I’m afraid my best idea for stocking stuffers is useless at this point. What I do is, all year long I keep my eye on the party favors and small toys at Target. When they go on 75% off, I buy some. By Christmas, I always have a nice assortment of the kind of junky crap the kids love (miniature Magic 8 balls! tiny dartboards! little plastic slinkys! kazoos!) and I haven’t spent much money. Might have been nice if I’d mentioned this a little earlier, hm? Well, you can do it for next year.
Here are the food things I bought this year for William (2nd grade) and Rob (4th grade):
1. A couple of those 25-cent single-serving bags of chips each.
2. A Tootsie Roll bank—99 cents each.
3. A Lifesavers “book” (looks like a book, but contains rolls of Lifesavers instead of words)—$2 each on sale.
4. Pez dispenser and an package of refill Pez—99 cents each dispenser and each pack.
Then I toss in a mixed handful of whatever candy we happen to have on hand, which I would not like to talk about because it’s embarrassing to list what we “happen to have on hand.” But SOME years this has involved things SUCH AS: mini Twix, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup miniatures, York peppermint patties, Christmas M&Ms, and Hershey Nuggets. I’ll give Edward and Elizabeth the easier, less messy candy, and also chips, and probably Pez, but not the Tootsie Rolls or Lifesavers.
Another good way to fill up the stockings is to buy things you have to buy ANYWAY, but get the more-fun version. For example, my kids like those fruit/candy-scented shampoos (Suave and L’Oreal both make them), and so I can put a bottle in each stocking and not really have to count that as falling under the stocking budget. Also, you can get Band-Aids in Spider Man and Hello Kitty and Cars and so forth: I saw them on sale at Target this week for something like $1.50. They’re pleasing in the stocking, but then they go in the supply cabinet.
Socks are good for this, too, but I get the fun kind (that they can still wear to school, so no jingle bells and fake fur), not the sixpack-of-plain-white kind. And craft supplies are great: I’d buy those for them anyway, but they seem more special in the stocking. New box of crayons, a bag of pipe cleaners, a packet of pom-poms and a packet of jingle bells. They’re kind of expensive, but I would have bought them anyway.
For the three little kids (ages 3 years and 18 months), I bought these three packs of “chunky books” (all images from Amazon.com):
Baby Animals, First Words, Colors
Puppies, Farm, Kittens
Animals, Dinosaurs, Trucks
It’s $2.75 for each 3-pack of small board books (they’re about 3 inches square), and they’re on that “4-for-3” deal so if you get a fourth one (for a niece or nephew or friend or for the donation box), it’s free. They’re a little babyish for the 3-year-olds, but they’ll provide (1) short-lived enjoyment; (2) stocking-filling; and (3) books for the 18-month-old’s stash. (Some of these packs have long waits now. If you want all nine, the 9-pack is still available.)
The Puppies and Kittens are my least favorite in the group: each page just gives the NAME of a puppy or kitten. Not a breed, but a name. Like: Mittens, Fluffy, Rex, Fido. It’s hard to see how that would teach a baby useful new words. Those two books will go in Elizabeth and Edward’s stockings instead.
For Elizabeth, I have a couple packets of barrettes purchased on clearances. I’ll leave them on their cards, not only because they take up more space in the stocking that way, but also because they’ll never come OFF the card: she loves them but won’t wear them.
Target’s dollar section is hit-and-miss. Some of the things I find seem GREAT: last year I got those glittery-balls-on-springs-on-a-headband thing for everyone, and they were sold in 2-packs for just $1.00. I’ve also found good metal brain-teaser puzzles there, and I got Edward and Elizabeth each a coloring book (Snoopy for Edward; Hello Kitty for Elizabeth).
Great ideas! We, uh, I mean, SANTA, usually puts fun character toothbrushes in everyone’s stocking, too.
Those books are fantastic!
I also got some Sesame Street pop-up books and some Elmo board books with at the Target $1 section this year.
We always got candy and school supplies in our stockings.
I like to give new toothbrushes too.
Are you trying to say… there is no Santa?
You’ve just broken my heart.
.. kidding.
This sounds a lot like the stuff that we always got in our Christmas stockings! Except… less from Target because I’m in Canada, eh?
We always got socks, useful toiletries (including “cool” band-aids as you said), some candy and little knick-knacks. As the girl, I did often get hair clips or hair supplies of any sort. Nail polish when I was a little bit older, that sort of thing. My favourite stocking stuffers are the useful things (like the shampoo, facewash, razors nowadays, LOL) because of the usefulness factor.
My mommy still fills a Christmas stocking for me and my nearly-20-year-old brother. LOL. Partly to keep up the Santa charade for my littlist brother (although that’ll be over soon, methinks)… and partly because it’s still so fun.
This year, I want random Teacher Knick-Knacks in my stocking. Like those nameplate things for desks? They’d fit in a stocking..
Swistle Thank you! What great ideas!
You have been very helpful!
Adore the little books, my kids will love those!
:)
Great idea to stock up over the course of the year. I also buy stuff from Oriental Trading, which has a lot of 6.99 for a dozen type of things. This year I also bought a medium-size gift for friends’ kids, then put a mix of the extras from the dozen items I got into a gift bag. It kills a lot of birds with one stone.
Have I told you lately that I love you?
I am really digging other people’s gift ideas and not having to think for myself this year.
We don’t have kids but I’ve always loved stocking stuffers and that hasn’t changed. Last year I got my husband a bunch of Axe products I’d found on sale, which goes along with your line of thinking: Stuff I Would’ve Bought Anyway. My Target’s dollar section is usually kind of sucky, but I always check it just in case. I have a serious notebook addiction, and have gotten many a cheap one there.
I love those books for baby gifts! Seriously, my four SIL’s are all pregnant and due in the spring/summer–so I’m stocking up for 2 showers + a little something for the other ones…LOVE that I got 4 3-packs for so cheap! Add to the number of friends who all seem to be due in the winter/spring (and I like to give a small gift with a meal) and that’s a great deal I just HAD to take advantage of. (Would it be bad to be even cheaper and break them up into 2 per gift?)
Great ideas!! We usually do a bit of candy, toothbrushes, just small unwrapped crap.
We always do tooth brushes, band aids and stuff like that.
My husband & b-i-l STILL talk about receiving the LifeSavers books in their stockings thirty years ago. Glad to hear that’s still a tradition. Maybe I’ll get them one this year.
Hot Wheels are a big hit too. Only $1
These are great ideas. I actually hit our local dollar store and got some great board books and small puzzles for my crew. Don’t forget the dollar stores.
I just bought the entire Star Trek movie set in DVD for Mr. P for $45.45 which includes shipping! Thanks for the DVD box set tip yesterday.
Oh, I love the idea of the bandaids. I’m definitely heading to Target to pick them up. I’m also thinking about doing the fun mouthwash that shows if you still have plaque. Would that be wrong?
Those are GREAT ideas. We have some of the books that you mentioned and yes, they are a no-brainer. :-)
Also, McDonald’s is doing the whole My Pretty Pony thing – I am planning on getting a few for my girl. A real Pony for less than $1??? That’s crazy!
I think folks don’t realize that you can just buy the toys separately – I never, ever buy the happy meals themselves.
My coworker recently introduced me to the little sale things rack at Michael’s. I did not know such a thing existed at Michael’s, which I thought just sold crafts stuff, but there are all kinds of cute little packs of notecards and little candles in tins and random things there. Some things for children, some for grown ups. If there’s a Michael’s near you, you might enjoy. . .
chapsticks and lip glosses are great, too. Buy them on sale throughout the year for stocking stuffers.
oh wow, you brought me back!
pez and the lifesaver books were SUCH a part of my holidays growing up.
i’ve even given The Mr. a few pez over the years. (so fun).
growing up, we also got toiletries in our stocking.
my mom (& dad) filled 13 stockings… and mom wrapped every.single.thing. in it! down to the 25c pack of gum & chapstick tube!
soooo of course, i still do that. and The Mr. (who hates wrapping) complies.
now…. what to put in a 5mo old stocking??? i’m sure i’ll come up w/ something.
thanks for giving us a peek.
Great great ideas. I personally love the band aids and things you would normally buy. Thank you.