<p>That time of year… Looking for cool stocking stuffers for DS( graduating college in May, uncertain plans) and DD ( 20 something teacher) </p>
<p>Sand from Brookstone: <a href=“http://www.brookstone.com/kinetic-sand-by-brookstone”>http://www.brookstone.com/kinetic-sand-by-brookstone</a></p>
<p>For teacher … Post it notes, cute little hand sanitizes in good smelling scents, fun clippy things (paper clip type “claws”) and if she has a white board, fun dry erase colors. </p>
<p>For grad…origami money :)</p>
<p>This site has unusual gifts for everyone from $10 up
<a href=“https://www.thegrommet.com/”>https://www.thegrommet.com/</a></p>
<p>I’m planning on giving this to a few people. Like me, they like clean things. I’ve used it, you mold it around things and it picks up all the dust and bits of dirt… Works well, doesn’t smell funny, leaves no residue. <a href=“http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/326952/Cyber-Clean-Hi-Tech-Cleaning-Compound/?cm_mmc=PLA-_-Google-_-Cleaning_Chemicals-_-326952-VQ6-41150405756-VQ16c-VQ17-pla-VQ18-online-VQ19-326952-VQ20-83569596550-VQ21-”>http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/326952/Cyber-Clean-Hi-Tech-Cleaning-Compound/?cm_mmc=PLA-_-Google-_-Cleaning_Chemicals-_-326952-VQ6-41150405756-VQ16c-VQ17-pla-VQ18-online-VQ19-326952-VQ20-83569596550-VQ21-</a></p>
<p>Gift card to a teacher supply store, EXPO markers, Kcups or other type of coffee</p>
<p>Our stockings are honestly usually just candy. Anything from Swedish Fish to one of those AWESOME chocolate oranges.</p>
<p>Some of the Restoration Hardware stocking stuffers are neat. But their price point moves them into the gift category. Our stocking stuffers are inexpensive things…nail clippers, gum, Chinese puzzles, cards, and Christmas candy/treats. </p>
<p>Shellz, that’s what we do too. S likes those little puzzles, both D’s like travel sizes of favorite lotions and make up, and even though the older 2 are long grown, I still get little toys like a Hotwheel car of a favorite model or a plastic model of an animal they like. I get word puzzle or Suduku books, things like that. They team up to fill mine-H is just terrible at it, lol. The Dollar Tree gets a lot of my business, lol. They have a whole section of school/teaching supplies, but I’d think the kids in a teacher’s class would give lots of that stuff.</p>
<p>I gave up the stockings once all were out of high school. It was just on me to be creative and come up with stocking stuffers and I did not need the added stress. No one stepped up to say they would take it on so I just use the time and money on the major gifts. If I see small things that are cute they go under the tree or attached to major gifts. </p>
<p>I always hit up the dollar section at Target around Christmastime - they specifically have items that are marketed as “stocking stuffers” for all ages. The selection varies every year, but I have found some awesome things there. </p>
<p>Stockings are my favorite! Admittedly, it has gotten more difficult and expensive to fill their stockings as they’ve gotten older. Each kid gets some candy and an ornament for their future tree. D loves this tradition, S is “whatever.” I try to find them ornaments that reflect their interests. I also get them a nostalgic toy ( yo-yo, slinky, jax, bubbles, balsa airplanes…) and gift cards to restaurants, movie theater, iTunes, car wash and/or gas cards, and mani/pedi for D. Other items I’ve “stuffed” since they’ve gotten older: jewelry, perfume/after shave, cosmetics, nail polish/nail kit, hair accessories, scarves, candles, stationary, money clip/wallet, key chain, event tickets, business card holder, small electronic gadgets and accessories, gloves, belts, socks, boxers, trinket boxes, cuff-links, emergency repair kit, croakies, hand warmers, shoe polish kit, etc. S just got a new apartment so he may find some kitchen gadgets in his stocking this year :D.</p>
<p>Former teacher here…even when I was young and poor…the LAST thing I wanted for Christmas was teaching supplies. Get the teacher something for herself. </p>
<p>DDs (26) stocking will have hair ties, earrings, new sunglasses, a book, some candy, and a Christmas ornament.</p>
<p>DS’s (30) will have some Penzys spices ( he lives to cook), packets of basil seeds, some candy, a book and an ornament.</p>
<p>I will say, Penzys spices are nice gifts…a little pricey but a great treat. </p>
<p>Overtheedge, mentioning a slinky reminded me that my older D gets a slinky every year because as a kid she would tangle them up so fast she never really got to play with them. And I also give her a paddleball because she got one as a prize in school and couldn’t figure out “how to get this ball off the string”. Before I could stop her, she’d snapped the elastic and of course, the things was useless. I’ve found some really cute ones over the years. </p>
<p>I fill the stockings with edibles and other little things. The kids still love them. D also still loves getting gifts under the tree, tho she’s turning 25 this month! I try to buy them things they will like and/or can return, but it’s a challenge. D has too much “stuff” and is living in a place she doesn’t intend to stay at for too long. S has enough money that he buys whatever he likes and doesn’t like acquiring “stuff.” It’s a challenge. S doesn’t even really need money and has more miles and points to fly where he wants than most folks. (He even bought D her ticket home for the holidays.)</p>
<p>I’m not sure what to get the kiddos this holiday season. I also try to buy a little something for the few kids who are still in grade school in the extended family, but it’s tough. I don’t see them that often and am not sure of their interests. They also tend to have a lot of “stuff,” and at some point storage becomes an issue.</p>
<p>I love doing stockings. I always include movie tickets (cheaper at Costco) and lottery tickets. </p>
<p>If I have a new favorite thing that’s small, I throw that in with their favorite candy. This year every stocking will have a scrub daddy. </p>
<p>You guys are stressing me out 
My youngest is in college now, and I’m not sure what we are going to do for Christmas. We’ve gone “over the top” for many years, but at some point we need to stop. One son still has his stocking stuffers, including candy others haven’t eaten, up in his room. My kids’s stockings are the biggest I’ve ever seen (thanks to their grandma). Any ideas for large stocking stuffers? (Meaning to fill up a fairly large space). Multiple large bags of chips fit in the stocking I’m trying to fill. Maybe I will “surprise them” with smaller stockings.
Special things my kids like to get in their stockings are See’s candy and chocolate covered pretzels, and before Netflix on demand on laptops we got them some dvd of a funny series.
Oh yeah, we used to get them beanie babies and pez dispensers when they were younger. I miss those days.</p>
<p>Flip-Flops? Dearfoams/bedroom slippers? Beef jerky? Protein/granola bars? Trail mix? Fruits–we always got fruits and mixed nuts in the shell in our stockings when we were little. Beverages?</p>
<p>Someone upstream mentioned they had actually stopped doing the stockings. We have severely cut back on the actual gifts under the tree, but the stockings prevail! Honestly, we have fun getting little things for,the stockings…and then one worthwhile gift for each of our college grad kids.</p>