My younger son, in typical middle school fashion, lives in sweatpants. That’s all he’ll wear these days. No more jeans or swishy pants for him.

He came home from school about a week ago eager to tell me about the sweats he saw for sale at school. Apparently they had Braintree printed down the leg and he was hoping to get a pair. A quick inquiry revealed that the pants he saw are available for sale at Braintree High School.

His request got me to thinking: since we’re all out Christmas shopping anyway, are there any other ways to find items for everyone on your list and give back to the schools at the same time?

I am happy to report that there are indeed. Here’s what I found:

The Wamp Stop

Rather than head to a store like Bob’s, Aeropostale, or Abercrombie when looking for athletic wear, you should instead head to the Wamp Stop at Braintree High School. The BHS school store, under the guidance of business teacher Kevin Coyne, is entirely student-run and sells a variety of Braintree gear.

Just some of the items for sale range from hooded sweatshirts and sweatpants, to long and short-sleeve Ts, shorts, thermal shirts, zip-up hoodies, and track jackets. The clothes are top-notch and feature high-quality manufacturers including Jansport, Under-Armour, and Champion. Even better, the prices are consistent with what you’d spend elsewhere. Sweatshirts, both pullover and zip-up range from $30 to $36, sweatpants start at $32, and Ts at $10.

The Wamp Stop is open daily during lunch (11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) for the month of December and is usually available for after-school shopping until 4:30 p.m. The Wamp Stop accepts cash, checks, and credit cards for payment.

South Gear

For parents of South middle schoolers, South Gear orders are currently underway. Three different styles of hooded sweatshirts are available for sale and come in both youth and adult sizes. Prices range from $30 to $33 depending on the style. You can also embroider your student’s name for an additional $5.

Orders must be received by Friday, Dec. 9, to guarantee availability for Christmas. View pictures of South Gear at the South website or stop by the front-office to view the items first hand. Download a copy of the order form here and drop it off at school.  

Hollis School Mall

If you do most of your Christmas shopping online, you’ll definitely want to check out the Hollis School Mall shopping portal. I came across it the other day and was amazed at the wide selection of participating vendors, each of whom will donate a percentage of your purchase back to the school, in some cases as much as 7 percent.

Just some of the participating sites include Best Buy, Lowe’s, Mattel Toy Shop, Old Navy, Target, Gamestop, Disney Store, and Fathead. What makes this deal even sweeter is that when you forward the link to friends and family, the Hollis School will benefit from their purchases as well. You can access the Hollis School Mall here or simply go to SchoolMall.com and enter Hollis when you’re prompted for the school name.

Shopping Day at Liberty

On Saturday, Dec. 10, more than 45 different vendors will be selling their wares at the Liberty School’s Second Annual Vendor Shopping Event. You’ll pick up some unique gifts and give back to Liberty at the same time. Items for sale include handmade jewelry, handcrafted gifts such as doll clothes and baby blankets, and holiday items.

As an extra bonus, bring any old and unwanted gold pieces and receive a check for its worth from Party of Gold. They’ll also be donating 15 percent of their final proceeds back to Liberty School so everyone’s a winner. The Vendor Shopping event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Gifts that Last

If you’re looking for a gift for that special someone who has everything, consider a legacy gift. Fortunately there are a couple of options for long-lasting gifts both of which benefit area elementary schools. At Ross School, the Remember Me Ross Media Center Library Donation provides you the opportunity donate a book to the school library in someone’s name. For a $15 donation, a hardcover book will be purchased for the school library and a label will be affixed inside the front cover where you can write your dedication.

The Memories Marked in Time fundraiser currently underway at Highlands School provides another unique opportunity for a long lasting gift. You can purchase a brick ($50) or granite plaque ($400) and have the name of the intended engraved upon it. The bricks and granite plaques are to be used in the construction of a walkway at the front of the school.

Spirit Wear for the Younger Set

A quick check of local elementary schools revealed an availability of Spirit Wear for the holiday season. Among some of the items found are short and long sleeve t-shirts, sweatshirts, pajama pants, and backpacks. Your best bet would be to contact each school directly to find out what is available for purchase.

Hollis Elementary School, which will be holding its Holiday Shop on Friday, Dec. 9, will be selling both long and short sleeve T-shirts at the event. Morrison has a limited supply of T-shirts (both long and short sleeve) and Highlands has T-shirts, flannel pajama bottoms, and sweatshirts for sale.