I absolutely LOVE Christmas shopping. I do it all year long, and love keeping my eye out for little things that will make my family happy. One of my very favorite parts of Christmas morning has always been the stocking. Growing up, we took turns opening one present at a time from our stocking….carefully watching each other enjoy the little gifts inside. Now, I continue the tradition with my own family, each taking turns, and really stopping to enjoy each little gift inside.
I have a blast coming up with things to stuff inside our stockings, and wanted to share some ideas with all of you. I hope you will find this list helpful, and that you come away with at least one or two new ideas to make someone in your life smile this year.I will break down the lists by category so you can just search through the lists you need!
Young Kids (Infants -2 years)
This is a tough category for many people. We want our younger children to be included (and to teach our older children that the younger children are as equally important), but it is often hard to come up with ideas for a person who can’t have treats, will choke on just about everything, and who honestly….doesn’t really know what’s going on. Still, I will be including my one year old in the stockings this year (of course!), so here is a list for the babies in your life.
- Cereal puffs
- Animal crackers/Biter biscuits
- Baby Mum Mums
- Nesting cups
- Rattles
- Sippy cups/bottles
- board books
- small stuffed animals
- pj’s (you can ALWAYS find pj’s on clearance!)
- cute socks or baby legs
- teether
- soft Tonka cars
- small soft doll
- bath toys
- bibs
- baby silverware
- wooden puzzles
- juice
- baby lotion/baby bath
- first toothbrush
Kids (3-8)
This is a list of gift ideas for kids between the ages of 3 and 8. The first list is items I think both boys and girls would enjoy! (At least, mine would!)
- Books! (One of my all time favorite stocking stuffers! Don’t feel like you can’t buy used either…You get so much bang for your buck at a thrift shop or on half.com!)
- Stickers
- Bubbles (and bubble accessories!)
- sidewalk chalk
- art supplies (crayons, markers, colored pencils, glue sticks, etc.)
- construction paper
- drawing tablets
- spiral notebooks or writing journals
- bath toys
- bubble bath (especially a fun character kind!)
- magic washcloths
- bath sponge capsules ( a favorite of mine as a child!)
- coloring books, activity books, workbooks (dollar stores have an awesome selection!)
- flashcards
- card games
- travel games
- kid cd’s (often much cheaper than adult cd’s!)
- DVD (find these for super cheap online or watch for the $5 bins at the stores)
- favorite candy
- juice boxes
- special chips/snack they love and may not get all the time (due to price/health content/etc.)
- soda (my kids think this is SUPER special to have their own bottle of sprite, etc. as they don’t get it very often)
- glow sticks
- bouncy balls
- play dough
- silly putty
- slinky
- flashlight
- puzzles
- water bottle
- kite
- character tees
- pj’s
- socks/character undies
- crazy straws
- Barbies (often on clearance this time of year)
- Barbie clothes
- Polly Pockets (or Polly Pocket accessories!)
- My Little Ponies
- Littlest Pet Shop
- Flavored chap sticks
- hair bands
- head bands
- purse
- necklaces, bracelets, earrings, etc.
- apron/cooking utensils
- paper dolls
- sports balls
- Hot Wheels
- Nerf toys
- Lego sets
- favorite action figures
- camping accessories (canteen/compass/etc.)
- Thomas accessories/ train toys
- small Tonka trucks
- sports cards
Older Kids and Teens
- books (get them online to save money!!)
- DVD’s (again, look for clearance deals or look on half.com or amazon to save money!)
- favorite candy
- $5 gift cards (itunes, favorite restaurant)
- metal water bottle or Nalgene
- movie ticket
- favorite magazine
- calendar
- cool pens/markers/sharpies/mechanical pencils
- soda or other favorite drink
- video game (you can find lots of DS games for around $5 near the holidays or online!)
- Coupons (One dinner of your choice, get out of mowing the lawn/I’ll make your bed for a week, etc.)
- card games/travel games
- something nostalgic -a character/toy/show they loved (when I was in high school, I got a Care Bears movie and thought it was so cool, because it reminded me of when I was little!)
- CD (with the rise of digital music, you can find these pretty cheap!)
- apps for their phone
- passes to local bowling alley/amusement park/putt putt golf/etc.
- journal
- case for their phone/ipod
- puzzle books (crossword/sudoku/etc.)
Women
- bath/shower gel (or fun homemade soaps!)
- lotion (spring for a nice brand though…)
- chap stick
- make-up
- cosmetic case/travel makeup bag
- new blush brush
- shower puffy
- books! (can you tell I love books? Seriously, again I will stress to buy them used!!! You can get someone 2-3 for the price of 1!!)
- scentsy bricks or other jar candles/votives/etc.
- cookbooks
- cake pans/cookie sheets/new measuring cups
- “fun” spice blends
- scrapbook paper/lettering/doo-dads
- craft supplies (paints/brushes/mod-podge/fabric quarters/crochet hooks/whatever they are into!)
- kitchen “gadgets” (peruse a kitchen outlet store or Bed Bath and Beyond and find a TON of fun little cooking tools!)
- Coupons for babysitting, a day off, an offer to cook dinner, clean up the dishes, etc.
- slippers
- calendar
- pj pants/nightgown
- scarf/gloves/hat
Men
Guys are often the hardest to shop for….especially if your man isn’t into any specific hobby (or if they’re like mine and have expensive hobbies!) However, I hope this list helps!
- coffee (get a pound of their favorite beans or blend)
- favorite candy or treat (look for the “man-sized” giant candy bars too!)
- 12 pack soda/favorite beer/frappuccinos/wine/etc.
- boxers
- socks
- batteries
- tools (think screwdrivers to pocket knives to chisels…whatever the man in your life is into!)
- wallet
- T-shirts
- hot sauce/bbq sauce/specialty food he loves
- chapstick
- razor
- “Cookie of the month club” (Good for uncles/brothers/etc- They get to pick a kind of cookie once a month for a year, and you deliver!)
- gum, mints, altoids
- screws/nails
- gift cards (starbucks, favorite restaurant, itunes)
- DVD’s (You can even find Blu-Rays for $5 around the holidays!)
- supplies for washing the car
- Search for fun items from their favorite sports team (mugs, shot glasses, shirts, license plate covers, static stickers, etc.)
- desk calendar
- plant for their office (was one of my husband’s favorite stocking stuffers ever)
- books!
- water bottle (Nalgene, metal, etc.)
- travel coffee mug (an obsession of my husband)
- homemade jam/jelly with a loaf of fresh bread
Hope this helps! Have fun shopping for the little gifts this year! May your stockings be filled with fun, happiness, and love this year!!
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing:)
The jam/jelly & homemade fresh bread loaf is genius! Why didn’t I think of that?