Can we compile a list of decent stocking fillers - no plastic tat?

[CamdenTownie]

So after reading the what won't you be buying this year thread it got me thinking about all the rubbish that I buy every single year, and most of it goes into the Christmas stockings.

What would you put into the stocking that isn't plastic tat, but maybe a little more expensive than the usual Poundland stuff?

My kids are all senior school age or older so I was thinking of a nice stocking with stuff that will actually be used( maybe even appreciated...)

So far I've come up with more for dds than dss,

Ethique shower bars
Chocolate truffles rather than coins
Bamboo socks
Eyeshadow pallet
Body shop camomile cleansing balm
Good quality pen

Any more ideas?

Mine will be 4 & 7 this Christmas, but current plan is:

• natural pencil crayons
• wooden Hape periscope
• Top Trumps cards/ UNO
• small china mug
• small Lego set (plastic but long lasting)
• personalised baking apron
• chocolate Santa

This will cost more than plastic tat, but they are all things that will get used and be loved.

Oh, and personalised swim bags!

@Tashtegotoo - where do you get cans of compressed air?

Loads of great ideas here. I usually have no problem with ideas for dd (19). It's the boys (21 and 16) who are more difficult. The younger likes card games, so he gets one. He also gets a lego mini figure. They both get lynx toiletries and hot chocolate (the ones in a stick - lidl usually do them). I'm going to put coffee in ds21's this year.

I'm also going to give the boys mini first aid kits. Dd always carries one with her and, while it's usually only plasters that are needed, it has come in handy loads of times. They've all done first aid training so know what to do with it.

I’m getting my DD (2.5):
Bath bomb
New toothbrush
Big jigs toothbrush timer
Colouring pencils
A DIY sun catcher from Hobbycraft
Bath bomb
Pocket tissues
Sprinkles for baking
A tube of Smarties

For dd19 I'm getting a heat resistant glove for her hair straightener, a pack of make-up remover cloths (the microfiber ones that you just use water with). I got a pack of 3 in Penneys (Primark in UK) for €3 or €4. Some argon oil for her hair.

Lots of these stockings must be huge!

My four year old twins’ most used stocking filler last year was their own sellotape dispenser. They use it every day!

Here it's mostly edible with something small and useful like lypsyl, and a soft toy that they collect. They have sacks for under the tree and they open those once everyone is up but stockings are fair game for ASAP on waking. It's only a few minutes between waking and coming in to me. My sister's in laws made her kids wait until 11am.

Water bottle
Notebook
Pants/socks
Toiletries they use
Book
Favourite sweets/chocolates
Favourite drink
Something ridiculous like toilet roll with Christmas pics on or a tin of beans

Ours (5 and 8) will get socks, pencils, fruit and nice chocolate, some kinetic sand mini pots, stuff like a magnet, mini torch, mini binoculars.

@whyamidoingthis I got the compressed air online from Trade Me. That's the NZ equivalent of Ebay as I live in New Zealand. So I can't really help you on a good place to buy it in the UK, sorry.

My teens are getting 200 small round magnetic balls each. We're a family who fidget and DD(8) got a set of these we keep in a metal dish on the coffee table. Everyone likes to create metal sculptures, pull them into a long chain, make them into a coaster etc.

We don’t do stockings but I will be taking note of some of the pressie ideas 🎁

Even as an adult I love using these pencils. They would work for youngsters of different ages I think.
www.fredaldous.co.uk/products/sketch-colour-chunky-rainbow-pencils?variant=36024494606&sfdr_ptcid=32296_100_506734448&sfdr_hash=0bb62a029d49a5416287c37ebf8e0ddd&gclid=Cj0KCQjwt5zsBRD8ARIsAJfI4Bi7TLQrvWxFbDtvCsaXtqYBda5xD7E4hfDqI8QxCShO26GTq_NlSTwaAlEhEALw_wcB
They are decent quality which is good because cheaper versions break all the time
You can sometimes get them discounted in home bargains.
You do need an extra fat sharpener to use with them, but I guess that would make another useful present.

@Tashtegotoo - thanks. UK is no good to me anyway as I'm in Ireland. I was hoping you'd tel me a shop type, hardware or whatever. I'll have a Google.

@whyamidoingthis you can buy it in the pound shops it's called an air can and is usually in the same area as the phone cases and chargers etc.

@CamdenTownie - Great. Thanks.

Ds (4 almost 5) is getting:

A couple more little puppets for his collection. He likes the Fiesta ones.
A wooden town in a bag
Pencils & a pencil case
A Satsuma
2 small bags of haribo
Bathbomb
Seed tin with seeds in it
A Rupert annual because it's not Christmas without a Rupert annual
New toothbrush
Socks
A Christmas tree decoration
A knitted toy to sit on top

Dd (18 months by Christmas) is getting:

Tights & socks
A satsuma
Wooden animals (Lanka Kade/Holztiger/Ostheimer) to add to our collection
Hair slides
Toothbrush
Pencil case (A tin Egyptian mummy one because it's the perfect size and she loves my dm's this year)
A Christmas tree decoration
An annual or hardbacked book
A knitted toy to sit on top

The adults (dh, pil and dm) are getting:

Homemade dried apples dipped in chocolate
Fancy hot chocolate for dh/tea for everyone else
Homemade chilli and apple jam
Socks for dh/fiL
Hand cream for dm/mil
A book each
A note book each

In return I get as many books (new and second hand) as dh can cram into a stocking.

Bubble bar
Bath bomb
Bamboo toothbrush
Bath sponge or face flannel
Book
Small puzzle (£1 jigsaw from The Works for example)
Hair clips
Gloves
Socks
Colouring pencils
Chocolate coins
Satsuma
Face paints
Lip balm
Batteries for main present 🤣

Purse

I dont think compressed air is eco friendly

www.google.com/amp/s/grist.org/living/ask-umbra-is-canned-air-bad-for-the-planet/amp/

I dont think compressed air is eco friendly

Thanks. That's one item off the list then.

Think I have found a book for my adult DC's stocking. A ladybird book of Donald Trump.Extracts in this morning's I newspaper are hilarious.

Excellent thread - was starting to think along the same lines myself. My 2 boys will be 12 and 10 by Christmas, and I'm thinking of getting travel towels from Mountain Warehouse or Decathlon to include in their stockings. I have one and find it tremendously useful.

DS2 would like chilli sauce and/or pickled onions in his stocking!

Eco friendly toiletries for older ones ?? This place has 15% off with SAVE15 and free delivery atm.