Great thread for me! My kids are not getting big gifts from us this year. We are helping them financially in various regards, so a check is what they are getting, really as a year end and prospective year’s gift. I feel very fortunate, privileged that we can do this for them.
They are having friends over for Christmas and there are girlfriends in the picture this year, along with some cousins and their SOs coming by, so I’ve been collecting small cheap cute items that will go into stockings. Bought some tissue paper and thin ribbon and will start a marathon wrapping session. I got a lot of really cute things from the Dollar Tree along with the usual candy, chocolates and hot cocoa mixes. Also an orange and a gingerbread person will be in the mix as well as a candy cane.
No names this year on the stockings this year as they will be generic. Usually Id have a more pricey item Tailored to the recipient in there but not this year. Too many people involved and I just couldn’t. Everyone also gets those fleece lined slipper socks I picket up for $3.99 at Stew Leonard’s. I think, I spent about $10-15 per stocking and have 15 of them planned.
Also I’ve gotten chocolate oranges, chocolate gelt (chocolate coins in gold-colored wrappers), gift cards to local coffee shops, baseball cards, and this year a BB-8 USB flash drive (though I learned afterwards that flash drives are less useful than they used to be).
This is the first year we’ve been stumped with gifts. We had them pick out a few cheap clothing items, but I know they’d really prefer cash/check. Even gift cards can be a struggle to remember to use. (I know - spoiled) So, I’m planning on transferring a big (for us) amount into their checking accounts after Xmas. But instead of just handing them a check, I got a bit more creative. Older S has been offered a job with a financial company after graduation. So, I took an image of their credit card from the internet. I photoshopped his name along with the amount and a little logo for for what I know he’s wanting $$$ for. I did the same with younger S but with an image of a visa check card with his name & school logo. I printed them off on nice paper and had them laminated for $1.50. I then swiped an old unused/forgotten wallet from their rooms and put it in there. I made “What’s in your wallet?” tiled logo wrapping paper and wrapped them up and the put Xmas paper on top. It’s our big gift, but could also be a stocking stuffer. It sounds like more work than it was. They probably took me 15-20 min to make and print off.
The nylon shopping bags I posted upthread arrived today & look great! The seem quite sturdy and look like they will hold a lot! Quite the bargain @5.99 for 6, including shipping via Prime. They came today as promised!
Every year I put a copy of the Farmer’s Almanac in H’s stocking (it’s kind of fun to read BTW). This year I have really had a hard time finding a copy, so I was really excited to see a a stack of them in a little rack at the local CVS. I pulled one out and saw that it was from 2015!
our top item every year for the 4 kids is: iphone charging cords and blocks. We can never seem to have enough and they are always missing. So every year - more cords!
@bgbg4us , mom if four here also. Charging cords are always a stocking stuffer here as well. I like to get the longer ones as they like to use their electronics at the same time they are charging so 6’ seems to work well.
I was out shopping last night and found a reasonably priced stocking stuffer at a boutique. It was a little purse nail kit with a nail clipper, file and two other things I can’t recall. D1 often seems to ask if I have nail clippers when we are out and about so I thought it would be a nice small item she can store in her purse. It was five dollars.
Can’t remember if I saw them mentioned here or somewhere else but my girls love those Neutrogena makeup wipes but I’m tired of spending a small fortune as well as contributing more unnecessary waste. So I bought each of them washable, reusable makeup pads that come with a mesh bag for washing. Bought them off Amazon.
@sue22 Whiskey River has amazing stocking stuffers. But i highly doubt you can get anything from them in time for Christmas now unless a local store has what you want. They are totally rocked right now, business exploded and they literally can’t keep up. Hopefully after the holidays!
Me? I got nothing…! A sad, little empty stocking, all alone, surrounded by bulging & bursting at the seams stockings; one for each of the kids, H and baby grandniece
We buy one (or more) small gifts for each person. This year there were 9 adults and one toddler. I got 11 pounds of peanut MMS, potato masher, toy Mickey/Minnie (gave to GD), calendar featuring GD, Fritos, shower squeegee. Nothing for the white elephant shelf this year!
I am thoughtful about my choices, but everyone has instructions that H only gets consumable items. I did give him a scarf as he is wearing mine because he can’t find his.
My stocking was also empty. Often my kids buy a couple things to stick in it but not this year. I really think Christmas came a little too fast this year!
The big hit in the stockings this year? The Aldi key chain quarter holders and a $20 gift card to Aldi to explore some of their products!
My kids were surprised and please with the nylon grocery bags made of parachute nylon that fit in a pouch pocket sewn to the bag-6 for $5.99 from Amazon. I gave each of them 2 and kept 2 for H& me to share.
D laughed about the shower cap and terry shower turban, both from Ross.
I fill my three kids stocking,their significant others, and my husband. My husband fills my stocking, and doesn’t really try that hard. In the shower this morning I had the idea that next year everyone should put one thing in everyone else’s stocking. So I group texted them this morning. We will see how it turns out.
We have filled stockings for everyone for 30 years. We started with one present in the regular stocking, then moved to grocery brown bags, and now we do leaf recycling bags. Sometimes the presents are large, but cheap. Thoughtful, useful, and gag gifts abound. For those with little money, food items or snacks are always appreciated.
