What is your one UNUSUAL stocking filler that others maybe haven't thought of?

[NorbertDentressangle]

Inspired by the stocking filler thread I noticed that we all tend to put the same old crap gifts in but occasionally you come across something that no-one else seems to have thought of.

My tip is (and this is very popular with my DD and some friends DC): pieces of rough cut gems/crystals/quartz or polished gemstones.

A lot of places sell them from about £1 each upwards, you can also fill a little gift bag for a set price. It appeals to the sciencey types and the magpie-types that just like sparkly things

Whats your tip?

A magic tree

A Christmas tree decoration

I went to France one year on a "booze cruise" and bought a gift pack which was a huge tube with sweets, toys and a comic in it. Dd barely noticed that the comic was in French as we 'read' through the pictures together. I had more trouble putting her Stable scene advent calender (bought on the same trip) together as that needed one person to hold the thing and another to
sellotape it together .

The other hit was a falling moneys game which I got in a market for about £2 - that kept us going for hours .

An ikea tape dispenser with different coloured cellotape went down very well last year and is still used a lot. And some pinking shears.

Like the idea of the cereal packet. Mmmmm, coco pops!!! Satsuma, sadly, seems a waste of effort. This would be seen as an evil act by a twisted Santa.

We always used to love the tube of goo that you stick a straw in and blow it up into a balloon. And those giant balloons too. Hawkins probably still do them.

We do the mini cereal packets too - the only time of the year I buy coco pops etc! We also do the magic trees because I had them as a child and therefore feel my children must have them too.

Mini pinking sheers are a great idea.

Packet of cress seeds and a roll of cotton wool to grow them on?

The girls also like things like a packet of pink blutac, pink pritt sticks etc.

tape a magazine/comic into a roll, and wrap in the shape of a cracker.
Place it in the christmas tree, pref above their line of sight.
Great as a surprise extra prezzie from Santa later on christmas afternoon.

or same as above, but with costume (or toy) jewellery.

anything glow-in-the-dark

most small things from hawkins bazaar (as a shopkeeper I have the joy of ordering cost price stocking fillers )

bubbles (touchable bubbles are fab)

andthing small and glittery

usual stuff... cool toothbrush/pj's/choc coins

Bird seed and peanuts to make into 'cakes' to hang in the trees.

A jar of Nutella.

Cress seeds.

Magic painting books.

Lip salve.

Oh forgot, a ball of wool and some knitting needles.

My mum always does Christmas Tree presents too that can be opened on Christmas eve . I'm 32 and still get one of those!

buckets...i'm 36 and I still get a small gift in my parents xmas tree (usually a scratchcard or token gift)

I did the bag of fake jewels Well I certainly did a bag of them and recruited MNers to help me fill it. I got nuggets of all sorts from floristry sections of a garden centre and also some from Ebay.

What I actually put in the stocking though was a treasure map. I made a map of my parents' garden, renamed bits of it like "the crocodile tree", "stony beach" etc and then set up clues to lead them round the garden (maximum distance between clues!!). The last clue lead to the bag of treasure.

Face cloths that come in a tiny square and expand in water - the dcs love to see what's on them. Bath bombs.

Love the cereal idea. I'll be doing that one.

I'm also loving the piece of the Berlin wall story.

fabulous idea Dragon!

i have bought bath crayons- found some peppa pig ones in claire's accessories! and some coloured hair bands. and one of those etch a sketch type things you can get them in woolies for £1 really small. they are the biggest hit ever

One of those mini cross stitch kits.

I am loving the cereal too. Might just do that. Anyone put a cracker in? We always had one of those, along with the satsuma and apple and 20p.

I really do apologise for being thick, but we never did anything like this in our house, and would like to start some traditions with my own ds, so why put these odd little bits in a stocking and put it where and to be opened when? Could someone talk me thru?

Thanks

In our house santa brings the stocking gifts and people bring the tree gifts. Get the children to do some simple things (dont start anything you dont want to do every year as they will remember!) like a carrot for the reindeer, hang up stocking etc. First thing in the morning they open the stocking (we leave ours unwrapped). We have presents after lunch.

We used to have stockings as kids but havent done them yet for DC's as too young but think I will do a little one this year.

Santapaws- We had our stockings hung from the fireplace to be opened on xmas morning.
Its basically a selection of small presents...anything you like preferably cheap and cheerful.

I sometimes used to get a cream horn in the top of my Christmas stocking - great way to start the morning, but not recommended for littlies unless you want to wash all the bedding, carpet and walls...

lol @ a cream horn -how random is that?!

Why not a Custard Slice or Chocoalte Eclair?

Not random. Fitted very neatly into the top of the stocking (small, very pretty stocking!). Not chocolate eclair due to allergy of chocolate. Custard slice - not as 'special' !!!!

Cream horn, what wrapped? or on a plate?