Mini Flashlight - At one time I was buying gifts for a lot of people and I looked for bulk items to save money. I purchased this set of mini flashlights to go in little gift boxes I made up and they were great. My daughter and I put ours on the zipper of our jackets. They’re light and very bright. If you only have one person to buy for I like this mini mag light. My daughter keeps this one under her pillow.

At this point I’m realizing I shop way too much on Amazon.

Pet Related Gifts - This is great if someone has a new pet or just really loves their pet. A nice collar, an engraved name tag, a special toy, or a book of pet tricks might be just the right gift. I purchased this pet tag for my dog three years ago and it’s still readable. It doesn’t look like the letters are etched in but rather painted on but they’ve held up well.

Something you use and love - You can’t go wrong with something you’re really excited about if you think they would like it, too.

Leg warmers - The ones I purchased are currently unavailable but I’ll link to them anyway so you can see them. These are great for women who wear boots because they’ll sit above the boot and not slip down that way. They’re very comfy and stylish. I got a three pack a couple years in a row and gave them out as girl’s gifts.

Mini notebooks or fun sticky notes

Pill Organizer

Poopourri - Give this for a great gag gift.

Stuffed Animals - This is a tradition I have with my daughter. Every year she gets a new stuffie in her stocking. Her favorites have always been from Mary Meyer. Watch the sizes if you order these. They have some that look just alike in two different sizes.

Charm bracelet - Gift them a new charm each year.

Personalized Ornaments

Chop Sticks - I was so excited when I found these stainless steel chop sticks on Amazon I bought some for myself and then a set for my sister for her birthday. Maybe it’s a strange gift but that’s how we roll. I’m learning how to use them every time we make rice.

Doll Clothes and Accessories - Get Barbie some modest dresses or make some yourself for a more personal gift. I used to make diapers for stuffed animals for my daughter for Christmas. If you use fleece or any non-fraying fabric it’s pretty easy.

Back Scratcher - This is another item you can buy in bulk if you’re filling lots of boxes or stockings.

Altoid Tin Crafts - I’m not associated with Etsy but I made this pattern years ago and my mouse turned out way more cute than any of the pictures. Wee Mouse Tin House PDF Pattern from Etsy. You could probably make it without the pattern but they had some great tips that made a big difference in the finished product. This is a great handmade stocking stuffer for kids.

Forget stockings. Give everyone in the family a new pillowcase and fill it up with Christmas goodies. You’ll have a lot more room. Who needs wrapped gifts when you have a pillowcase full of treasures?

Pocket knife or Multipurpose tool

Sleep Mask - Look for one that blocks 100% of the light.

A Cute Night light like this cat one.

Thin gloves – you can always use an extra pair

Funny socks – easy to roll those up!

A favorited themed pack of bandaids

Battery powered toothbrush

A handwritten note – 10 things I love about you! (And then of course, list them )

Hair Scrunchies - Or other hair related jewelry. I got a really nice set of jeweled clips for my daughter one year for dress up.

Hot spices and sauces

Facial masks

Music CD

Hankies

A Pretty Apron - Here’s a link to vintage aprons.

My step dad loves M&M's so I get them and put them in something fun.

One year I put some in a coke bottle with a cork. He refills it to this day.

U.S. Mint Collectible Coins - A set from the year of their birth would be nice.

Book Bone - I’d never heard it called that but basically it just keeps your paperback book open. I have one for my daughter to use for one of her school books.

Small LEGO sets - I filtered this search link to be the LEGO brand and under $25 so maybe it’ll turn up the smaller sets.

Earrings

Shrink-wrapped wash cloths

Scarf with pockets - I have one my husband got locally that’s probably one of the best gifts he’s given me for Christmas.

Fruit, Vegetable, or Flower seeds and maybe a nice garden trowel.

My process is to get on websites like Ebay, Etsy, or Amazon and just type in characters or things that each family member likes.

For instance, my new son-in-law is into gunsmithing, Iron man, his jeep, and the occasional mixed drink.

So I search those websites using those key words to see what pops up. I've found some really interesting things.

For his birthday I gave him a set of Iron Man car coasters that I found on Etsy. They would have made really good stocking stuffers too.

Sometimes in my search for one person, I'll come across something for another.

Candy Canes - Or you can do the big fat candy cane sticks like we had in our stockings when we were little.

Matchbox Cars - These are great toys that fit in a stocking.

Pez Candy and Dispenser of a favorite character

Crayons or Sidewalk Chalk

Look for a stocking stuffer section at your local Walmart for pooping reindeer and other themed candy and toys that fit in a stocking.

Small board books for toddlers

Garden gloves or other cheap gloves to keep in the car in case of emergencies.

Gel Pens - These were recommended by a blog follower as a favorite.

Embroidery or cross stitch kit

Travel sewing kit

Mini puzzles

Essential Oils

Small framed photos

Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate Mix Packets

Pass or Membership to a favorite place

Among many stocking stuffer ideas are these. Cracker Barrel has .99 salt and pepper shakers. All year long in different styles, even 50% or more off sales! They make awesome gifts/collections. 

 

Dollar Tree. Now $1.25 tree, but you can get books, art supplies, wipes - aka tiny pocket sanitizer, tiny washcloths that puff up big, stickers, even toys if so desired. It was nicer when it was $1.00 but it’s still less than most places.  

 

Walmart- check the .99 tree decorations when they start Christmas sales. Great stuffers and can go on a tree, year by year with some tape to add the year or a sharpie marker. 

I made this post for 2022 but here’s what I’d add to the list for 2023.

My daughter is way into knitting now and here are some neat things I got her.

• A reading light that goes around your neck so she can knit in low-light areas.

• A small knitting bag (she already has a large one) to carry a project with her on the go.

• Knitting needle stoppers. They make some really cute ones. These keep your knitting from falling off the needles when you’re not working on the project.

And one thing for me. I already got my Christmas money and I spent some of it on new sheets and I found this organic muslin throw blanket and had to have it. It’s so soft it would be appropriate for a baby blanket but it's perfect for a wrap or to cuddle on the couch with and there’s nothing more comforting when you feel bad than this blanket. I wish I could buy one for everyone I know, I just love it that much.

Have a wonderful and blessed Christmas, everyone! Thanks for following along.

Bookmarks - I like the ones with the little leaves. My daughter got them for me last year. So cute.

Tinwhistle - This is probably the cheapest real instrument you’ll find and it fits great in a stocking. According to Amazon’s records I’ve purchased this particular one four times over the years. I’ve played several different ones and this is the one I recommend to beginners. Clark also makes a beginners book that is really nice.

Fancy pens - I’ve told you before how much I love my Pilot G-2 pens. These are the fashionable ones. Now I just want refills for Christmas.

Hanayama puzzles - These are great. I think I have two of them. They’re heavy, metal, solid, fit in your hand, and look great on a desk. They have different levels of difficulty, too, so you won’t waste your money buying a hard one for the puzzle lover on your list.

Armrest organizer (pocket) - One year I purchased everyone one of these in various colors. This is the exact one we purchased. They’re great to keep your Chapstick and hand lotion or even your Kindle close to your favorite seat.

Paper Airplanes - This one looks fun.

Knot Tying Kit - For someone who likes to mess around with stuff like this I think it’d be great. I would like one myself.

Zipper Pull (For Adults, too!) - These are so cute and they’ve been on my maybe list for a few years now. They come in several different styles and you get 3 per order.

Mother Daughter Necklace Set - We have this set with the elephants and really like it. It comes in several styles and there are a ton of these kinds of necklace sets on Amazon.

Earbud Organizer

Tea - Get the good stuff you know they’ll like. I found some that are a variety and individually wrapped here. I can tell you I really like the Republic of Tea that come in a canister, though.

Herbal Coffee - I don’t know if it would fit in a stocking but if you know someone who can’t have caffeine they make a coffee-like drink that is wonderful called Teechino. They also have some that is for people with gluten allergy. Lots of flavors and it’s really good. My mom didn’t know it wasn’t coffee.

Nail Polish - Some people like the little bottles. There’s also the stick on nail polish and the no-smell varieties. Oh, and the kind you have to have a special light to cure. I used to get my daughter press on nails for her stocking called imPress because she liked them so well. They came in short or long so they didn’t look weird on a younger person and they stayed on for weeks! Now I buy her the peel-off kind that doesn’t smell called BONTIME. They come in two sets of colors.

Nail stickers - These are great for kids or adults as long as they can deal with tiny stickers. You can get a lot of different sets in one order.

Silicon Rings - These are great for men that can’t wear a regular wedding band due to their working conditions where it might be dangerous or it could get damaged. I’ve worn them when my fingers were so swollen I couldn’t wear my wedding rings. My husband wears one a lot and they’re very comfortable and affordable.

Wooden Tangram Puzzles - There are so many of these for kids and adults and some come with books of puzzles with solutions. This one is very nice and well rated.

Book Ends - Okay, so these will never fit in a stocking but if you’re a book lover and you’ve never seen these particular book ends you have to give them a look. They come in different styles.

Future Mail - There’s a whole line of these on Amazon where you can write letters to your future self or to your spouse, child, or grandchild. I’ve always wanted to get a set but never have.

Charms (or other craft items) for the jewelry maker.

A Beautiful Journal, Diary, or Planner. I like these type because they’re embossed on the cover.

Glow sticks for kids or emergency use.

Pop sockets - These go on the back of your cell phone so you can pop it out and have a handle to hang onto. What’s cool about them is that they come in lots of different styles and the tops turn off and are interchangeable so you can have a lot of them and change them often.

Scented candles or wax cubes

Bottle opener

Temporary tattoos

Stainless steel drinking mug - We love stainless steel containers. My husband has one he drinks out of every day and he’ll leave ice in his cup (no lid) and it will still have ice in it ten hours later! Get one that’s insulated with a lid that’s easy to clean.

Cord organizer

Lip gloss - My daughter always says lip gloss when others ask what she wants for Christmas. She said she figured they would know what the good brands are and I wouldn’t. lol

Hair chalk

Play doh - The little tubs should fit in a stocking.

Playing Cards or small games - Uno cards

Shrinky Dinks - My daughter always got so mad when we gave someone a gift and put her name on it. She didn’t like saying something was from her if she had nothing to do with picking it out or paying for it. Crafts like shrinky dinks allow kids to make their own gifts. You can also make these yourself and tie them to gifts with gift tags and ribbons.

Metallic Markers

This is a wonderful Christmas stocking tradition from one of my blog followers I had to share.

We do stockings and gifts for our children. The stockings are usually things like chapstick, gum, and lotion, etc… things like that and maybe (not always) one small meaningful gift unique to each child. In the toe of the stocking they’ll find a piece of wrapping paper.  The gifts are wrapped under the tree with no labels.  The wrapping paper shows them which gifts are theirs.  It’s a fun tradition we’ve been doing for years.

Redeemable coupons - lunch date, shopping date, date w husband, lunch or house cleaning for in-laws. Amazon has a variety of these. It might be fun to make your own though.

Gift Cards - I recommend being very specific with gift cards. Don’t just give them a generic gift card because you don’t know what to buy and want a gift of a certain price. If they’re into crafts you might give them a gift card to a craft store: Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, JoAnn’s, or somewhere like that. You could give the handyman a gift card to Lowe’s or Home Depot, or the college student with no money to eat out a gift card to their favorite restaurant. There are gift cards for Google Play apps, Nintendo Switch or XBox games, Starbucks Coffee, and lots of other places besides Walmart. If you give me a Walmart gift card for Christmas I’m going to assume you’re upset with me or don’t know me very well. lol If you give me an Amazon gift card I’m going to think you at least know my buying habits so you’re out of the dog house, but whatever you do, don’t be like my husband just hand your wife a $100 bill for Christmas. (Don’t send me an email. I know a lot of you would love your husband to give you $100.) Lots of different gift cards at this link.

Favorite Snacks or Candy - There’s so much you can do with this suggestion. I like to include jerky sticks like the long slim-jims in my husband’s stocking. Jerky is so expensive now so it’s a good gift if you can stuff a bag in there. Candy that’s hard to find is another great idea. We like to go to Dick’s 5 & 10 in Branson because they have all the really old candy brands our parents remember from childhood. Amazon has sets of these sometimes based on particular years. I’ve never purchased any of them but they’re fun to browse. Another idea especially when filling several stockings for adults is to make candy and put them in small tins. There’s nothing that says Christmas like homemade fudge, peanut butter balls, nut clusters, and chocolate covered cherries. Even a Ziploc bag with a few homemade cookies is an inexpensive addition to your stocking.

An Apple and an Orange - Years ago we used to get an apple and an orange in our stocking and I never knew why. Now I know that that’s what the last generation got in their stocking each year. You might try it for a bit of nostalgia.

Jax - Another great stocking stuffer for both grandparents and children is the old-time simple toys like jax, pick-up sticks, and marbles.

Fidget toys - These were all the rage a few years ago and since then there have been many many variations of sensory toys pop up on Amazon.

Perfume/Cologne/bath gel/bath bar

Comb

Pedicure set - I purchased this toe nail clipper set for my father-in-law last year and it looked very heavy-duty. It’s made for people with less hand strength.

Manicure set - This is the one I purchased for my mother-in-law’s stocking last year.

Something to go with their hobby - guitar strings, beads, paint, washi tape, etc.

Refrigerator Magnets - It may sound silly to some but I’d actually like a cute refrigerator magnet in my stocking. I never have enough.