Welcome to Metropolitan Mama's list of the best stocking stuffers for all ages! I've tried to include a variety of ideas - games, toys, accessories, gear, candy, snacks, and practical things that will actually be used throughout the year. I will update this page yearly with new and unique ideas.
You've got to see these adorable mini hand puppets by Folkmanis! These tiny, hand-held animal finger puppets are lifelike and oh-so-cute. Plus, they are the perfect size for stockings! Peek one or two out of the top of the sock for instant oohs and ahhs!
I first discovered Book Darts about a decade ago - and my reading life has never been the same! These tiny metal arrows, packaged in a convenient circular tin, make it a breeze to mark beautiful quotes, interesting statistics, or anything noteworthy as you read. Book darts are *perfect* stocking stuffers for readers, scholars, scientists, and students! Be sure to peruse the new Author Series!
Bloom Daily Planners has a team of incredibly talented designers so you can be assured that each of their sticker sets and note card decks are at the peak of adorableness. Some of our favorites for holiday 2023 include: Vintage Holiday Pack Sticker Sheets, Monthly Celebrations Sticker Value Pack, Inspirational Quotes Sticker Sheets, Classic Sticker Value Pack, Encouragement Cards, and Act of Kindness Cards. The encouragement cards are especially perfect for lunch box notes for your teen!
When the weather outside is frightful, follow your mama's advice and cover your head and your feet. A smartly designed beanie and a great pair of wool socks should do the trick! Columbia Sportswear has you covered (quite literally!) in both categories.
Pictured (left to right): Kids' Agate Pass™ Cable Knit Beanie, Kids' Arctic Blast™ Heavyweight Beanie, Women's Dottie Wool Crew 2PK Sock, Women's Agate Pass™ Cable Knit Beanie.
Journals are useful for a gazillion things - grocery lists, poetry, test prep, lesson planning, sermon notes, etcetera. Pick up a pretty or interesting one for anyone on your list. Pictured: Dog Days, Lavender Wildflowers, and Watercolor Petals.
Show the world that you are a bookworm with an adorable literary pin by Out of Print. These mini brass pins can be attached to clothes, backpacks, or cork boards.
Pictured (left to right): Corduroy, To Be Read, Book Nerd.
Theo Chocolate offers organic, fair trade, and made from scratch chocolates in beautiful packaging and fun special-edition flavors for the holidays!
Watch movies without bad language, violence, and/or sexuality with - Clearplay! Our family uses Clearplay almost every time we watch a movie. It's simple to use with any of your favorite streaming services (Disney+, Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc). Pick a movie, choose your settings, and enjoy great films without having to fill your mind with harmful images and words. Stuff a stocking with a Clearplay subscription for year-round uplifting entertainment!
Dover Publication's miniature sticker books are the perfect stocking stuffer due to their size and artistic appeal. Available in a variety of themes - animals, sports, flowers, fairy tales, etc - these tiny books are affordably-priced ($1.99!) and absolutely adorable.
What happens when two entrepreneurial and creative brothers are gluten-intolerant? They embark on a journey to handcraft gluten-free, plant-based BITES, BARS, and OATMEAL in their own zero-waste facility in Grand Rapids, MI! The Gluten Free Brothers' scrumptious breakfast bars and snack bites are available for purchase at Meijer, Publix, Kroger, and Walmart, as well as online.
These "no-rip, super grip" hair ties are taking the haircare world by storm! Available in a number of colors and sizes, TELETIES are lovely to look at (In fact, they are so pretty that they can double as bracelets!) and tough enough to keep stray hairs in place for braids, ponytails, and other styles.
Boxed note cards are practical, pretty, and perfectly sized to place in stockings.
Pictured: Emily Dickinson Note Cards, Anne of Green Gables Greeting Cards.
Animal figures are among the best stocking stuffers for any young child from ages one to ten. Make it a tradition and add a new one every year! For Christmas 2023, our pick is the Grizzly Bear Mother with Cub by Schleich. The hand-painted details are stunning and the expression on the baby cub is so-cute-you-can-barely-stand-it.
If your kids love trivia, they'll go crazy over the fun question and answer decks by Brain Quest. Each one has between 300-1,500 age-appropriate educational questions. Super fun for restaurants, road trips, or around the dinner table!
Westcott's non-stick craft mat comes rolled up in a rectangular case, which is a great size for stockings. The durable mat is non-stick, heat-resistant, and stain-resistant. Kids can use it to protect surfaces when creating with paint, play-doh, clay, kinetic sand, slime, glue, etc. An adult version is also available for teens and grown-ups who enjoy crafting.
Re-stocking school supplies in December is a good idea since many items have likely been lost, broken, or worn out. A new, brightly colored ruler is a fun and practical stocking stuffer that can be used for math homework and arts & crafts.
Literarians - both young and old - will appreciate Jane Mount's darling bookish accessories. The pencils have quotes from classic novels, such as "Nothing that we do is done in vain" (A Tale of Two Cities) and "I like good strong words that mean something" (Little Women).
For kids who are 8+ and/or reading proficiently, Quiddler is a stocking stuffer sized game, which is receiving rave reviews. The publisher describes it as a "short word game." Be the first to arrange all of your cards into one or more words. Then, watch as the others scramble to play their words against yours! Can also be played as solitaire.
For thick, long, or curly hair, Burlybands are the very best hair ties! They are wide, strong, and soft! No slipping, snagging, breaking, or tugging.
A strong and sharp pair of scissors can be used for so many different projects! Westcott's Titanium Bonded Scissors are 3x harder than steel and rated for heavy use, which means you can use them to cut through boxes, plastic packages, and thick fabric. They even come with a lifetime warranty! This is a great stuffer for kids who make "inventions" out of cardboard - robots, playhouses, costumes, etc.
Elegant in its simplicity, the Emily Dickinson Notebook by Princeton Architectural Press features a decorative pressed flower cover, blank lined pages, and little bits pf poetry throughout.
Kids who regularly write letters to penpals, grandparents, and friends will be thrilled to find sheets of personalized address labels in their stockings. Stuckonyou offers 68 different designs, which are perfect for ages 1-12+.
A handheld pencil sharpener is a super practical gift pick that is sure to be used all year by writers and artists. The Grip Trio Sharpener by Faber-Castell sharpens both jumbo and regular size graphite or colored pencils to a perfect point. Each section has a compartment to contain shavings.
Pencil pouches make great gifts for students, writers, artists, and parents! This adorable "Adventure Awaits" faux leather pouch is chic in pink and cream with shining gold lettering.
Kids who spend hours in artistic pursuits will be thrilled to find Pitt Artist Pens by Faber-Castell in their stockings. This set includes four pens, which have a brush nib that works like a paintbrush for wide brush or thin lines. Colors can be layered on paper, canvas, and journals.
Little girls with long hair typically don't appreciate having their hair brushed out due to terrible tangles. Make the chore easier with Fairy Tale's Tangle Tamer Static Free Detangler - available for purchase online or at Target, Walmart, Ulta, and Safeway. Fairy Tale's hair products are free of harsh chemicals, toxins, paragons, and sulfates.
Put this in the category of super useful stocking stuffers. My kids use dry erase markers daily for school assignments, to-do lists, and big drawings on our white board. Consider putting a few new dry erase markers in each stocking (this is a great idea for teachers, entrepreneurs, and teens too!). We've found that the Quartet brand is genuinely reliable and offers bold, dark ink.
The truth is that any kind of tape is a really smart stocking stuffer - scotch tape, duct tape, masking tape, painter's tape, or packing tape (to name a few). What makes Washi Tape extra fun is that you can purchase it in specific themes and colors to match the person's interests. You can find Washi Tape in every color of the rainbow and in countless adorable designs: animals, planets, vehicles, the alphabet, etc.
5.11's Vlad Rescue Pen pulls double duty! It's simultaneously a high-quality pen and an emergency rescue device. You can write, doodle, and take notes with the medium black cartridge. If needed, remove the cap from the opposite end to access the carbide-tip window breaker that can shatter tempered automotive glass.
A medium support, pull-over compression fit sports bra is a super functional stocking stuffer for any female athlete. 5.11's Valentina Sports Bra is lightweight and moisture wicking, with a unique anti-odor material. Fully lined with power mesh fabric, the seams are flat-locked to reduce any chafing. The soft jacquard elastic bottom band lets you move, twist, and bend without needing to adjust.
Cookie cutters make the best stocking stuffers because they are both adorable and practical. Plus, they can be highly personal because you can match the shape to a particular hobby or interest. Ann Clark offers more than 2400 designs! Athlete? Consider the Large T-Shirt Cookie Cutter. Californian? The California State Cookie Cutter will be perfect for that! Plus, the Food Coloring Gels will allow you to decorate cookies and cakes in a myriad of vibrant colors. One tiny tube can decorate 32 cakes!
Pictured Cookie Cutters: Mitten, Snowman, USA, Girl Paper Doll.
Your kids will love being "just like the astronauts" when they sample freeze dried fruit and ice cream sandwiches! With fun flavors like Mint Chocolate Chip and Cookies & Cream, these galactic stocking stuffers are sure to be out-of-this-world in their appeal. *Note that astronaut foods do not require refrigeration and have a three year shelf life.
Remember Big League Chew from your childhood? The long-lasting shredded bubble gum has been a fan favorite since 1980! Stuff a bag or two in your child's stocking this Christmas! Especially perfect for baseball/softball players - but sure to bring delight to all!
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What are YOU putting in stockings this year? Tweet me with your ideas!