12 Unique Stocking Stuffers That Will Delight Your Child
When I was a kid, my family didn’t do stocking stuffers. So when I became a mom and discovered the world of stocking stuffers, I might have gone a little overboard.
Instead of focusing on fostering an attitude of gratitude with my kids and finding meaningful gifts that come from the heart (not a shopping cart), I crammed our stockings full of every Christmas goody imaginable:
- Those old-school candy bars you find at Cracker Barrels,
- Glitter pens as far as the eye can see,
- The most adorable miniature notebooks,
- Strawberry lip gloss,
- Novelty unicorn bandages…
And that’s just from one page of my Amazon order history from one Christmas. It doesn’t even include the scratch-off lottery tickets, the mini LEGO sets in a bag, and all the other trinkets and tchotchkes we amassed before Christmas Day.
That year, I realized I needed to rethink the stocking stuffer tradition.
Bonus: As a bonus for joining my weekly newsletter, get a free printable coupon book that will make the perfect gift for your child.
Because Here’s What Happens
We love stocking stuffers because they give our kids (and let’s be honest, us too) one delicious little surprise after surprise after surprise. Who wouldn’t love that?
But after the initial feeling of surprise fades, we lose interest. We can’t fully enjoy these little gifts because there’s so many of them, and anyway – how can they possibly compete with the “big” gifts under the tree?
Which means that after Christmas Day, all those little gadgets and goodies end up all over the house. Under feet, under the couch, tucked in every nook and cranny.
It’s not just overwhelming for the parent who’s vacuuming and unearths one of these long-lost treats.
One Christmas after we’d emptied all the stockings and opened all the presents, my oldest told me that when she went into her room, she didn’t know what to play with because there was too much to choose from.
An overflowing stocking can be overwhelming for kids, too. Not to mention that most of the time, what makes a child the happiest of all is much simpler – from magical lights on a tree to the cardboard box a gift came in.
Related: 30 Holiday Activities for Your Advent Calendar {Printable}
A Fresh New Stocking Stuffer Tradition
The problem with new stuff is after a short while, it becomes old stuff. Research shows you get used to it, and it becomes part of your daily life. Wallpaper.
So why spend all this time and money on buying more and more stuff, only to have that stuff collect dust for a year (or more) until we get fed up with the clutter and donate it all to charity?
I’ve got a solution for you: Stuff your little ones’ stockings with gifts of experience.
Material gifts quickly fade into the background to become the new normal. But experience gifts stick with you.
Let’s stop filling our kids’ stockings with stuff and start filling them with simple experiences that our kids will remember even after they start their own families.
Related: The Most Meaningful Gifts for Kids Who Have Everything
12 Stocking Stuffers for Girls and Boys That Will Delight Your Child
In this list, you’ll find the best stocking stuffer ideas that your kids will love. And here’s why: because these gifts will live beyond the actual physical gift and become a treasured memory.
But it’s hard to wrap an experience for your child, so each gift in this list includes a simple idea for a physical way to present the gift to your child. Still, the overall goal is to deliver an experience that will delight your kiddo.
Whether you’re looking for stocking stuffers for toddlers or stocking stuffers for tween girls or stocking stuffers for boys, I gotcha covered. But whatever you do, don’t miss the last idea in this list. It’s the best one of all!
For even more gift ideas, check out this list of the most meaningful gifts your kids will treasure for a long time.
But First, Beware of This
Typically, when shopping for stocking stuffers for kids, as parents, we tend to look for two things: small and cheap. This list of ideas is about shifting the “cheap” part of the equation to “meaningful” instead.
For example, in our family, we decided we wanted to stop filling our children’s stockings with 10 cheap things when instead we could fill them with 3 meaningful experiences.
But here’s something to beware of because you may experience this, too: The “stocking stuffers = small and cheap” approach has been drilled into our heads as parents for so long, sometimes we still need to catch ourselves and remember that it’s about quality, not quantity. So we may end up spending $10 on one stocking stuffer our kids will love instead of $3 each on three cheap stocking stuffers that will end up lost or broken before Christmas Day is over.
1. An Excuse to Play in the Dirt
Young kids love playing in the dirt, and some older kids do, too – even if they don’t admit it. Give your little one a few kid-friendly packets of seeds†, then start a family garden together.
My family started a garden together earlier this year, taking turns tending to it every day. If you’d been walking by our house when we gathered around to see the first sprouts peek out, you’d have thought we’d just won lifetime, unlimited free admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. (Our happy is loud.)
And here’s a delicious bonus for you: After growing their own vegetables, your little ones will be excited to eat the veggies when they’re ready.
If you like this idea but you have a black thumb (hello, that’s me!), do what we did and use an all-in-one garden kit like this. It may not fit in your little one’s stocking, but it’s 100 percent worthy of an under-the-tree gift spot.
Stocking Stuffer They’ll Love: Heirloom Varieties of Vegetable Seeds with Kid’s 3-Piece Garden Tool Set
2. A Brand New Deck
Our kids go bananas for board games and card games. Bananas. So every holiday season, we wrap up a couple new games as “for everyone” gifts to expand our ever-growing collection of the best family board games.
And then we love to add a new card game to each kiddo’s stocking as well. That’s how we discovered our absolute most favorite (and quick) family games, like Sleeping Queens, Rat-a-Tat Cat, and Quiddler Junior.
While our kids love the new board games we get every year, there’s something so accessible about a new card game for kids. You don’t have to set up a whole board and figure out what all the game pieces are in addition to absorbing multiple pages of rules – you just need to get your deck of cards and learn the rules.
For recommendations of games loved by kids and parents, check out our lists of the best games by age:
- Games for all ages
- Games for tweens and teens
- Games for grade schoolers
- Games for preschoolers
- Games for toddlers
- Games for family game night
Limited time: 10% off game orders $50+ with code HAPPY10, 15% off $100+ with HAPPY15, and 20% off $200+ with HAPPY20. Plus free shipping!
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick list of our all-time favorite card games for kids – we’ve played a lot to find the best ones!
- Love Letter
- Quiddler Junior or Quiddler
- Rat-a-Tat Cat
- SET
- Sleeping Queens
- Spot It!
- Sushi Go
- Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
- Trash Pandas
By the way, when you’re playing card games with your child, this card holder is a must have for little hands. Your child can hold it to see their cards, or they can set the holder down on the table for a break. (This particular card holder has stood the test of time, as opposed to other card holders we’ve tried.) Perfect for throwing in their stocking!
Stocking Stuffer They’ll Love: A card game like Sleeping Queens along with a kid-friendly card holder
Sleeping Queens
“My daughter and I love Sleeping Queens! It teaches them math without them even realizing it – or me, for that matter. I remember my daughter laid down a sequence that was like 1 + 3 + 5 = 9, and I thought ‘How did you know that…?’ Then I realized she just figured it out from doing math in the game. So cool to watch her learn right before my eyes.” – Ann
3. An Extra Dose of Family Connection
How many of us rush through meals with our families, not stopping to enjoy the time with our loved ones? Turn a spare mason jar or pretty box into a conversation jar or box by filling it with these family conversation starters.
The child can put the jar or box on the dinner table and pull out a new question every night to have memorable conversations with their family. And the best part of these conversation starters for families is that they’ll get you more than the dreaded one-word answer from kids.
We use these conversation starters every night to reconnect as a family, and the answers we get from our kids are pure gold.
Available for a limited time: If you prefer a printed set of these family conversation starters, you can get your printed set here.
Stocking Stuffer They’ll Love: Family Conversation Starter Cards in a spare jar or box, or tied together with a pretty ribbon
4. A Night Under the Stars
In our house, we can put a smile on four little faces just by putting one box on our kitchen counter.
Graham crackers.
This is a clue to our kids that we’re gearing up for a night in our family-sized tent and everything that involves – including s’mores.
Full disclosure: Our backyard slopes down at a steep angle, so our “backyard camping” nights really mean putting up the tent in our living room. But the kids still love it. If we’re not up to firing up the backyard grill, the microwave works just fine!
Still, if you want more of that campfire effect without an actual campfire or grill, we used one of these s’mores making stations at a big multi-family get-together, and it was super easy! It’s too big for their stocking, but it’s a fun under-the-tree gift for the whole family.
When you fill your little one’s stocking with the promise of a night of backyard camping, the fresh air and quality family time (and s’mores) will be an experience she remembers.
Stocking Stuffer They’ll Love: Portable Camp Light, kid-safe Marshmallow Roasting Sticks, plus all the fixings for s’mores
5. A Pretty Color
To be fair, this may be the one idea in this list that’s girl-specific, but my husband does join in with us sometimes, so you never know!
But one of my kids’ favorite games is to pretend they’re visiting the spa. As the spa worker, I give them pedicures using my “grown-up” nail polish and make random small talk that makes them giggle:
- Are you reading any good books right now? I’d love some recommendations.
- What’s the next vacation you have planned?
- If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Give your child a fun new shade of nail polish with a piece of paper tied to it that says, “Let’s try this one out together!”
On your pedicure date, you can even start up a movie like The Princess Bride in the background to make a proper spa day of it.
Stocking Stuffer They’ll Love: Piece of Cake Nail Lacquer and The Princess Bride
6. A Cute Animal
Make a donation to sponsor an animal at your local zoo, aquarium, or animal sanctuary. This makes a great gift for kids because as a follow-up gift, you can visit the zoo and pretend to find the animal you sponsored. You can talk about how your donation went towards feeding the animal, getting medicine for when it’s sick, or cleaning the poo out of its enclosure.
Some zoos will send you a certificate about the animal you sponsored, or you can make one yourself to put in your kiddo’s stocking. As another idea, you can put a miniature stuffed animal in her stocking along with the certificate.
Stocking Stuffer They’ll Love: Sponsor an animal at your local zoo, plus a miniature toy like this cute owl, lion, or elephant
7. A Grateful Heart
During the holiday season, it’s easy for kids to get wrapped up in the flurry of wish lists and letters to Santa and gifts piled under the tree. (I mean, I still get wrapped up in that myself, and I’m a grown woman!)
But to set the right tone with our kids, we like to fill their stockings with a few pretty thank-you cards. That way, after the wrapping paper is cleared away, they can sit down to reflect on how others thought of them and then express that gratitude in a quick message from the heart.
Pair a stack of cards with my free printable mini-gratitude journal for kids, and your child will have everything she needs to show gratitude to loved ones for what she receives this holiday season.
Stocking Stuffer They’ll Love: Kid-friendly thank-you cards like these simple designs, these cute animals, or animal postcards – along with this free printable mini-gratitude journal for kids
8. A Scavenger Hunt
This stocking stuffer turns into a gift for the whole family when you need to walk off a big Christmas dinner and the kids are feeling cooped up.
Here’s how you do it: Print a free scavenger hunt map, add a note like “let’s go exploring!,” and put it in a festive envelope like this adorable snowman dude or in a regular envelope decorated with Christmas-y washi tape.
Don’t forget to bring a mug of hot cocoa to share on your walk!
Stocking Stuffer They’ll Love: Printable Scavenger Hunt Map
9. An Open Door
This mother-daughter journal is called Just Between Us, and it’s a magical way to get your daughter to open up about what’s going on so you can stay connected. You take turns writing in this journal, and in the process, you find out what’s weighing on your daughter’s heart. Or if you have a son you’d like to connect with in this way, here’s a journal designed just for mothers and sons. My son is still a toddler so I can’t personally vouch for it, but my mom friends swear by it! From dads to little ones, check out this father-daughter journal or this journal for dads and sons.
For a bonus surprise, pair this stocking stuffer with some new colored pencils or glittery gel pens.
For even more journal ideas, check out 10 Best Journals for Kids That Will Boost Your Child’s Emotional Intelligence.
Stocking Stuffer They’ll Love: The Just Between Us: A No-Stress, No-Rules Journal for moms and daughters, or the Between Mom and Me: Mother Son Journal along with some pretty new colored pencils or glittery gel pens
10. A Placeholder
You often feel like you’re treading water in a neverending sea of parental to-dos—getting snacks, folding laundry, mediating sibling squabbles. Then after you tuck your child into bed, a nagging thought creeps in: Did you tell them how much you loved them today?
Give these I Love You Bookmarks to your child so that every time they reach for one, they’ll feel absolutely loved. Because when your child feels your warmth and affection, that has a life-long positive impact. They’ll develop a healthy self-esteem, end up happier and less anxious, and even do better in school.
If your child likes to read, you can wrap these loving bookmarks in a ribbon or twine and give them as a set. (You can print them now for a last-minute stocking stuffer!)
But even if your child doesn’t need bookmarks, you can surprise your child by leaving one of the heartfelt messages somewhere for them to find. And when your child happens upon your sweet message, you’ll put a smile on their face.
Stocking Stuffer They’ll Love: These I Love You bookmarks, tied together with a pretty ribbon or piece of twine
11. A Note to Their Future Self
This stocking stuffer doubles as a keepsake that your child will treasure the rest of their life. For a unique gift, give them these letter prompts they can fill out to their future selves for when they grow up.
The 12 letters in this keepsake book prompt your child to tell stories, draw pictures, and imagine who they’ll become one day. This is like a time capsule for your child’s future self!
For an extra splash of delight, pair this stocking stuffer with some new colored pencils or glittery gel pens.
Stocking Stuffer They’ll Love: Letters to Me, When I Grow Up letter prompts along with some new colored pencils or glittery gel pens
12. A Coupon Book
As adults, we’re always calling the shots when it comes to where we go, what we do, what we eat…everything. Kids don’t often get a say in what errands we run on the weekend or what we have for dinner.
Which is why this stocking stuffer will delight your child like no other. Give her a personalized coupon book for kids she can use to cash in on fun experiences throughout the year.
This is my favorite experience gift idea, so I designed a free printable set of coupons for you. Get the coupons below so you can share them with the child in your life.
By the way, you should know that as I was designing this set of coupons to share with you, my oldest daughter peeked over my shoulder and asked, “What are you doing?”
I explained the idea of the coupon book, then added some examples to get the point across: “Like you could use this coupon to pick anything you want for dinner one night, or this one to take a mother-daughter mental health day off school and work, or this one to bake any dessert together…”
“Wow,” she said. “That’s all I want for Christmas! Just that.”
Stocking Stuffer They’ll Love: As a bonus for joining my weekly newsletter, get this Free Printable Coupon Book
Here’s a preview for you:
When it comes to stocking stuffers for kids, it doesn’t get any better than this coupon book. Your kids will adore it.
Get Your Coupon Book
- Get the coupon book. Join my weekly-ish newsletter and as a bonus, you’ll get the printable! Just click here to get it and subscribe. (Want to write your own idea on the coupons? You’ll also get a blank sheet you can print to write in your own coupon ideas.)
- Print. Any paper will do the trick, but card stock would be ideal.
- Cut out the coupons you want to include in the book. Or if you’re like me and you can’t cut a straight line to save your life, fold and tear to get a charmingly casual look.
- Punch a hole in one corner, then loop a rubber band or a book ring through to connect the cards. A staple in the corner would work perfectly fine, too!
- Drop the coupon book in her stocking, and you’re DONE. Get ready to see pure joy spread across her face!
Want More Stocking Stuffer Ideas?
The gift guides I publish are a little different from the typical gift guides out there. If you want more meaningful gift ideas instead of lists of random junk, I gotcha covered!
- The Most Meaningful Gifts for Kids Who Have Everything
- 110+ Experience Gifts for Kids That Will Make Your Child Happier and Cut Clutter
- 4 Gifts for Christmas: How to Make Your Family Happy With Less
Before you go, get my FREE cheat sheet: 75 Positive Phrases Every Child Needs to Hear
Your Turn
What are your favorite ideas of stocking stuffers for girls or boys? Share in a comment below!
I love the idea of giving the kids (and adults) experiences as gifts! Creating special memories is the best kind of gift. We usually do a house decluttering and donations before the holidays to prepare. I’m definitelly using some of your ideas for inspiration. Thanks for sharing!
That’s a great idea to declutter + donate before the holidays, Michele!
Just so you know, I also grew up opening Christmas presents on Christmas eve and stockings were not a part of that tradition, but I am from South Africa, and I that is probably why. I have however, decided to keep that tradition with my children even though we live immersed in US culture.Partly because I want them to have somewhat of a South African heritage, and partly because I want to keep it simple and avoid the overwhelm that comes with getting and giving so many gifts. Thanks for the ideas though. They are useful even for those of us who don’t do stockings. :-)
Marrelie, you have a beautiful name! I love that you are honoring your heritage AND finding a way to avoid the “more more more” approach to the holidays. :-)
We always opened our presents on Christmas Eve too; but we still got stockings on Christmas morning. Best of both worlds! DH and I fought for a couple of years about whether we should open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. Then baby #2 was born on Christmas Eve, so we open Christmas presents (and stockings – which my husband never had growing up) on Christmas morning. And Santa always gets a piece of birthday cake, instead of cookies.
Love that, Becca! I’m sure Santa loves a special treat to mix it up on Christmas Eve. :-)
I really liked your list. I love the idea of giving my little one something other than “stuff”. But your comments about things being for “boys” or for “girls” rubbed me the wrong way. We spend so much time telling my little that he can be whoever he wants to be. Sometimes that means nail polish sometimes that means superhero undies. Either way, we’re happy and he’s happy. This blog post would have been just as good (if not better) if you hadn’t taken the time to tell me this was for “girls”. Thank you for putting together a nice list.
Jenny, I love that you’re putting such an emphasis on letting your little one know the sky’s the limit for who he wants to be. But I’m sorry to hear you felt put off by me mentioning my experience as a mom of three girls. As I said in the post, these stocking stuffers could be perfectly good gifts for boys, too. I have three daughters, so that’s what I know. I’ve seen firsthand that my girls love “boy” gifts just as much as “girl” gifts – and I assume the reverse is true of many boys. But without personal experience to back that up, I hesitate to make it sound like the average boy would love all these too. Even with the gift idea of a spa day, I pointed out that my husband joins in with us on pedicures sometimes, so we may actually be on the same page here even if that didn’t come across 100% in the post.
For what it’s worth, the whole “for girls” and “for boys” stuff is something that bothers me too, and I try to be really careful with my language to reflect my personal experience and not make blanket statements. I even wrote a post about the topic here :) https://happyyouhappyfamily.com/moms-of-boys/
Wishing you the best,
Kelly
No offense to anyone, I have a son and a daughter and I do stress to them things like “blue isn’t a ‘boy’ color; colors don’t have a gender,” etc. So I completely understand where Jenny is coming from, however I appreciate that you called this post what you did because that’s what I searched for. “Stocking stuffers for little girls” because I was looking for something specifically for my daughter. You are right that boys will love these gifts too, at least my son will. If I only had girls I probably wouldn’t have thought to mention that these gifts would work for boys like you did. One of the many reasons I don’t blog! ? Anyway, thanks for this list!! It’s wonderful and I plan on using every suggestion for both of my kids, though not all in one year.
Very well written response to being “called out” on something you weren’t guilty of. Good job!
Great list! A tradition I picked up from my parents were the annual standard stuffers that I have carried into my house- new toothbrush, toothpaste, ski socks, tights, and undies. The essentials but always nice to have some fresh picks! if we were going on vacation that year we’d also get something relative i.e.: hand warmers, sunglasses, winter gloves, etc. these were items that they were going to be purchased anyways so it was a win-win! I never minded it as a kid and it became to content expectation.
I love the coupon book and it will force me to be fully present with my son more often.
These are great ideas for very useful gifts for children, but I wouldn’t classify them as stocking stuffers, unless you spend hundreds of dollars on a stocking alone. Love the ideas, just not the title of article.
Hi Dee, thanks for sharing your perspective. :) I’m definitely not suggesting you get the same quantity of stocking stuffers with this approach, but rather that it can be powerful to make the shift to quality over quantity in the stocking department (in addition to the shift many families have made to quality over quantity in gifts for under the tree). The idea is that instead of spending $20-30 to fill a stocking with a bunch of small trinkets, you can spend the same amount to get one or two meaningful stocking stuffers that kids will appreciate more than a bunch of random plasticky stuff that will end up broken, lost, or forgotten. I’ll revisit the post itself and try to clarify there as well.
The most memorable thing in my stocking as a child…my mom hid a bell with painted nail polish glitter on it. Said it was the bell from Rudolph’s collar. So magical!
love this! So cute, I’m definitely doing it
Always a stocking stuffer for my children (in their 40’s now) was a box of Thank You cards to be used after gifts from others were opened.
Thank you notes are a fantastic idea. Thank you for sharing that.
We are celebrating Hanukkah and I’ve been trying to think of not too expensive of presents to give every night that will not be played with 1 day and forgotten. These ideas are perfect and I love how several of them promote family togetherness! If the wearher is nice (I’m in Texas so there’s a decent chance) I may try to talk my husband into a weekend camping trip. Oh and I have 2 girls and 2 boys and they would love almost all of these.
You could also find a set of something and give one piece each night. :)
We always put a certificate for a single movie ticket into each kids’ stocking and then choose a movie as a family to go to before we go back to school. SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO when the rush of the day wears off a bit. We may put passes to an area ice-skating rink in stockings this year in lieu of movies. FAMILY TOGETHER TIME!
For our teens, we give them a pair of tickets to a must-see concert or event. That way, we get a one-on-one experience with that young person doing something they’re passionate about and enjoy. It’s an excellent way to connect and learn about what lights their fire. Some of my favorite days (and theirs, too)! Win-win.
I like some of these ideas. We played a lot of games and had a tent rtf. My only concern is the cost of some suggested it’s. E.g. toys for $17! What about a £ 1-2 toy from a charity shop? Just a thought.
We opened presents on Christmas Eve!!!
I do not have children but am an Aunt to many! These ideas were great, thank you.
I love these ideas. We started doing this too. Our boys are 6,4 and 3. They open pajamas and a family game on Christmas Eve every year and we play and eat soup and drink hot chocolate. This year they are getting sleeping bags and a play tent bc one of our family trips is to Colorado this summer. ?? They will get plenty of cars and trucks and toys (which they love) from grandparents so we love giving experiences and things we can enjoy together.
I by my niece bath stuff and other hygiene items in her favorite characters or something that makes her bath change color, etc. A bath bomb with a little toy in the center. She loves her stocking stuffers and wants to bathe this instant!!
? love it! Thank you for sharing! X
We started something like this when our boys were young. It was mainly out of necessity. I was completely exhausted from being a mom to small children, having a job and then trying to pull off the whole Santa charade. We have the boys hang their stockings up in their bedroom. They each get one small toy or game and one of their favorite treats. They would have so much fun starting their day playing with each other. It actually bought us an extra 1/2 hour of rest!!
I grew up opening presents on Christmas Eve, and without stockings, they are not part of our traditions (FYI there are at least 2 whole counties in Central Europe where this is totally normal ;) )
Anyway, now I moved and when trying to merge my family traditions with the new environment for my kids, this is a good inspiration!
My daughter & I still like to write letters to friends, relatives & pen pals! I like adding stamps to her stocking (& mine!) so she can keep on doing it.
What a great idea! I’m adding on to this to include stamps, envelopes, and a booklet of their friends’ and family’s names and addresses!
I grew up with our family opening gifts on Christmas Eve (no stockings) and have always felt that was special. We carried this into our own family, but added stockings on Christmas morning for our children. Now, with our children grown with families of their own, they all come to our home for Christmas Eve supper and gifts. Then the adults all exchange names for stockings, and we then we we meet together at our daughter’s home Christmas Day, we open the stockings. For us as a family, it allowed the gifts to be special Christmas Eve, and the stockings to be special on their on and appreciated the next day.
This was great! Thank you!
I’m German the whole country does Christmas Eve…. ???? We still do it our last move back to the states but it works out well even though we’re grown …we do our family Christmas Eve then my sister can do the in-laws Christmas Day.
We LOVE Sleeping Queens and Sushi Go! Another fun card game is Bold by Uno. Matching but with some risk and we love it!
A great list and spa days can be for anyone. This holiday season let’s give our kids the gift of not having to conform to gender stereotypes.
One my older son likes is gift cards to his favorite restaurants which means we get to go out as a family and have a meaninful time together. I also save sugary cereal for a treat at Christmas, as well as pop tarts. Movie tickets are great fun… as are tickets to concerts or shows.
We always open presents after The candlelight Christmas Eve service and stockings Christmas morning. I’ve been told it’s a German tradition that Santa Claus comes when you are at church so you better go to midnight mass!
I rarely agree with anyone or anything. I keep most of that to myself. I’m not crabby and negative just have my own ideas and opinions. You’re ideas, suggestions and opinions are thoughtful sensible and kind. Thank you!!
I always try to include something to encourage outdoor fun – warm socks, pocket microscope, magnifying glass, Go Find It cards, flashlight, etc. For a splurge – binoculars or headlamp. I love your idea of hand warmers and nature scavenger hunt! I also try to include something for art – washi tape, kwik paint markets, crayon rocks, etc.
Thank you, Kelly!
Seeds, it’s the best idea this year!
We love the cupon idea.
2 years ago you motivated us to place yoga and guitar classes pre-paid checks for the stockings.
Last year we download the printables but didn’t persevere to use them all.
This year I’m collecting empty oatmeal containers and clustering all little stuff we are trying to declutter from, which would still be useful for a homeless adult/kid and making “stockings” to give away for folks asking money in the street or outside of some nearby churches.
Happy Holidays!
I’m so happy that I have subscribed to your site! You. Share well thought out and meaningful ideas. Really appreciate it and I have even clicked on your links so you get the affiliate sales revenue! Keep up the great work!!
Love these ideas, especially the card games and coupon book. The game SET is one of the best games ever! You’re right, it’s all about experiences!
My family traditionally puts fruit at the bottom of your stocking, and my husband’s family traditionally puts the kids’ new tooth brushes for the year (and I like to leave a note from Santa w/ them).That takes up most of the stocking room when you also add a bit of candy.
My one reservation about some of the gifts you described is that (for young kids), experiences aren’t really “Santa gifts.” I prefer to give a toy that could be from Santa’s workshop with the stocking, and skip on giving them toys as gifts myself. I’m big on clothes, books, activity kits and experiences as regular gifts (and encourage grand parents to do the same).
Great ideas! Thank you for sharing. We always struggle with this (especially with 6 kids, 3 boys, 3 girls), I’m always for less stuff. We actually do stockings on St. Nicolas day (Dec. 6th). Christmas eve they get momma made pajama pants and an ornament. Everything else is opened Christmas morning.
I love this post! Thank you for sharing all your great ideas! I am a huge advocate for quality over quantity in stockings. I love the family experience idea. I have 4 girls and 1 boy 8 years and under and are Waldorf homeschoolers. This year we’re including opinel pocket knives, flint/steel fire starters, knitting needles, wool yarn, and a Walkie talkie in each Stocking. My son is getting a quill and ink set. My kids prefer useful/handwork items over cheap trinkets.