<p>Thanks so much for the reminder about Archie McPhee. I’m going to head over there tomorrow…I haven’t been there in years and I know they’ll have some great stuff for my son and husband’s stockings!</p>
<p>Gotta have a chocolate coin in the toe of the stocking, along with the clementine, and candy canes sticking out the top. I agree that a small stuffed animal poking out the top of the stocking is the perfect touch- Beanie Babies used to be great for that. One year I found a small stuffed hedgehog in a Santa cap that was actually a dog toy; it made a fabulous grunting sound when squeezed that still makes me laugh. </p>
<p>I used to splurge on beautiful handmade candy canes but the kids outgrew their cravings for candy canes, so now I just pull a few off the tree and stick them in the stocking. Also a foil-wrapped chocolate santa is a nice touch sticking out the top of the stocking. And also small things from the grocery store like bottles of hot sauce or chocolate bars or decks of cards.</p>
<p>Back in the day, I would collect small items from tag sales all year 'round. One year my son wanted a bearded dragon (a big lizard) for a pet. There was no way I wanted to have one in the house (because I am SO mean), so I bought a small plastic lizard and glued a cotton ball around its neck to represent the beard. He got his “bearded dragon!” Same thing with a doll-sized laptop one year, and a matchbox car another year. And a miniature plastic model of his dream breed of dog for the non-lizard son. </p>
<p>Now that the boys are older, gift cards and small electronic gadgets are excellent stocking stuffers but expensive, so I beef up the stockings with toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, etc. that I wrap. Thrilling! Mostly they like the concept of a full stocking and enjoy the fun of unwrapping surprises. At this point, I’d rather reserve holiday money for a main gift than for expensive little stocking trinkets which can add up quickly. From my sons’ desk drawers I have harvested packages of post-it notes, pens, and etc. from previous stockings that they haven’t opened. I do try to find one small wind-up toy or mini Lego set for old time’s sake.</p>
<p>I also wrap small stocking stuffers in jewelry boxes to take up more space in the stocking.
Some of them have dollar bills in them. And I keep a box in the attic of old party favors and little things such as promotional items that accumulate during the year.</p>
<p>When I was growing up, my best friend had 5 siblings. Their stockings were filled with wrapped hotel soaps and shampoos from the father’s business travel. One of her holiday memories is the sound of her mom rifling through the bathroom drawers and linen closet during the wee hours of Christmas eve, searching for toiletries to fill 6 stockings.</p>
<p>Oh my gosh…stupid.com is a riot!!! I have a freshman in college son and a senior in high school son who would love these things, not to mention their father, too. Not sure about my 13 year old daughter, though. We always put those orange flavored and orange shaped chocolates in the kids stockings, also. Now they have dark chocolate flavored ones as well as the milk chocolate!! YUM</p>
<p>Oh thanks for Stupid.com - there are a bunch of things I HAVE to have.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the ideas. I found Touchable Bubbles on ebay. Even with the shipping, they were reasonable ( I needed a bunch). On the Archie McPhee site, I found the greatest breath mints for the older children: Dante’s Inferno Balls (hot red), Nihilist Mints (no flavor), Commie Mints for revolutionary breath and my personal favorite, Last Supper after dinner mints. Wonderful stuff.</p>
<p>The highlight of my McPhee order was the Glow-in-the-Dark Flesh Eating Zombies playset, for my son who plays Humans vs. Zombies at school. Another good source for stocking stuffers (fun and practical) is REI–
[Gifts</a> Under $25 at REI.com | 100% Satisfaction Guarantee | Customer Reviews](<a href=“http://www.rei.com/category/1/q/Gifts+Under+%2425]Gifts”>http://www.rei.com/category/1/q/Gifts+Under+%2425)
They are offering $4.99 flat rate shipping for members.</p>
<p>Somehow I lost this thread, but found it again today. Did a little stocking shopping today at MOMA’s Design store in NYC (same stuff online). They have some jewelry kits that are cute and not too pricey. And there are stands outside of St Bartholomew’s (50th and Park)–and no doubt all over the city, in case anyone is in NYC. Beautiful crafts are in Grand Central, some quite reasonable in price, some not so. “Cashmere” scarves from the UK (really?! are these really cashmere?!) for $8, Pashmina for $5. It’s kind of scary, really. Wallets for $10. I bought a muffler/scarf for each son. Those should take up some space in a stocking.</p>
<p>Wow, Archie McPhee is fantastic! I will do some wallowing in it tonight. Thanks for links.</p>
<p>I’m liking the grapefruit in the toe…</p>
<p>My kids still like those Gamewright card games. They’ve worn out both Slamwich and Rat A Tat Cat, so I’m getting a replacement of each for stockings (about $10 each).</p>