Stockings have quickly become a family favorite tradition. The whole family gets in on the fun—adults, kids, and pets! I love to unload my stocking to see what fun items Santa (or my husband) added! Who knew one day I would want to receive socks for Christmas?!
As fun as exchanging stockings can be, putting together the stocking tends to be a little stressful. Enter my trusty “Sanity-Saving Stocking Stuffer Hack.” Granted, applying a formula to stocking stuffers might be the opposite of “magic of the season,” but I am pretty sure saving my sanity is more than magical so I’m sticking with the formula.
The formula is easy. I have my main categories of stocking stuffers and check off the list from there. I keep a running Note on my phone. Before we even begin building the stockings, we set a budget. Stockings can go from $5-$100 real quick so it’s best to decide ahead of time if you’re going minimal or all out. These are my main categories along with a few suggestions.
- Stocking Staples – these are the items we do every year in some form or another. By far the easiest category; they’re basically the same for each person so you could even buy multi-packs and divide them up.
- Toothbrush
- Socks
- Underwear
- Chapstick, lip gloss
- Hair ties (hair accessories in general)
- Ornament
- Gum
- Hand sanitizer
- Snacks (favorite candy, hot sauce, beef jerky, sunflower seeds, chips, homemade treat, drink, Nifty Nut House, Cocoa Dolce chocolate, Popcorner, Kernel’s Popcorn Express)
- Hobby-related – this is the most personalized category and one of my favorite to shop!
- Art – crayons, markers, watercolors, water-reveal pads, flipbook kits, washi tape (good to use to label your new charging cords…)
- Beauty – make-up, nail polish, mani/pedi kit, individual face masks, face wipes, bath bombs, jewelry
- Baking – sprinkles, spatulas, vanilla, cupcake liners, cookie scoop, cookie cutter, oven mitt, personalized recipe
- Cooking – spices, cooking tools, spoon holder, instant-read thermometer, Lodge mini skillet, personalized recipe
- Hunting – gloves, hand warmers, hunting mask, duck call
- Reading – notepad or book journal, book light, book darts or bookmarks, “from the library of” book stamp
- Sports – golf balls, keychain, hats, desktop basketball/golf/baseball
- Technology – chargers / charging cords, cord organizer, pop socket, smartwatch stand
- Travel – travel journal, passport holder, portable charger, packing cubes, luggage tag, digital luggage scale, travel size…anything
- Toys – these are not just for kids; a few of these items (I’m looking at you, kinetic sand) are just as fun for adults.
- Kinetic sand
- Playdoh or silly putty or slime
- WikkiStix
- Stress ball
- Fidget popper
- Car
- Finger puppets
- Doll
- Book
- Games – Bananagrams, card deck, Uno, Phase 10, Skip-Bo, Cover Your Assets, brain teasers, Farkel
- Treat yourself – a great category for your “older” receivers.
- Lottery ticket
- Gift card (usually $5 – $10 … enough to get a drink or snack at your favorite place – bonus points if it’s local)
- Straight cash (you could even get creative with folding it)
- Coupons (day out with mom or dad, free pass on chores, date night)
- Other Unique Ideas – these items tend to vary from year-to-year; I love to see what’s trending.
- Whiskey stones
- Reusable straws
- Cheeky magnet
- Notepad – especially funny ones (Knock Knock pads)
- Mad Libs
- Universal dust cleaner
- Sandwich cutter/sealer
- Silk pillowcase
- Temporary tattoos
- Beard oil
- Essential oils
- Selfie light ring
- Perfume, cologne
- Plant food spikes
- Milk frother
- Zen garden
Take this formula, adapt it to your family, and your stocking stuffers might just become your easiest purchase! Elevate your stocking stuffers by shopping local. Now you just have to figure out how to fit all your items in one stocking. (Our answer: homemade stockings!)
