift items are priced at $5.00 or less.

You’ll find something here for everyone on a child’s list: parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents, teachers, special friends – even pets!

Kid-Friendly Shopping

For many children, this may be the first time they experience the thrill of picking out their own holiday gifts for family and friends. With the help of parents and teachers, students can learn the value of money and how to spend it wisely. It’s a great way for students to practice the act of giving and begin thinking of others during the holiday season.

Peace of Mind for Parents

During the holiday season, parents can rest assured that their children will shop in a safe, non-commercial setting. Our top priorities are providing an environment that is safe and fun for the students. Children shop under adult supervision in a safe indoor environment. Volunteers help out, but never pressure the kids shopping to buy.

Administrators and Teachers Love It

The Lil’ Shopper’s Shoppe is a popular holiday shop service that’s risk-free and easy to run for the Parent Teacher Association or Parent Teacher Organization of a school. The Lil’ Shopper’s Shoppe was developed by listening to the needs of school administrators and teachers for over 40 years. Your faculty can teach their students about budgeting and spending wisely at the school holiday gift store. It’s a good opportunity to bring the real world into the classroom, starting at a young age.

We have everything you need to run a successful holiday shop. All a school needs to do is get volunteers to sign up – and it won’t cost the school a penny. There are no freight charges or hidden costs. The school only pays for the merchandise they sell!

Only Top-Quality Gifts

The Lil’ Shopper’s Shoppe offers only high-quality holiday gifts priced right for kids shopping. Many of the gifts were designed from input given by volunteers, teachers and students. There’s something here for everyone!


Like us on Facebook for the newest info and offerings from the Lil’ Shopper’s Shoppe.

Preparing Your Child For School: 4 Ways To Start The New Year On a Good Note

A new school year is exciting, but it’s a transition for both children and adults.

New teachers, new classmates and a new schedule can be daunting. You’ll want to make sure your child is putting their best foot forward in the new year. Here are a few ways children and adults can prepare for a new school year:

1. Communication is Key

Ask your children how they are feeling about the new year. What are they excited about? Staying positive is important, but be sure to ask about their concerns, too. That way, you can approach any potential problems head-on. Let them know that they’re not the only ones feeling a little nervous.

It may be helpful to arrange a playdate with other children who will be at the same school before the first day. That way, they’ll begin the year with a few familiar faces and know that they’ll make even more new friends as the year continues.

2. Lay Out Their Day

Let your kids know what’s on their plate each day. Make sure they are clear about what time they start school and when the day ends. It may even be helpful to visit the school in person and take a practice walk through their schedule before the first day.

Don’t begin and end their schedule with the school day. You can also create a checklist of things that need to be done both before and after school. They’ll feel more prepared when they know exactly what to expect.

3. Goodbyes Don’t Need to be Sad

A positive goodbye routine can make a world of difference at the beginning of each school day, leaving your child excited for the day to come instead of sad about leaving. Your routine might be a hug, high-five or secret handshake. Whichever you choose, keep it brief and be sure to let them know you’ll be back to pick them up. They’ll feel good about the day ahead and safe knowing they’ll see you again soon.

4. Look into After-School Activities

For many children, after-school activities can turn school from a place you go for the day into a community. It can be a way for both kids and adults to make new friends and become more involved in your neighborhood. Research even suggests that sports teams make kids better people!

Sports Teams Make Better People: Here’s How You Can Help

When you pitch in on a fundraiser for a local youth sports team, you’re not just helping finance the team. You’re giving kids the opportunity to grow into the best versions of themselves.

That’s because team sports are full of life lessons. They help build better people, and that’s something you can feel good about supporting.

Here are three ways youth sports help kids grow:

1. They Learn to be Team Players

When you’re on a sports team, you form a bond with your teammates. You learn how to be accountable, to know that your teammates are depending on you. A team sport can help kids see how their contribution, when added with others, adds to the success of the entire team.

That’s not so much different from adult civic life, where you also must get along with others in a team-like setting. That notion of responsibility and duty to others sticks with them.

2. They’re Happier

Research shows that young teens who participate in sports are happier than teens who don’t. They’re more satisfied with their lives.

That might be because team sports not only give kids a mission in their lives to work toward, but also a sense of belonging. Teams cut through social and economic divides, bringing children from all backgrounds together for the love of the game. Those friendships can carry on long after they’ve left the field.

3. They Gain Perspective

Any team must lose sooner or later. With sports, kids quickly learn how to weather losses. In this way, their coach becomes a life coach of sorts: giving the loss context, teaching them that failure is a part of life, and motivating them to bounce back.

Through sports, kids learn that winning isn’t the end-all-be-all. They also learn how, through a little practice and determination, they have the power to turn things around for the better.


Gifts ‘N Things helps kids succeed by teaching them how hard work can pay off - sports teach them the same lesson! To learn more about Gifts ‘N Things, visit our website.

Encourage Your Child to Volunteer This Summer

Now that school is out, parents will likely find themselves asking Now what?

You might travel as a family, or sign your child up for a summer camp, but you will want to consider how to make summer educational and meaningful as well as fun for your child.

As far as enriching summer options, the choices are endless. If you really want to bring meaning and growth to your child’s summer, encourage your child to volunteer.

Giving Back to the Community

Volunteering is all about giving your time and talents. For kids, the act of giving is vital for developing strong character qualities, including the ability to recognize and empathize with the needs of others and to give freely and without expecting anything in return. By developing these qualities, kids actually experience more personal success and do better in school – as well as build greater confidence and stronger friendships.

Growing as a Person

While some students may find comfort in the stable predictability of the school day, others may experience the burnout that comes from too much repetition. A summer volunteering experience is a perfect way for your children to break the routine and explore something out of the ordinary. Some students simply don’t learn best while confined indoors for long stretches. Volunteering will give students the opportunity to learn and explore while standing up, moving around and interacting more freely than is often the case at school.

In addition to getting out and about, students will grow from interacting with people from different generations, socio-economic backgrounds, and general life circumstances. They are likely to cross paths with people they otherwise wouldn’t have met if it hadn’t been for volunteering. They might learn about what life was like a long time ago from an elderly person they are helping, or perhaps, about customs and culture in another part of a world from an immigrant in the community.

Learn New Skills or Perfect Existing Ones

Although volunteering is about giving, you often receive more than you give in the end. This receiving may come in the form of new friendships, new-found inner strength, and in learning new skills. Some such skills will be tangible like learning or improving a musical talent, while others will be a little more abstract, like a stronger sense of self, better communication skills, and the ability to work better in a group setting order to achieve a common goal.


Help your kids get the most out of their summer break by giving back. Volunteering is the perfect way to grow, learn, and - yes - have fun. Not only that, but they’ll get plenty of practice for their school fundraisers!

Helping Kids Finish the Year Strong!

With less than 60 days to go in the school year (cue the dancing), there are still many weeks of lessons to get through, experiments to try, and projects to complete. So how do we make sure that students (and teachers) stay focused and stay hard-at-work through the spring?

Reassess Goals

How has your student been progressing toward their goals for the year? Even though there are months behind us, the weeks ahead are a perfect opportunity for striving to reach those goals, whether they’re academic, social, or behavioral. Hint: this goes for teachers and parents too!

Materials Check

Those crayon boxes are probably in tatters and those poor notebooks are likely a mess. Now is a good time to replace anything that needs it, even if it’s simply getting a new stock of freshly sharpened pencils. New goods can give a fresh bolt of energy to any classroom or student that’s feeling dull.

Get to Bed on Time

Although the sun is going down later and later, it’s important to stick to your routine and get kids to bed on time to be fresh and alert in school. The good news? Those earlier sunrises will help your kids wake up with a little less grumbling.

Go Outside

Do you remember the joy and gratitude you felt for any science project, book discussion, or field trip that took you out of the school when you were younger? Being in nature and soaking in some sun and fresh air is rejuvenating and can help get creative juices flowing. Whether classes are taken outside, playtime is extended, or kids (and adults) walk or bike to school, it’s a great time to take advantage of the nicer weather.

Set Expectations

Although everyone may wish they could check out for the summer in April, make it clear that there is still a lot to cover and accomplish during this school year. So crack open the windows, crack open the books, and keep the momentum going through these last few weeks!