The realm of stocking stuffing has continued to develop in recent years. Popularity of utilizing stocking as more than a mantle decoration has risen leaving many to wonder what to put in them for each family member.
One simple method for mapping out a stocking is to find one to three (or maybe even five) small gifts that range from $1 to $20 each. After that, fruits with a peel, small candies, coins and other really small items help to fill in the gaps. Some parents have suggested putting money into the stocking but getting the allotted amount in $1 bills.
As far as what items to get, think about the person you are buying for; write down their hobbies, favorite activities, fandoms that they are a part of or things they tend to mention in casual conversation to come up with ideas.
Below are a few small items to begin the brainstorming process:
- Small candles
- Card games
- Winter gloves
- Wool socks
- Chapstick
- Nail polish/ other nail items
- Holiday-themed treats
- Toy cars
- Granola bars/nut mixes/specialty chips
- Travel-sized activity books/crayons
- Bath stuff (bubble bath, loofa)
- CDs and bargain DVDs
Stockings have become a Christmas tradition since the 1800s. According to the Smithsonian, they did fall out of style in the mid-1800s for a short time due to the new development of pine trees being brought inside as decorations.
The actual stockings of yesteryear have turned into the flat, bag-like stockings we see now in the holiday decoration sections at the store. For some, a filled-stocking was the only gift a child or individual would receive.
Over the decades the tradition has altered into another method of receiving gifts. Though the cost amount of the items filling a stocking can vary from household to household, just about anything small enough to fit into the sock will do.
