We are at the point of the holiday shopping season where websites are starting to post little warnings about what will arrive in time for Christmas. We are still FIFTEEN DAYS OUT from Christmas, people. And yet it seems we need to order things NOW or they may not get here. It’s… stressing me out. Yes, even though I already have 95% of the gifts I plan to buy.
My Stocking Stuffer Syndrome (that panicky feeling that I have not quite fulfilled the Christmas Is Magical requirements, and the only way to do so is to buy more things) is in full swing. HOWEVER. Instead of buying more things, I am admiring all the things I COULD buy, maybe putting some things in digital carts, maybe earmarking some things for next year. Maybe thinking, “Oh, I really do want to buy that for so-and-so!” If you are similarly reaching for One Last Thing to give, maybe you’ll find something here.
A note on my choices: I know some people think of stockings as the place for Small Gifts, even if that means spendy things like ear buds or jewelry. But I usually like to spend about $5-$10 on stocking stuffers. Of course, inflation, so I’ve tried to keep things to a cap of about $25. There are exceptions, of course, but I don’t want to blow my entire gift budget on stocking stuffers so I do try to keep it in check.
All images below from the accompanying sites linked to in the descriptions.
Some of the gift ideas below use affiliate links, which means I get a few cents if you click on a link and buy that product.
All Sorts of Stocking Stuffer Options
My favorite mascara (20% off today!): I am a new convert to this mascara, even though it is a lot more than what I like to spend on mascara. It makes my lashes look great AND it comes off very easily.
Jojoba carrier oil: This is kind of a niche thing, but my husband has gotten really into fragrances and I wanted to get him a fragrance-related stocking stuffer, so I got him a set of essential oil / perfume rollers and some carrier oil so he can make his own perfume rollers to travel with or give to friends.
Warheads: Carla is very into everything sour, as was I when I was her age, and these will please her very much.
Hair tinsel: A couple of friends’ kids have hair tinsel, and it’s adorable and fun and I think my kid would like it a lot.
Morf fidget worm: Carla already has this weird shape-shifting fidget toy, but she loves it and I think anyone who has busy hands would really enjoy fiddling with it.
Hair wax stick: I keep seeing this kind of thing on Instagram reels about sleek up-do hairstyles and I want some and think Carla would enjoy some as well.
Nail strengthening cream: My nails get extra brittle during the winter months and I am all about some nice-smelling cream to make them a little tougher.
Avocado hand warmers: These are cute AND practical – my favorite combo!
Press on nails (no glue): Carla is OBSESSED with fake nails, much to my chagrin. But Christmas stocking are for filling with delight and I know these would delight her.
Fidget sticks: These look fun and I bet my child and cat would like playing with them.
Kitsch scrunchies: Carla is very into her hair these days, and these scrunchies are cute and have a retro appeal.
Undereye pods: I am of course Very Interested in all the red light therapy devices that are all the rage. This seems like a fun and fairly inexpensive way to try it out.
Fidget toy: This fidget toy was on Carla’s list earlier this year, but we got the Morf fidget worm instead; so why not surprise her with this one now?
World’s Smallest Throw Throw Burrito: Carla came across a display of these World’s Smallest toys when were out shopping and wanted ALL of them. I don’t blame her. This is the one I got to stick in her stocking.
Jewelry case keychain: My kiddo has one of these that she attaches to her backpack, and she keeps her earrings and necklaces in it during sports practice. It is so practical and has the added bonus of being cute!
Scented Water Wow: Gone are the days when Carla would have loved this mess-free coloring book, but I do have a neighbor whose kids are at the perfect age.
Star spoke clips: Speaking of neighbors, one of our neighbor children just learned how to ride a bike, and Carla immediately wanted to get her some of these spoke clips. I won’t be putting them in her stocking (I am not Santa and refrain from climbing around people’s chimneys), but they would make a great stocking stuffer.
Bike bell: Ditto for this cute bike bell.
Headlamp: I wonder if this fun headlamp would make me feel more comfortable with Carla out past the late late hour of four o’clock these days? Maybe not, but it might make her feel like an explorer which is a good enough reason to put it in a stocking.
Hydrating skincare (20% through 12/10): This is Carla’s favorite brand of skincare stuff, and it’s winter and everyone’s skin is scaly so it’s time to restock.
Gurrl power cat earrings: I mean, HOW cute are these?
Combination lock Air Tag holder: I was searching for a stocking stuffer for someone who likes to travel but is also constantly worried about thieves, and this lockable Air Tag holder came to my attention. It would be perfect for a bicycle or a piece of luggage or a stroller or all sorts of other things.
Purse and backpack lint catcher: Where has this been all my life, and how can I persuade Carla to use one?
Laundry pet hair remover: Um. I need this so very much.
Reusable lint remover: Speaking of things for dealing with the excessive amount of pet hair I have on my person at all times, this would be great for tucking into a purse or backpack or glove compartment.
LED workshop lights: It’s usually easy to find stocking stuffers for my kid or myself, but finding things that are inexpensive and useful and fun for my Dad is next to impossible. I am not sure these would fit in a stocking, but the price is close enough, and they would definitely be useful!
Jane Austen stickers: I love these.
Candy cane crunch bar: I discovered this chocolate company over the summer and it is FABULOUS. This sounds both festive and tasty!
Coffee paste: Not being a coffee drinker, I can’t tell if this would be actually good… but I think it would be so fun for a coffee fan who also likes to travel or camp.
Big dill energy sticker: My pickle-loving kid would find this so hilarious.
Pizza cutter wheel: One of the things my parents requested for Christmas was some tools for pizza making, so we are absolutely getting them a pizza slicer.
Keto pizza crust mix: This pizza crust would be perfect for the low-carb pizza lover. I am kind of curious to see how it tastes!
Croissant stress ball: Yes, yes, croissants were last year’s thing, but my kid still loves croissants and this is cute.
Croissant hair clip: Another perfect stocking stuffer for the croissant lover!
Eyeshadow palette (20% off through 12/10): I’m not a big makeup wearer, but I love these colors.
Penguin bandages: Who couldn’t use some darling bandages? Let’s put the woo! back in wound care!
Bluetooth transmitter / receiver for AirPods: This would be great for the avid traveler… or for someone who has a lot of long-haul flights coming up.
Magnesium oil spray: I am always on the lookout for things to help me sleep, and this sounds promising.
Giant paper clips: Do I need these? No. Do I want them. Oh yes.
Capybara stress balls: I have to admit that I don’t really get the whole obsession with capybara – they are giant rodents, folks – but my kid thinks they are adorable, so these capybara stress balls caught my eye.
Carbide scribe: My dad does a lot of stained glass projects and this would be great for signing them.
Eye gels: This is one of those items that I always gravitate toward. The search for the product that will transform my undereyes is endless.
Milk frother: As part of my ongoing effort to get Carla to consume more protein and calcium, I am always happy to make her a big mug of hot chocolate (with high protein milk). She would enjoy this milk frother to give her cocoa a little body.
Fancy hot chocolate mix: We’re Swiss Miss people, but sometimes it’s fun to switch things up with a fancy cocoa mix.
Snowflake marshmallows: And fancy marshmallows are always a good bet.
Flexible magnetic claw grabber: I wonder if my dad could use this in his garage? It seems useful!
Flathead cherry and balsamic caramels: I WANT TO EAT ALL OF THESE.
Bombas dog socks: I love Bombas socks and I am very pleased by the little pups featured on these ones. Dogs for your dogs, if you will.
Rachel’s English trifle tea towel: “It tastes like feet!” is one of my all-time favorite lines from Friends. It would be so fun to have this annual opportunity to say it in my best Ross Geller voice.
Fidget ring: I don’t necessarily get the appeal of fidget toys, but as a person who is constantly fiddling with her wedding rings, I do understand why a fidget ring would be tempting.
No-tie shoelaces: I feel like shoelaces are a great option for a stocking, and I like the idea of this no-tie version.
Seed lollipop: I’m always looking for fun gardening related gifts, and I love the idea of these seed “lollipops” that can be planted. These culinary lollipops have a selection of seeds, like basil, tomato, and fennel for pizza night.
Pollinator kit: Or, for the budding gardener, these pollinator kits come with seeds and a little craft project!
Tree kit: I also LOVE this “grow your own Christmas tree” kit – and every kit purchased comes with a matching tree donation.
Huckleberry preserves: I love huckleberries, and I love giving (and getting) jam in my stocking.
Dorothy calendar: Dorothy Zbornak of Golden Girls fame is herself a gift and I love this calendar of her many faces. I possess many of these same expressions, even if I can’t deploy them with quite as much vigor.
Mechanic hourly rate sign: My dad isn’t technically a mechanic, even though he is our family’s resident car guy, but this sign cracks me up anyway.
Satin bonnet: I love the idea of a satin pillow, but I think I like the idea of a satin bonnet even more!
Tote bag: Listen, I do not need another tote bag, but I CANNOT QUIT THEM. They are so useful and there are so many fun options.
Lip balm minis: This is a lot more than I like to spend on a stocking stuffer, but a) it can split up among several stockings and b) I have it on good authority that this is the It Balm among the middle school set.
Studious cats bookmark: Books and cats: nature’s perfect pairing.
Custom Owala water bottle nametag: We are getting Carla an Owala for Christmas, and we’re getting it engraved with her name, but this water bottle nametag would be an excellent alternative.
Watercolor postcards: I love the idea of these paintable postcards!
Spice and cookie set: The names of these spice mixes alone make me want to buy them, not to mention the fact that I can use them to make cookies.
Moisturizing gloves: This was on my sister-in-law’s wish list, and this set has enough pairs of gloves to spread around among all the women whose stockings I need to fill.
Croissant chocolate bar: I have never heard of a chocolate bar that has pieces of croissant in it, but I’m really glad I have now.
Make It Mini diner set: My kid has really kind of outgrown toys by this point (sob!), but she still loves the Miniverse blind balls. How can I not get her one??
Butterfly hair claw: This is so pretty!
Capybara pens: As I mentioned earlier, capybara are having a moment, and pens always come in handy.
Cateye stamp: Carla would LOVE THIS. So would I, if I had anywhere requiring Fancy Makeup.
Sour Swedish candy mix: Speaking of things Carla would love – actually, our whole family would love this mix. (I didn’t get the memo, but apparently Swedish candy is all the rage these days?)
Zodiac nail stickers: I got such a wave of nostalgia when I came across these! I used to love nail stickers, but haven’t tried them for… thirty years, I bet. Maybe more.
Temporary tattoos: I also kind of love these holiday-themed temporary tattoos. They are so simple, I kind of want to try them on myself?
Uno No Mercy: This was on Carla’s wish list and I like the idea of an upgraded version of a classic game.
Bacon taster: I love to put sweet treats in people’s stockings, but some of my family members prefer savory things. I am totally intrigued by this bacon taster, which seems to be a single strip of bacon in a package that supposedly tastes just like bacon at breakfast. I don’t know how that’s possible but I feel the need to find out.
Spicy peanuts: Peanuts make another great non-sweet treat, and this brand has the added benefit of being sugar free.
Spicy buffalo peanuts: These spicy peanuts also sound yummy! And they are “artisan” which maybe makes them feel slightly more gift-worthy??? (Why yes, I do overthink everything.)
Light-up door hanger: I think my kid would LOVE to have a way to leave us messages about when and how to contact her once she’s holed up in her room.
Cocofloss refillable mint floss: Practical gifts like oral hygiene items most definitely belong in a stocking, especially when they are a little more fun / fancier than the norm. I am also intrigued by the idea that this floss is refillable.
Vermont weather stick: This looks so silly but also kind of fun?
Friends notepad: Super nostalgic. I love the quote at the top and I want to get this for my Friends-loving bestie very much.
Holiday spice tea: I love tea, but I’m always a little wary of trying a NEW tea, so it would be fun to get a sampler size that allows for tasting without a big commitment.
Heatless hair curler: I swear I asked for and received something similar to this a few years ago, but this is a much better price… and I wonder if Carla would use it?
Hair wax: I’m pretty sure this list already contains a hair wax, but I like the name of this one and I have no idea which brand is better, so I’m including this one, too.
Book of foreign swear words: I feel like this would be a delightful stocking stuffer for the right kind of person.
Odd-size measuring spoons: I have wanted a set of these for SO long – how nice would it be to scoop out exactly two teaspoons in one go?! While we’re at it, I love that King Arthur also sells a “spare measuring spoons” set. PERFECT stocking stuffer.
Snoopy towel: I adore Snoopy.
Sticker by number book: I’m not a HUGE fan of giving Christmas stuff for Christmas, but then again it can be nice to have a Christmassy craft or project to do on Christmas Day, in that lull between opening gifts and eating dinner.
Mini jigsaw puzzle: This 100-piece puzzle is in the same vein: something Christmassy but small enough to complete on Christmas Day.
Sandwich staples: My husband LOVES British food and I think he would be excited to try two of the three sandwich accoutrements in this little gift set. The mustard would be mine, all mine.
Champagne stopper: Speaking of things that would be all mine, I am really the only person in my household who enjoys a glass of bubbly. Usually Kirkland’s finest prosecco, if we’re being honest – you can’t go wrong with $9 prosecco. But I don’t drink an entire bottle in one go and my method of putting a bit of aluminum foil on the bottle while it waits for me in the fridge is… not great. So a specific Champagne stopper would be very useful, is what I’m saying! Is it weird to stop up $9 wine with an $18 stopper? Don’t know, don’t care.
Frank Lloyd Wright playing cards: I love how colorful and fun these are! Birchie – do you need these?
Cheese calendar: YES PLEASE.
Cheese socks: There’s nothing quite so meta as stuffing stockings in a stocking, but these cheese socks are kind of irresistible.
Cheese socks seems like a good note to end on, so I’ll stop there. Hopefully all this fake shopping has resolved my stocking stuffer syndrome symptoms, and yours, too, if you suffer similarly.
What are your favorite things to give / receive in stockings? Did you get an orange in your stocking every Christmas? I’m pretty sure I did, and, well, I haven’t carried on that tradition with my own family. Probably because I don’t understand its origin. If you do, please enlighten me.
Clever ideas! I flirted with stocking stuffers when my girls were little, but we didn’t do them in my family and my husband’s family went way overboard, so I now use the stockings as decorations only. 🙂
My parent used to have a weather stick, and it really does change depending on the weather! We always felt it was fun to “check the stick” for changes coming.
You have so many good ideas here!
Ella loves those satin bonnets to wear at night. 💜
Inexpensive office supplies! That’s what fills our stockings, usually. Although this year it’s going to be super fun stuff like kitchen dish towels, because one of my offspring confessed that there is no kitchen towel to be had in her apartment.
We also usually have the little boxes of cereal, but they are getting harder to find.
Last year, some of us got Penzey’s spices in their stockings. But from experience we can advise against attempting to transport those in your airline carry on luggage.
Cheese socks FTW! Yes we did the oranges, and all I can think is that they are a practical “stopper” in case you have a hole in the bottom of your stocking. In any case, for some reason I am very happy not to have continued this tradition either.
Our stockings are chocolate/small gifts.
Do I need FTW playing cards? Well now that I know that they exist the answer is yes!
I break all the stocking rules because my kids have ginormous stockings that my mom sewed, so the stockings are An Event, and expensive stuff goes in there if its small. All the last-minute panic stuff I got for Angus’s stocking last year was fun sporty things for his desk and he loved it, so I’ve learned NOTHING.
The way I chucked that nail strengthening cream into my digital basket – I didn’t even know this was a thing and I NEED IT badly. I’m going to try the mascara too, I’ve been curious about tubing mascara and now I have a rec.
Warheads omg – one year all the adults were daring each other to try them and they were horrific.
What the trendy people are doing to their nails right now just makes me kind of sad and bewildered, but it is their body so I try not to have an opinion, but I do, Suzanne, I do.
Coffee…..paste…..
The croissant stuff is especially apt given your Paris trip.
I LOVED buying the kids fun bandaids when they were little. They gave Eve the last novelty bandaid when she got her last covid shot and she was so happy.
I also would pay a lot for something that calmed my under-eye luggage.
You’ve eaten a huckleberry? I’m not sure I knew they were a real thing until just now.
My 22-year-old teenager as she likes to call herself also recommended Summer Fridays lip balm, so Carla is indeed Eating and Leaving No Crumbs (no idea if I used that correctly).
Our stockings always have chocolate and candy – the store we always go to on our girls weekend in November has a great selection of retro and international candy which is always fun. I put Pink Elephant popcorn in this year so they can experience how awful it is. Then useful house stuff – cute measuring tapes, cute tea steepers, tea, candles, lip balm, funny socks. Angus always gets a few Canadian content things just to really hammer home that he’s ONLY VISITING.
This was such an amazingly fun post, thank-you!
So many fun ideas!
So many great finds here! I love it! I love the Big Dill Energy sticker. That is perfect for a pickle lover like me. And my husband would make so many dick jokes about it.
So I sometimes see people with undereye stickers out in the wild and am very confused by that. I thought it was an at home spa type of thing. I mean, by all means, you do you, but is this a trend I’m unaware of? Which is highly possible since I am not at all trendy and don’t have a tween girls to keep me in the know on these sorts of things.
I only ever get one thing in my stocking: a bottle of wine. It’s a tiny bit of a sore spot with me? Do not get me wrong. I love wine. But it is a definite mail-in on the part of Santa.
The guys are all so sick of chocolate by the time Christmas rolls around so this year I got Mark a can of sweet and savoury nuts, and I got Jake a bag of Frank’s Red Hot GUMMY BEARS which he said were “awesome.” I got each boy a gift card to a restaurant that they like in the hopes they go out together.
For Rob I got a cocktail shaker that you turn, and it reveals different cocktail recipes. Which is honestly more of a gift for me. WHO’S MAILING IT IN NOW??? I also got him a little travel clothesline.
These are great; I’ve put several things into several carts.
These are GREAT. I immediately put the fidget rings in my shopping cart, and am seriously considering the eyeliner stamps and buffalo peanuts. How do you come up with these things???
I think the orange tradition dates back to when an orange was an exotic, expensive fruit, so it would be a special treat to get one.
We put the same candy in everyone’s stocking (Hershey’s kisses) and then people get individual candies and/or gifts. A lot of North’s gifts (earrings, lavender sugar, lemon curd) would fit in a stocking this year, so I’m not sure we’ve decided what’s actually going in the stocking and what’s going under the tree. We got some caramels for Noah’s stocking and I got some coconut foot lotion for Beth’s and I might throw in a chocolate bar or a fancy hot chocolate mix packet, too.
In the hair tinsel category: hair glitter and glitter tattoos. Alex got glitter tattoos and hair tinsel at the end of year school carnival and immediately bought her own kits. I found the hair glitter and made it for the Girl Scouts last Christmas and it was a huge hit.
Alex also loves press on nails.
That croissant hair clip is SO CUTE.
Capybaras must grow well in Florida because I see them a LOT. The local petting farm has them, the alligator park has them, someone started a capybara cafe near here. I am practically tripping over capybaras.
Cheese socks are perfection.
My dad always got us those candy cane shaped things of candy and he would wrap them so that it was completely obvious that you were getting it. And he always gave everyone in the family new packs of batteries every year and then would immediately collect them and then spend an hour Christmas afternoon changing all the batteries in the smoke detectors. Such a dad thing to do. One year he found a candy cane shaped thing full of batteries and wrapped it up for my mom and the audience went wild. Now Diane gets me my candy cane shaped thing full of candy and wraps it correctly for me.
This is an amazing comprehensive list of stocking stuffers. How did you know that I now reside with a teen girt who is obsessed with Capybaras?
Immediately bought AirTags for my peeps; why have I not thought of that before? Not specifically something you recommended, but adjacent, so thank you. 😉 I think they’ll delight the fam. I love all the other ideas! Esp. the bacon, the Snoopy tea towel, the cherry and balsamic (?!) caramels!