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Stocking Stuffer Ideas - Page 3

post #41 of 84
9/29/09 at 1:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by StrawberryFields View Post
In the tradition of our area, we do stockings on St. Nick's Day (Dec 6th) and I actually never knew until recently (from reading on here) that St. Nick's is not celebrated everywhere else in the US as well! So there are no stockings here on Xmas Eve or to or from other relatives. Just St. Nick to the kids.
Where are you?

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post #42 of 84
9/29/09 at 3:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetjasmine View Post
Where are you?
Wisconsin
post #43 of 84
9/29/09 at 5:10pm
subbing for ideas!

We usually do handmade small toys for the girls, books for the boy, some candy, and sometimes stickers or arts & crafts items
post #44 of 84
9/29/09 at 5:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by StrawberryFields View Post
In the tradition of our area, we do stockings on St. Nick's Day (Dec 6th) and I actually never knew until recently (from reading on here) that St. Nick's is not celebrated everywhere else in the US as well! So there are no stockings here on Xmas Eve or to or from other relatives. Just St. Nick to the kids.

As a child my stocking always included an extra large orange, an extra large shiny apple, and one of those huge peppermint sticks, so I continue to include those for my own kiddos.

I buy the kids an ornament that reflected their interests that past year (to the best of my abilities). So for example Ds got a Lightening McQueen one last year, a fire truck one the year before, etc.

This year I picked up some wooden trains for ds and will probably get a couple pieces of track as well. Play-doh for both kids, some ViewMaster reels, some stamps and stamp pads. And maybe a little chocolate candy.
As a child we celebrated St. Nicholas' Day as well! It's a tradition we just revived in my family last year and the kids loved it. We also added in the adults.
post #45 of 84
9/29/09 at 5:25pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by StrawberryFields View Post
In the tradition of our area, we do stockings on St. Nick's Day (Dec 6th) and I actually never knew until recently (from reading on here) that St. Nick's is not celebrated everywhere else in the US as well! So there are no stockings here on Xmas Eve or to or from other relatives. Just St. Nick to the kids.

As a child my stocking always included an extra large orange, an extra large shiny apple, and one of those huge peppermint sticks, so I continue to include those for my own kiddos.

I buy the kids an ornament that reflected their interests that past year (to the best of my abilities). So for example Ds got a Lightening McQueen one last year, a fire truck one the year before, etc.

This year I picked up some wooden trains for ds and will probably get a couple pieces of track as well. Play-doh for both kids, some ViewMaster reels, some stamps and stamp pads. And maybe a little chocolate candy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KariM View Post
As a child we celebrated St. Nicholas' Day as well! It's a tradition we just revived in my family last year and the kids loved it. We also added in the adults.
Does everyone celebrate St. Nick's the same way, with stockings on Dec. 6th? I'm just curious. It sounds very interesting.
post #46 of 84
9/30/09 at 12:31am

Lottery Tickets :)

For my oldest who is now 18 (I also have a 5 and 2 yo), I got her some scratch off lottery tickets one year which she LOVED, LOVED, LOVED! I also did movie tickets one year which she liked.

I always try to put one somewhat larger (as in more expensive) gift in the stocking along with all the stuff that is little. It makes it more exciting.
post #47 of 84
9/30/09 at 6:43am
Ooohh the movie tickets sound like a great idea for DH and DS. I am earmarking that one......
post #48 of 84
9/30/09 at 12:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by StrawberryFields View Post
Wisconsin
Never heard of this tradition. Interesting!
post #49 of 84
9/30/09 at 5:50pm
Some great ideas. Other things than what's already mentioned that I'm thinking about doing: a cliff bar for DH; fun-size chips bag for DD.
post #50 of 84
9/30/09 at 8:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetjasmine View Post
Never heard of this tradition. Interesting!
So funny because until reading here, I had never heard of giving stockings on Xmas Eve or Xmas Day! I thought everyone did it on Dec 6 I've never lived anywhere else and that is how everyone I know does it so I guess I just assumed it was that way across the country
post #51 of 84
10/1/09 at 12:15pm
I send for internet freebies throughout the year, throw them in a drawer and use them for stocking stuffers. I must have had about 100 items last year. They were a big hit.
post #52 of 84
11/20/09 at 1:16am
http://www.perpetualkid.com/index.as...OD&ProdID=3177
post #53 of 84
11/21/09 at 1:26am
We do really well collecting freebies at things like agricultural fairs and art shows. They're always passing out free stuff like stickers, erasers, pens and pencils. I got colouring books on Oceans Day. Dd is still young enough that an eraser from the Canadian Chicken Growers Council is exciting. The trick is keeping her distracted while I nab this stuff.

Also, I seem to be on a lot of charity mailings, some of which I don't actually give money to; but they think I'm a good risk so they send me "gifts" and "tokens." I think there was a thread on MDC about whether or not it's ethical to keep those things when you don't give money. Well, the little pewter angel keychain I got is being put to good use. Yard sales are another HUGE bonanza for exactly this reason. This year, I scored hand knit doll clothes, some Playmobil figures and perfect-condition Beanie Babies/Webkinz for next to nothing.

I never paid too much attention to being frugal in this area until I realized how expensive filling a stocking could be!
post #54 of 84
11/21/09 at 1:25pm
I didn't read all of the posts so this might have been said already, sorry.

When I was a kid the stocking was all about keeping me busy until a reasonable hour. So I would wake up super early, open my stocking and then hopefully stay busy for an hour or two so the adults could get some extra sleep. It usually worked.

Contents were almost always:

A mandarin orange
A candy cane
A special treat (like an animal made with jujubes and toothpicks)
A cinnamon bun or a croissant (something breakfasty)
A bottle of juice or a juicebox
A comic book
A novel
A brainteaser type puzzle or a book of mazes (whatever was age appropriate)
A small toy or Lego kit

I always loved it because I had something to do while the grownups did boring stuff like shower and drink coffee. Seems to work for my kids too.
post #55 of 84
11/21/09 at 7:43pm
Some great ideas!

Do stockings give everyone else the warm and fuzzies? It was my favorite part of Christmas growing up (my mom put a lot of thought into it) and it is my absolute favorite thing to do for my family.
post #56 of 84
11/21/09 at 11:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2cutiekitties View Post
Some great ideas!

Do stockings give everyone else the warm and fuzzies? It was my favorite part of Christmas growing up (my mom put a lot of thought into it) and it is my absolute favorite thing to do for my family.
Yeah, I love stockings.
post #57 of 84
11/23/09 at 1:05pm
I love stockings! When I was growing up, it was the 1 thing you could open before everyone else got up (meaning, my two brothers). We always got:

1. our favorite candy
2. our favorite gum
3. piece of jewelry (me - the only girl)
4. money - if mom was out of ideas
5. oranges
6. apples
7. our favorite nuts (pistacchios for 1 brother, cashews for me)
8. music (a cd we really wanted)

And for the record, if we spend Christmas at my mom's, she still does stockings for us and I'll be 40 next year!

For dd, so far, I have planned:
1. Piggy Paint
2. nuts
3. orange
4. candy
5. These angel coins
6. Gift card for Rainforest Cafe (her favorite restaurant)
7. plan to knit her some hand warmers

And I love the idea of the toothbrushes and band-aids. I'll be using those ideas for sure!

Thanks for the great ideas!
post #58 of 84
12/12/09 at 7:41am
For DH: new socks, both the athletic kind and everyday socks
a single issue of a magazine he likes but doesn't have time for a year subscription
gum

For DD: bubbles, a candy cane, stickers, new socks in the next size, a matchbox care, a small her-size tin drinking cup (less than $2, it was actually marketed as a camping expresso cup), a box of animal crackers

For all: new toothbrush
post #59 of 84
12/12/09 at 11:15am
Lots of GREAT ideas here!

When I was a kid I remember getting an orange, nuts ( in their shells) chocolate covered peanut clusters, ribbon candy, cut glass candy and usually some little trinket thing. Our stockings always smelled soooo good! And that scent lingered in the fabric.

Here we do...

little bags of nuts
individual bags of Annie's Cheddar Bunnies
toothbrush
toothpaste
floss
a candy cane ( I hang it on the end of the stocking)
chocolate coins
fave candies ( dh likes Reeses cups, ds#2 likes Twix, ds#1 likes...etc.)
giftcards ( Starbucks, Best Buy, Blockbuster, McDs )
ds#2 is getting drumsticks this year

It has gotten harder as the boys have gotten older AND we have a ton of adults ( dh, my mom, my brother, both my ILs and this year a great aunt and uncle...)

When the boys were little we did fun bandaids, markers, crayons, coloring books, puzzle books, matchbox/hotwheels cars, fancy pencils, tiny books, chocolate coins, fave candies, little toys, little packages of cheese crackers, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, little combs...it's been so long ago it's hard to remember some of the little things that were put in their stockings.

Thanks for starting this thread. I am not feeling as Scroogy as I did last year, but I am still not brimming over with holiday cheer. I think I got burned out and stressed out over the holidays over the years. It was so much fun reading this thread..made my little shriveled heart grow a bit.
post #60 of 84
12/12/09 at 12:05pm
reusable water bottle from REI- stainless steel or bpa free

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