Are the stockings the first thing your kids tear into? It is for us! We have a rule that everyone gets to open one present the night before Christmas. Then, on Christmas day, we open presents together which means waiting for the last person to wake up, usually me because I am not a morning person.
Luckily, the kids’ stockings keep them busy and happy for an hour. Typically, Santa leaves them chocolates and small toys. For moms and dads, Santa doesn’t like to give useless junk so small useful, fun items are always popular.
What are your favorite stocking stuffers? Please share!
p.s. Here are my other Gift Guides:
Gift Guide: Active Toys for Kids
Gift Guide: Best Toys for Arty Kids
Gift Guide: Toys to Get Kids Reading More
Gift Guide: Best Blocks for Creative Play
Top 10: Best Fun and Educational Board Games
Gift Guide: Musical Toys for Kids
Stocking Stuffers for Kids, Dads and Moms
Cool Toys for Stocking Stuffers
Colored Bubbles, $17
It’s a tad expensive for bubbles, but what bubbles!! Vibrantly colored!! It will be a shame when they pop!
Iwako Take Apart Animal Erasers, $5.40
These erasers were a huge fad at our school a few years ago. Even if the fad is over, kids will think the animals are adorable. And the erasers are functional! Some kids use them as mini “stuffed” animals to play with.
Illustrated Animal Bookmarks from Felix Doolittle, $20
I’m giving away a set of these gorgeous illustrated bookmarks! Choose from By the Pond or Wild Kingdom. Please use Rafflecopter to win!
Hex Bug Nano, $6; Hex Bug Ant, $8, Hex Bug Crab, $13, Hex Bug Starter Kit, $10, Hex Bug Larvae, $12
These mini-robotic toys act like real bugs and fascinate kids. Let them build habitats and tracks out of the holiday wrapping paper and box debris to keep them busy for hours.
Slap On Watches, 2 for $12 (special deal)
My kids love slap on anything. I got an email to give my readers a special price on these watches. They are usually $15 and now I can offer them for $6 each or technically 2 for $12 with free shipping in a variety of colors. At that price, it makes an excellent and practical stocking stuffer!
Spy Net: Secret Mission Video Watch, $31
Watch that takes movies and photos and it also tells time!
Bienfang Young Artist BLANK Trading Cards, $3
These are blank cards for your artist to make his or her own cards to trade or just to paint/draw/collage small. Available in Bristol Board, Canvasette, Sketch & Draw, and Watercolor. Each card is 2-1/2 in. x 3-1/2.
Thumb Lite Stick-On LED Lights, $5
These teeny, tiny stick-on lights are great for key chains to help light up the keyhole when it’s too dark to see. Kids will find other versatile ways to use these handy lights.
Stocking Stuffers for Dad
Small Swiss Army Knife for his keychain, $15.50
My husband keeps forgetting to remove his Swiss army knife at airport security so it gets confiscated, but it comes in handy. He uses the little knife blade when we go apple-picking. The mini screwdriver and the little scissors come in handy too!
Kelvin.23 All-in-One Handy Multi-Tool, $25
It’s been described as an all-in-one super tool! The Kelvin 23, invented by Kevin Royes, also has a spirit level, LED flashlight, tape measure, magnet to hold loose screws, carbon steel hammer, tape measure, and 16 screwdriver bits. The screwdriver itself can lock at either 180 or 90 degrees. It’s a multi-functional tool that almost replaces a toolbox. Great for students and apartment dwellers too! It would also be great to keep in the car.
Money Clip, $10
A money clip comes in handy when my husband doesn’t want a bulky wallet when we are going out. His wallet also causes him back problems, Constanza from Seinfeld style, from sitting on it when it’s in his back pocket which throws off his back alignment.
OXO Travel Coffee Mug, $10
If your man is as absent-minded as mine, he probably can’t keep track of his travel mugs. I like a slide-y top for easy drinking but now I won’t pay over $10 for them since they never come back. This OXO one is well designed and I am hopeful that the brighter blue color will remind him not to forget it.
Car Air Freshener from Febreeze, $11
I truly think that women have a better sense of smell than men which would explain why they like those tree air fresheners from the car wash. I think those smell nasty so I would upgrade my husband’s to this Aloha scent from Febreeze. Hey, I have to ride in his car!
Manicure Set from Nautica, $18
Now that you know my husband loses his travel coffee mugs, it probably won’t surprise you that he misplaces all our nail clippers too. Hopefully, with a grooming set in a nice wooden case, he will put his stuff back when he’s done using it so it won’t get lost. Ditto for the kids too!
Earbuds from Panasonic, $6
An extra set of earbuds comes in handy. It’s a gift to me too for when my husband wants to watch a movie in bed on Netflix and I want to sleep. I especially don’t want to hear violent movies.
Unbreakable Golf Tees, $7
There are 10 tees and each is guaranteed to last 1000 strokes. Approved by Golf Test USA, Golf Digest, Golf World, Today’s Golfer, and Golfers Magazine. And they look like wood.
Stocking Stuffers for Mom
Tweezerman Tweezers, $18
The slanted Tweezerman Tweezers are the perfect tweezer. My tweezers lose their precision point after a few accidental droppings so a new pair is always welcome!
Rosebud Salve, $7.50
A little fancier than Vaseline, Rosebud salve smells faintly of roses and keeps lips soft.
Here are 3 tins with different tints and flavors (salve, mint, and strawberry) for $16. You can also split them up between three stockings!
Essie Nail Polish in Mademoiselle 384, $4
A pale pink manicure makes for a neutral but healthy-looking manicure.
Lavender Hand Cream from Pre de Provence, $7
1-ounce tubes make this easy to carry in purses to combat dry winter skin.
Why Yes I Am Overqualified Post It Notes, $5
Nag Note, $8
Help mom out by making it more efficient for her to remind everyone to get their stuff done with this pad of sticky notes. Perfect too, if she loses her voice!
To view any item at Amazon, please click on image.
Congrats to Dee. She won the bookmarks!
Follow PragmaticMom’s board Fun Stuff for Kids on Pinterest.
My books:
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Massachusetts Book Award Long List
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
- Green Earth Book Award Long List
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Oh, wow. Stocking stuffers are my very favorite things to buy for Xmas. I’m going to nab a few of these, like the Hexbugs and earphones.
Hi Artchoo,
Stocking stuffers stress me out which is why I have to research them in advance to figure it all out. It’s the size…gotta make it fit in the stocking! But I hate it when they don’t use the toys and it can’t be all candy. The stockings usually buy me a few hours of sleep.
Mia, your Christmas sounds so much like ours. I’m definitely the last one up. I love stockings first, although this is a big disagreement between me and DH. His tradition is to dig into them last. We try to alternate, but can never remember which year it is. The one gift Christmas eve is a tradition for both of us, but honestly, I like waiting for all of Christmas day, probably because I love the anticipation more than anything else! My son will get one gift early. I’ll probably let him open it on Sat., Dec. 22nd. It’s tickets to see the Mary Poppins Broadway Across America show on the 23rd. Looking forward to that even if I did miss the opp for really good seats.
Hi Dee,
Oooh! Tickets to see a show is such a great idea! I want to catch a show this December … not sure if I should get tickets to Boston Pops Children’s Concert or Nutcracker. We know two kids in the Nutcracker but we saw it before though there is new choreography. We’ve never been to the Pops but not sure if the kids will be bored. Maybe a show is the way to go. I wonder what is in town… We used to do Disney on Ice for years when the kids were little and they LOVED it. They were totally mesmerized for the whole time. But now they are too old.
My favorite roller coaster? Hmmm…. Well I’m not much of a roller coaster-er, but I love concept of the original Zephyr in New Orleans. I’m not from here, but I’ve immersed myself in the culture here and often feel as though I’ve been places I haven’t! Would have loved to go to the old Pontchartrain Beach.
Hi Dee,
Oops, I reused a rafflecopter and failed to switch the question. I’ll have a giveaway coming up for a K’nex Roller Coaster set so sorry for the repeat question though it is fun to hear what roller coasters people love! Gad, I am so disorganized right now I can barely keep up!
The Comet, at Hershey Park.
Hi Julia,
I need to take my kids to Hershey Park. We’ve never been! And we will have to try out the Comet! Sounds fun!
I LOVE roller coasters. I’d have to say Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom! Thanks for the great giveaway opportunity.
Hi Nadine,
Space Mountain! That’s a good one! I’ve been on that in California. I grew up 15 minutes from Disneyland and actually used to go there for school field trips (but only to see the boring rides that no longer exist like Mr. Lincoln Speaks and The Human Body).
I got so excited about the roller coaster I forgot to tell my stocking stuff. This year I am getting Brainteaser cards for my 9yr old son and SAT vocabulary cards you wrote about before for my high achieving 12yr old daughter. Our tradition is, stockings, a simple breakfast of sweet breads, muffins, fruit, coffee for me. etc. THEN we take our time with the festive music and presents!
I haven’t been on that many roller coasters, but when I was 11 I remember enjoying a roller coaster at Parc Asterix (in France, where I lived at the time).
And I love Hexbug Nanos! We have a bunch, and they are my no-fail toy for shy play date friends 🙂
Hi MaryAnne,
Wow, that sounds fun! I haven’t been to any roller coasts in France yet but now it’s on my radar! Those hex bugs are strangely fascinating! My kids like to build barriers for them to get around.
My girls love Hello Kitty stuff. You know, those pencils, erasers, & note pads. I used to love them, too, as a kid.
I haven’t been on a roller coaster for a long time, but I used to like the American Eagle at Great America.
Hi Asian Mommy,
Oh yes. GREAT idea! My girls have a serious Hello Kitty phase and we had to drive to Boston to visit the store!
Love Feelix Doolittle!!!
I am too scared of roller coasters but I love all your stocking stuffer ideas!
Hi Ann,
Thanks so much! He will be delighted to know that you like his work! I’ll have my daughter pass it on to him from someone who is a trained RISD professional!