Your best stocking stuffers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elsewhere on the Internet, someone turned me on to putting breakfast in the stocking. A individual box of sugary cereal, an orange in the toe, a granola bar, and maybe one toy. Let’s the parents sleep. It’s absolutely my new tradition this year.

Your kids get up alone? On Christmas?

Not yet, but I imagine it would set the stage. I’m thinking that this would buy us 20-30 minutes, about three years from now.

As kids, we were always allowed to get up as early as we wanted and bring our stockings back to bed with us. Parents would get up at a more reasonable time, make a special breakfast (prep work done the night before), then presents for all under the tree. DH’s family did similar, so we do the same with our kids now.

[Anonymous]

I second PP’s suggestion about schleich animals—we did this for many years at Christmas and in Easter basket and my son had an awesome collection he loved. I decided he is too old for it this year but I’m bummed about it...he does still play with them sometimes, even at 12. The safari Ltd. brand is a bit cheaper and also nice.

[Anonymous]

We’ve done super hero or sports team tees.
One year I even did super hero underwear for a preschooler—he was thrilled!
Fancy toiletries like the fruit-smelling creams from bath and body works.
Toxic free mail plolish and/or nail decals
Small puzzles like Rubik’s cube or things like that
Magic 8 ball
Camping stuff like Swiss Army knife, compass, water filter straw
Nice water bottles like hydrflask
Laser cut stickers for computers or water bottles
Zipper pulls for backpack

[Anonymous]

Mad libs fit if it’s a bigger stocking.

[Anonymous]

We are doing baking stuff. Cake decorations, cookie press, dough whisk . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Glow sticks are fun for younger kids, and Silly Putty. Mine loved something called Thinking Putty, which is a fancier silly putty made for fidgeting, but I can't remember where I got it. Probably Target.

Whoopee cushions were a big hit one year, if you have one of "those" families (I married into one!). Archie McPhee (mcphee.com) has tons of gag gifts and silly joke stuff. Super place for quirky stocking stuffers, if you don't mind a slightly skewed sense of humor.

This year, I'm giving hot cocoa bombs. Wish I could get my hands on the one with the Baby Yoda marshmallow in the middle, but so far it's sold out most places.

Agree on the Lego blind bags, and you can also get blind bag figurines for different characters and fandoms. Check the trading card section near the checkouts in Target as well as the toy section. And don't forget Pokemon cards!

I bought a bunch of those crazy glasses mentioned above for all the kids last year, and they were especially a HUGE hit with my 6yo nephew. Wish I could remember where I got them. Maybe Child's Play in Rockville? They were cardboard, like old-school 3D glasses, and cost about a buck apiece.

For tween/early teen girls, washi tape is fun, as well as little erasers, cool pencils, planner stickers, etc. Mine is 13 and *totally* obsessed with fancy Japanese school supplies from places like kawaiipenshop.com.

There's also a store in Rockville that sells tons of those kinds of Japanese and Korean goodies (think Hello Kitty, but a zillion different characters and products). They also have accessories, some Korean beauty products like sheet masks, phone cases, housewares like bento boxes and water bottles, anime/manga merchandise (not many actual comics, if I remember, but some of the figures were pretty high-end), and lots of K-Pop stuff like BTS posters and keychains. I can't remember the name of it, but it's in the same shopping center as Penzey's Spices. I went WAY overboard last year! Too much fun.

I just looked at Google images on map, is the place you are talking about called Lil Thingamajig?
I need to go there asap!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There's also a store in Rockville that sells tons of those kinds of Japanese and Korean goodies (think Hello Kitty, but a zillion different characters and products). They also have accessories, some Korean beauty products like sheet masks, phone cases, housewares like bento boxes and water bottles, anime/manga merchandise (not many actual comics, if I remember, but some of the figures were pretty high-end), and lots of K-Pop stuff like BTS posters and keychains. I can't remember the name of it, but it's in the same shopping center as Penzey's Spices. I went WAY overboard last year! Too much fun.

I just looked at Google images on map, is the place you are talking about called Lil Thingamajig?
I need to go there asap!

Yes, that’s it! https://lilthingamajigs.business.site/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about ideas for grown kids 18-22?

Chapstick
Hand sanitizer... I did this precovid
Lottery tickets
Underwear (a bit of a family joke)
An orange (another family joke)
Gift card
Hand lotion

[Anonymous]

World Of Mirth in Richmond has online shopping available. So fun. Also limited in person shopping if you feel like a quick day trip. We used to live nearby and it was such a treat to go in. Website is a bit clunky but worth poking around even if not ordering. Quirkygoodness.

[Anonymous]

My 6 year olds stocking will have:
Mini Scratch art pad
Mad Libs jr game
Gel pens
A squishy stress ball
A cool pez dispenser
A little pull back toy truck
Lots of fun candy

My 3 year olds stocking:
Frozen Imagine ink drawing pad
Glitter crayons
Fun chapstick
A cupcake surprise doll (like the ones they had in the 90s that look like a cupcake and then you flip it into a doll)
Temporary tattoos
A baby doll bottle and bib
Lots of candy

[Anonymous]

Some really good ideas. I've got one kid that will except pretty much anything and have fun with it. I've got another kid where if he can't see an immediate use for something he doesn't want it and is not good at hiding his dislike for something. I'm working on being grateful regardless.

[Anonymous]

There's also a Lil Thimajig in Annandale too, for the VA contingent. The only thing that kills me is that you can clearly see the mark up because a lot of times, the prices in Korean won are listed on the package and then you see the American price tag. But I get that it costs to import.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for this thread! I completely forgot about stocking stuffers and bought some for DH today - mostly candy, gum.

For those of you with kids, when do the stockings get filled? And is it parents who fill them, or "Santa?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom always gave us chocolate gelt. In our Christmas stocking… We didn’t understand that it was a bit off. But they were so yummy and pretty. Also tangerines.

Haha... I put them in stockings too. I guess I never really thought about it. I grew up in Nj with lots of Jewish kids at school. And lots of mixed families. I also associate blue with Christmas... but I just found out this year that blue is considered the holiday color for Jewish families, and I should stick to red and green.

I grew up in a part of the world with very few Jewish families, and we always had chocolate coins (wrapped in gold or silver foil paper) in Christmas stockings. I have no idea why or how the tradition came about, but it wasn't until I moved to this area and started buying them for my own child that I realized the connection.

St. Nicholas gave gold coins to a father that could not afford a dowry for his three daughters. Without a dowry these women would have fallen into a life of prostitution. St. Nick left the gold coins at night as to not insult the man. This is how the legend of Santa Claus began so chocolate coins is entirely appropriate for Christmas stockings.

[Anonymous]

Where do you all shop online for those awesome tiny things? They are all good ideas, but I only need 1 item in quantity each? Do they sell fill up stocking goodie( with no repeat) for 1 kid by age group online?