Christmas Stocking Syndrome

by

Christmas Check In

Well. As Carla excitedly informed me this morning, we have TEN DAYS until Christmas! 

Let’s do a little check-in to see where we are:

Décor: We have still not put up our tree, BUT Carla did inspire me to put out some of our other Christmas decorations after school one day this week, so it’s moderately festive in here. I would still like to figure out some sort of ribbon/garland/pine bough situation for all the many doorways in this house, and also the railings, but I have yet to do more than just think “I want to decorate the doorways” so it may not happen this year. We also have two mostly dead mums on the front stoop, and I would love to replace them with something more Christmassy/alive, but that may not happen either. Setting up the TREE is the priority. I did bake the menorah today, so that’s all nice and shiny for next year and stowed safely in a drawer, so that’s something. 

Gifts: I am pretty sure that everything is ordered? And, if not in my house, on the way? That feels suspicious; I hope I haven’t forgotten anything. I am STILL dithering about the espresso machine, but dithering toward not ordering it. Also: all the gifts for all but one of the out-of-town recipients have been wrapped AND mailed, so I’m pleased with that. Lots of wrapping yet to do, but there is time. Oh! I do still need to buy gift cards for a few people (Target gift cards for the mail person and the garbage and recycling people, all of whom gave us holiday cards with their names, so I think that is a sign that we should return the favor; a Dunkin Donuts gift card for Carla’s music teacher) and deliver gifts to my hair dresser and Carla’s other music teacher. We also have a Toys for Tots gift to deliver to the appropriate place. And I would like to pick up a few extra small stocking stuffers. But this all feels DOABLE, which, again, makes me suspicious because apparently I can never just feel okay with a thing.

Meal Plans: My parents and I have figured out the meals for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. My mother is handling Christmas Eve; Christmas Day will be at my house, but my dad will make his traditional spice roast. (We’ll also have goat cheese and garlic mashed potatoes, Caesar salad, sticky toffee pudding cake and a yule log.) The roast and yule log have been ordered. I guess I need to figure out what to make for breakfast for Christmas Day… but there’s time for that. 

Holiday Baking Projects: Carla has requested that we make cookies again this year instead of chocolates, which is fine. So now we need to figure out WHAT we want to make. I am making cranberry crumble bars for a holiday open house we are attending, but beyond that I’m not feeling pulled toward any cookie in particular. What do you think we should make?

Music: I found a radio station that plays nonstop Christmas music, so I’ve been listening to that. I find I’m mostly in the mood for traditional stuff, so there’s a lot of Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald on rotation. What I REALLY want to listen to are Christmas hymns: Joy to the World and Carol of the Bells and Hark! the Herald Angels Sing and O Little Town of Bethlehem. I’m not quite sure where to find these specific songs, though, except in church. 

Holiday Events: So far, we don’t have a ton of things planned, which feels good and doable. We are going to an open house, put on by one of our new neighbors. Carla has two playdates scheduled. An out of town friend and his husband will come by for cookies and tea the week after Christmas. We have dinner plans with friends the night before New Year’s Eve. Add in some fun with my parents and that feels like plenty of special get-togethers with lots of time for relaxing. 

Weather: Currently, we have sunshine and blue skies which I refuse to complain about. But if we could get a nice dusting of snow right around Christmas, I would be very pleased. 

I feel like I’ve made pretty decent progress since Monday. How are you faring with your Christmas plans?

by

Stocking Stuffer Ideas

Stocking stuffers are my favorite. I think they are SO fun, and I really enjoy finding fun little things to surprise and delight everyone. They seem lower pressure, somehow, than other gifts. I do tend to get carried away a bit. Maybe by listing all the things I WANT to buy (for myself and others), I will scratch some of that Stocking Stuffer Syndrome itch that makes me panic at the last minute and buy too many things.  

Carla and my husband and I each have a stocking. When we have visitors for Christmas, we hang stockings for them, too. But I also like to include one or two small stocking stuffer-y kinds of things in the packages I send my family members. No idea if they end up in a stocking at all, but it makes me feel like I’m covering all the bases.

For other gift guides and stocking stuffer ideas, check out my previous gift guides here.

Magic Rainbow Puzzle Ball: Carla has one of these puzzle balls and plays with it all the time. I think it’s simpler (and therefore more satisfying) than a Rubik’s Cube. My niece will get a kick out of it. Image from amazon.com

Tiny-Ice Cube Tray: This is going in my husband’s stocking. The backstory is that we visited a friend this summer who had an ice machine that makes tiny ice. My husband was enthralled. We have no place to keep a tiny-ice maker, not to mention this is a little more extravagant than I like to think ice should cost (yes, even though our fridge is broken and the ice maker no longer produces ice). So this is my nod toward his desire for tiny ice. Image from amazon.com

Slinky: Why do we not have one of these yet? We have stairs, Carla would love this.  Image from amazon.com

Cajun Peanuts: For those who don’t love sweets in their stockings (we do exist!). Image from parkerspeanuts.com

Spiky Finger Rings: These just look like fun things to fidget with. The package comes with 12, so I could split them up among Carla and my niece (and myself???).  Image from amazon.com

Meat Chopper: This is one of my favorite kitchen tools of all time and I have recommended it a lot. I use it primarily to break up ground beef for tacos or spaghetti sauce, and yet it’s something I would replace immediately if it broke or got lost. Image from amazon.com

Perfume Samples: I could never buy perfume/cologne for someone – too expensive! too big a commitment! – but it would be super fun to find a sample I think someone would like and stick it in their stocking to try. (You can search the site by note – like grapefruit or tea – and then read the descriptions of the perfumes/colognes that pop up. Then you can order a .7 ml sample for around $4-$8. It is very easy to fall into an aromatic wormhole though, so be warned.) Image from luckyscent.com

Silicone Straws: Who doesn’t love a straw? Especially one that is easy to clean, as these purport to be. Image from amazon.com

Photo Phone Holder: This would be such a perfect gift for a grandparent – or many other special friends and relatives. Image from Shutterfly.com

Toothpaste Tablets: This is something I have always been curious about, but haven’t wanted to buy just in case I hated them. But they would make the perfect stocking stuffer. Image from amazon.com

Stress Balls: I bet every one reading this knows someone who needs a tiny neon stress ball. Image from amazon.com

Beanie: Half of the profits made on the sale of all Love Your Melon hats goes toward preventing pediatric cancer. Image from amazon.com

Personalized Post-It Notes: Do other people go through post-it notes like air or water? We do. I have post-it note pads everywhere. These custom options are really cute. (Shutterfly has photo options, too.) Image from vistaprint.com

Shea Moisture Leave In Hair Treatment: My sister-in-law got me a bottle of this stuff last year and I love it. It smells great and it cuts down on frizz while leaving my hair feeling light. Image from amazon.com

Mini Squishmallow: The only thing better than a Squishmallow is a mini one, and this variety pack would be great to break up among multiple stockings. Image from amazon.com

Snake Puzzles: These remind me of the snake puzzles we got for Carla for our road trip. I think they would be a lot of fun for Carla and her cousin to find in their stockings. Image from amazon.com

BLK & Bold Coffee: Is it even Christmas if I don’t get my husband new coffee to try? This brand donates 5% of profits to help at-youth risk. Image from amazon.com

Gel Ink Pens: Pens are practical and these ones are pretty. Image from amazon.com

Motivational Temporary Tattoos: These are pretty and I like having a little reminder to be good to yourself scripted on your skin where you can’t avoid it. (The “smile” one makes me think of Men of a Certain Generation, though, so I might skip that one.) Image from ulta.com

Cat Socks: I want these for me, but Carla probably also wants them for her.  Image from amazon.com

Worry Dog: Forgive me – I cannot remember where I read about this, but it is SO cute and I can imagine having it in my pocket or on my desk and stroking it softly and feeling better about life. Image from etsy.com

Rainbow Pencils: I adore these rainbow pencils. ADORE THEM. They are definitely making their way into Carla’s stocking. If I ever used pencils, I would buy some for myself. Image from amazon.com

Scalp Massaging Brush: I would love one of these in my stocking! Image from amazon.com

Fun Shoelaces: I love these purple ombre laces, but there are so many options. Tie-dye! Metallic! Cheetah print! Image from amazon.com

Fancy Candy Canes: This site has all sorts of interesting candy cane flavors. Nutmeg! Birthday cake filled with frosting! Raspberry chocolate! And candy canes would be so festive in a Christmas stocking! Image from hammondscandies.com

Salt Sampler:  This little tin of sea salt blends sounds so fun! Image from beautifulbrinysea.com

Customizable Pencils: These would be so fun, too! This would make a great teacher gift! Image from etsy.com

Pride Mug: This mug is simple and elegant and 25% of the purchase price goes to support The Trevor Project (which provides crisis intervention for LGBTQ+ young people).  Image from potterybarn.com

Flipbook Kits: Did you ever make flipbooks when you were a kid? I loved making them and then flipping through the cartoon to see it move. These are less labor intensive but still enjoyable. Image from uncommongoods.com

Linen Spray: I adore a good linen spray, and this one from Thistle Farms sounds so lovely and sleep-helpful. Image from thistlefarms.com

Pickle Ice Pop: You should see my face right now, but my pickle-loving child might get a kick out of this. Or maybe the giant gummy pickle is more her style, hard to say. Image from candycarrollton.com

Monopoly Deal: Karen A. recommended this card game as quick (20 minutes) and fun. It is the perfect size and price for stocking stuffing. Image from amazon.com

Reader’s Wine Glass: The only thing better than sipping a nice mug of hot tea while reading a good book is sipping a nice glass of wine while reading a good book. Image from etsy.com

Jelly String Noodles: These look fun. They remind me of the WikkiStix days – oh man, Carla got so many hours of quiet play out of those things. Image from amazon.com

Holiday Deodorant: I think Carla is a little young yet to need deodorant, but it never hurts to have some around just in case, right? Plus, these are SO CUTE. Not quite sure how any of the scents will smell (spiked eggnog, in my underarms???), but they are fun and festive and novel. Image from target.com

Chili Crisp: I have never tried this myself, although it seems to be very trendy these past couple of years and I have heard big claims like “best condiment ever!” being thrown around. (Disclaimer: I don’t think I would like it because of the texture.) Might be a nice thing for a foodie-type to find in her stocking. Image from amazon.com

Japanese Barbecue Sauce: This is a condiment I would like to try. It sounds like an umami-rich glaze or dipping sauce that has no relationship to what we in the U.S. know as barbecue sauce. Image from amazon.com

Juggling Balls: My mom was starting to teach Carla how to juggle over Thanksgiving, but we didn’t really have any appropriate juggling items. (A whiffle ball, a stress ball, and a tennis ball aren’t ideal, I gather.) These will be perfect for her stocking. Image from amazon.com

Fair Isle Ankle Socks: These are super cute. So are the snowflake ones, which my husband might like.Image from bombas.com

Sipping Chocolate: Seems like every year I get my husband a new sipping chocolate to try – he loves it. This one from Chocolat Uzma is the perfect price for a stocking stuffer… and don’t forget to ogle all the gorgeous chocolates on the website. Image from chocolat-uzma.com

5-in-1 Snowball Maker: My daughter loves her one-at-a-time snowball maker, and spends a lot of time outside making huge piles of snowballs, one by one. She would adore this. It’s not really sized for stockings, but it’s priced right. Image from amazon.com

Heart Snowball Maker: Oooh this is more stocking-sized. Please ignore how creepy the picture is. Image from amazon.com

Abandon All Artichokes: I’m always looking for fun card games to play with the family, and this looks cute. Plus, it’s geared toward slightly older kids (the box says age 10+).  Image from amazon.com

Beautiful Stickers: I cannot remember where I heard about this artist who creates gorgeous products with a social justice edge, but I love pretty much everything on her site. A fun sticker (for your water bottle, computer, notebook, etc.) would be a great stocking stuffer. Or look! Three stickers for $10!  Image from graydaystudio.com

Mini Olive Oil: Or vinegar. Image from saratogaoliveoil.com

Herb & Olive Focaccia Mix: This would go great with the aforementioned teeny bottle of olive oil. Image from amazon.com

Tea Pigs Collection: At about $25, this is more than I usually like to spend on a stocking stuffer. But since there are 12 teas in the bundle (and you can choose which teas you want!), you could certainly break this up among several friends or family members. Image from teapigs.com

Candy You Ate As a Kid: These little bags of nostalgic candy, sorted by decade, sound really fun – especially for adults. While I can’t speak to the 1920s and 1930s bags, the 1980s bag looks like it gets it just right. Double Bubble! Warheads! Nerds! Image from oldtimecandy.com

Fidget Toy Pencil Topper: I can’t recall if I’ve shared these here before, but they are a big hit with Carla. Image from amazon.com

Stovetop Potpourri: You can make this at home – although, in my opinion, it’s only worth it if you make a bunch of it to give as gifts – or you can buy cute little packages to put in stockings. Image from etsy.com

I wish I could buy ALL these things for everyone on my list… but it is more likely I will buy three or four things for Carla, one or two things for my husband, and then one thing each for the rest of my family members. But it’s so fun to look for little gifts that will delight my loved ones without breaking the bank.

by

Saturday Shopalong: Staving Off Stocking Stuffer Syndrome

Shall we do another little shopping browse?

One of my favorite parts of shopping for Christmas is keeping an eye out for fun stocking stuffers. And I admit that I look out for stocking stuffers for myself, in addition for stocking stuffers for the rest of the family. If I plan ahead, I can stave off my tendency to panic buy a bunch of junk at the last minute.

First up, of course, is the miniature office supplies set I told you about yesterday. This is going to make Carla so happy. I remember having a set of mini office supplies when I was a kid, and I adored them. The teensy stapler most of all. (photo from target.com)

While at Target, I added a trio of rainbow leopard hand masks to my cart. I am picturing me, Carla, and my mother sitting around on Christmas day in ridiculous rainbow leopard print gloves, our hands transforming through the magic of the masks’ deep hydration. It will be silly and fun and I couldn’t resist. (photo from target.com)

I also went into Ulta, which often has good stocking stuffers. I loaded up on 5-for-$5 bath treats for Carla and my niece. (photo from ulta.com)

In Ulta, I lingered over the display of Essie holiday nail polish colors, and resisted buying the Bahama Mama for myself. But there’s no need for YOU to resist. (photo from amazon.com)

The Essie polish was $8.99, and I found an almost identical color (Zip Wine) in the Sally Hanson InstaDri for $5.99, which is only $3 less but that seems like a Big Difference when it comes to nail varnish. (photo from amazon.com)

But THEN, I found this three-pack of mini Essie polishes, which includes Bahama Mama AND Marshmallow, which was another color I was dithering over buying, and a third metallic color called Gadget Free. This will be a perfect stocking stuffer for my mom. (photo from amazon.com)

(Full disclosure: I was also eyeing the Essie Off Tropic while in Ulta… and then bought it later at Target.) (photo from amazon.com)

(And, after writing this, I really really wish I’d gotten the Marshmallow. It’s such a gorgeous creamy near-white, just the way that a melted marshmallow looks. So I may need to ease that into my online shopping cart for my own stocking.) (photo from amazon.com)

Speaking of things that I might sneak into my amazon shopping cart, I am thinking Carla is just the right age to get a big kick out of an old school Slinky. (photo from amazon.com)

These makeup headbands are adorable – and maybe having one would encourage Carla to wash her face more regularly! I could send the others to my sisters-in-law. (photo from amazon.com)

I love this hair and body glitter set for anyone who needs a little shimmer in their lives. (photo from petitenpretty.com)

As usual, the men in my family are more difficult to shop for.

I am pretty sure I’ve considered this magnetic wristband in the past for my dad, but haven’t gone through with it. Maybe this is the year; I do think he’d get a lot of use out of it! (photo from amazon.com)

My dad might also appreciate these molds for filled chocolates, which he makes each year around Christmastime. (photo from amazon.com)

My husband would find many opportunities to use this digital tire gauge. But I can’t tell if it would a Fun Gadget type of gift, or a Super Lame Practical Gift. (photo from amazon.com)

He, as I mentioned, loves fun socks. And these ASDR socks might appeal to his music-production side. (photo from redbubble.com)

I also love these pink synth socks. (photo from redbubble.com)

And these socks, featuring a rainbow of video game controllers. (photo from redbubble.com)

Oh my gosh – or these happy colon socks!  (photo from redbubble.com)

Okay, three pairs of socks are now on their way to me!

I think he would enjoy this book of Dad Jokes. Sometimes when Carla and I are in the kitchen and my husband is still upstairs, he will send us dad jokes via our Echo. (photo from amazon.com)

Speaking of which: if you don’t have an Echo, this Echo Dot is only $19.99 right now. That’s on the top edge of stocking stuffer pricing for me. (photo from amazon.com)

Carla specifically requested an electric pencil sharpener for Christmas. Perfect stocking stuffer. So proud that she has inherited my tendency toward practicality! (photo from amazon.com)

The pencil sharpener makes me think of Carla’s desk vacuum, which is an ideal stocking stuffer size and price and which would bring many, many people joy. (photo from amazon.com)

My husband got an extreme dot-to-dot book for Carla’s stocking. It looks VERY STRESSFUL to me, but she shares his logical brain, so perhaps she will love it. (photo from mindware.com)

On the opposite end of the stress spectrum, I just came across these Pop It bracelets! This would be perfect for Carla, who loves Pop Its and jewelry! If you know a child in elementary school, you probably already know what a HUGE fad Pop Its are these days, but this is something I haven’t seen before. (photo from amazon.com)

I am pretty everyone in our family is getting a bag of Bequet Sea Salt Caramels. They are SO soft and buttery and delicious. (photo from bequetconfections.com)

Qwirkle Rummy is another family favorite that’s perfect for stocking stuffing. (photo from amazon.com)

Speaking of family favorites, who wouldn’t love a Wick Habit votive in their stocking? They come in such a wide variety of fun scents, and they all smell SO GOOD. (photo from etsy.com)

It might be fun to find a lovely prism in one’s stocking, like this crystal suncatcher from JkkGifts. Rainbows would be useful in chasing away the winter gloom that sometimes come with a post-holidays crash. (photo from etsy.com)

And, from The Prism Emporium, these mini star prisms – which stick to your window – would appeal to my daughter and my niece. (photo from etsy.com)

You likely already know I have a soft spot in my heart for miniature things, especially when they are useful in the kitchen. These mini spatulas would be perfect stocking stuffers for the cookers on my list. I have some and use them all the time. (photo from amazon.com)

I am also loving these mini serving tools. And such bright, fun colors! (photo from amazon.com)

I want this mini grater quite badly. I suspect it would do a better job grating ginger than my microplane does. (photo from amazon.com)

Thinking of miniature items reminds me of this mini rice cooker, which I bookmarked after Swistle mentioned seeing a pink one at HomeGoods recently. SWOON. Maybe it wouldn’t fit in a stocking – not to mention it’s a teensy bit more than I like to spend on stocking stuffers – but it is SO CUTE. (photo from amazon.com)

Tell me something you’re hoping to see in your stocking, if stockings are a thing you do.