Navigate
X

list of helpful stocking stuffer ideas

For many families, stockings on Christmas morning are as much a part of the holiday tradition as gifts and a Christmas tree. Children dream of getting up and seeing those stockings bulging with toys and sweets. However, I usually forget about stockings until I end up running out to a store during the final days before Christmas to search madly for the overpriced junk that I end up buying. Be sure to include some of these items on your gift list and finish off your stocking stuffers early this year.

  • An orange – traditionally occupies the toe
  • Treats – candy canes or Andes mints
  • Nuts – bag of shelled walnuts or pecans
  • Toys – small and unwrapped
  • Socks – colorful and rolled up
  • Personal ornament – unique to the owner of the stocking (e.g. soccer ornament for a budding soccer player)
  • Coins – even children love shiny coins
  • Personal care items – chapstick, fancy toothbrush, hair accessories
  • Stickers/Tattoos
  • Tea bags or hot cocoa mix

What items do you remember finding in your stocking as a child? What are your favorite items to include in a stocking now?

Tags: Christmasstockings
Jennifer Tankersley:

View Comments (19)

  • We would always get a mini box of "sugar" cereal, since we didn't get those too often, and an orange, some candy, usually a little thing of lotion and some chapstick. Underwear and socks sometimes, and usually some sort of fun thing different for each child.

  • What a great list! We would get those invisible ink booklets...remember those? My favorite was always Mr. Mystery. Now we give our children candy, little toys, usually a small stuffed animal or plastic dinosaur (they're boys!). Stockings are fun...I think I like picking out the stocking stuffers more than buying the other presents.

  • Santa always provided a healthy breakfast in stockings...juice box, piece of fruit (everyone got their favorite) and box of cold cereal in our stockings. There were also candy coins, a candy cane, small toys and treats, new toothbrush and toothpaste. As we got older, we'd find our favorite shampoo, conditioner, antiperspirant, etc. And there were usually a couple of things that were unique to each stocking, too.

  • Cool list! I love the stockings most of all :)
    My mom always put in a "book" of lifesavers - that was always my favorite.

  • We always got pens and pencils too. When we got a bit older we would get crossword puzzles and word searches to go with them.

  • When I was growing up, my mom always put breakfast in our stockings . . . an orange in the toe, a pastry just above that and then things to do. Usually we got stuff like a little book, fancy pens or pencils, lip chap in Christmas flavors, fancy erasers and little maze books. When we got older, we had movies in there so we could watch them and not bug my parents while they were sleeping.

    My husband thinks I`m insane for buying stocking stuffers already, but I have started! Everything is just so expensive near Christmas and you never can find what you want, so it`s just easier to pick stuff up when you find it. Not to mention, it spreads the spending out a bit.

  • We always include their favorite grocery item ... a jar of dill pickles, a can of mushrooms, a box of stuffing ... LOL!! Really! :o)

  • My mom always put little lip glosses (usually sparkly or fruit flavored) nail polish, earrings, candy, little bottles of bubble bath, a new toothbrush, etc..
    barretts and bows, etc.

    My brother-in-law (my sisters husband) Santa always put breakfast items small box of cereal- orange, juice box... so if the kids woke up early - they could eat breakfast.

    MY sister said, "yeah- santa did that for us too- just our breakfast was pez candy and candy bars." :0)

1 2 3