Holiday joy came to Middle Gate Elementary School and Reed Intermediate School a little early this year, as both schools held holiday boutiques on the week of December 8.

Reed’s holiday boutique ran from December 8 to 10, while Middle Gate’s ran from December 10 to December 12.

At Reed, teachers periodically pulled students out of class and into the cafeteria, where everyone could shop at the holiday boutique.

The cafeteria stage was lined with several tables draped in white tablecloths, each filled with different items.

Students could buy weighted stuffed animals, cards, plush throw blankets, socks, gloves, puzzles, animal air dry clay, sports balls, mugs, and slippers, among other items.

Peeking out from behind a few of the tables were large inflatable ornaments, paired with a sparkly inflatable tree.

By December 10, when kids excitedly made their last-minute purchases, Reed PTA President Meagan Warnock said she could not be happier to help them with their holiday shopping.

“They can shop for their families. They can budget and manage their money. It’s fantastic,” Warnock said. “And it’s a way for them to feel independent.”

Parent volunteers and Reed PTA members ran the checkout counter, ready to help students if they needed anything. They safely packed students’ purchases inside bright red holiday gift bags and tied them together with dark green ribbons.

The PTA and parent volunteers purchased the items for the boutique “using every coupon and discount code” to get students the best possible deals, according to Warnock.

To that end, Warnock said everything was priced from $1 to $12. This was so every student could buy something nice for their loved one if they wanted to.

Even on its last day, Reed’s holiday boutique was getting new items to put on display; parent volunteers and Reed PTA members packed brownie mix with tiny whisks to sell as a set together.

Reed was not the only school ringing in the holiday season; Middle Gate also had its own holiday boutique for students to purchase gifts.

Middle Gate Room 1 was transformed into a winter wonderland for the special occasion. The school’s PTA decorated the room’s walls with white, silver, light blue, and dark blue balloons, along with shiny icicle and snowflake balloons.

Much like the one at Reed, the holiday boutique at Middle Gate had a wide variety of items for students to purchase. Jewelry, ceramic mugs, tumblers, keychains, wooden plaques, ornaments, toys, magnets, and serving trays were only some of the many items students could buy.

Middle Gate PTA member Nina Ruben, who led organizing the event, said the school has a holiday boutique every year. However, she noted that this was their first year using an outside vendor to supply the inventory.

Ruben said the vendor takes Middle Gate’s enrollment number and sends them a wide variety of items priced from 25¢ to $16, with most gifts priced between $2 to $8.

“It’s been a little less work on the front end, so we don’t necessarily have to wrap all the presents and go out and shop for them,” Ruben explained.

Before the boutique opened, students went home with a “budget envelope,” where they wrote who they want to shop for and what they wanted to buy for them.

“It’s nice because they can sit down with their parents and go over who they want to shop for, so they have an idea before coming in,” Ruben said.

More than anything, Ruben said it had been “very sweet” seeing students cross off their lists and how excited they were to shop for their loved ones.

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.