Most of my family lives out of state. Part of my family lives close to us, but we simply don't see them for holidays. It's usually just my mom, my brother, my son and myself. Last year I started a tradition. Instead of giving each other presents that are large, we are only allowed to buy or make things that can fit in a Christmas stocking - leaving room for other presents to fit in the stocking as well. The presents should be wrapped. No name tags. It's a surprise who gave it to you.
The monetary value of each gift is not important, but the size is. Great things come in small packages. And they don't have to be expensive to be appreciated and liked very much. This helps the person that has less money to spend to feel better about their gift-giving. It also cuts down on tons of wasted wrapping paper and clean up. And there is always something you need to get but tend to forget. Someone can get it for you, because they know you so well. And no name picking. There are only four of us so it really doesn't work out.
It was a big hit with us last year. I love to receive watches whether it's my birthday or Christmas. I received the watch I'm wearing now.
There are tons of great stocking stuffers that qualify as gifts. Here are some of my favorites:
For the ladies:
Lotion, bubble bath, nail polish, nail clipper set, pumice, loofa, bodywash, specialty soap, sachet, rollerball perfume,
pic from musingsofamuse.com
jewelry of any kind, real or not, cel phone or iPod case, fluffy socks, favorite candy, Pez, photo magnets, cute Post-It Notes, paperclip bookmarks,
pic from mychicnscratch.com
purse sized calendar, camera memory cards, USBs, digital camera, travel hair dryer or alarm clock (clock at Ikea for $.99), Tokidoki breath mints or mirror,
pic from tokidoki-blog.com
make-up case, photo mini book, craft supplies tea ball to steap tea, tea bag (ball) holder,
pic from tropicalteaco.com
favorite tea or coffee, cookies for dunking in beverages, novelty set of utensils for work, umbrella, silk scarf, gloves,
For the gents:
I don't smoke but - a monogrammed lighter, lottery tickets, special pen, Chapstick, leather embossed bracelet, Sudoku book, paperback, Swiss Army Knife,
pic from cosmopolitan.com
money clip, wallet, tie, cufflinks, a special key chain, earbuds, Sharpies, favorite candy, homemade candy or cookies, Pez, breath mints, DVD movie, cologne, razor and/or blades, rechargeable battery set,
pic from elec-intro.com
nail clipper set, monogrammed luggage tags, travel alarm clock, novelty deck of cards, dice game, framed photo of family, mass transit card from home or a city he will travel to,
pic from nydailynews.com
compact umbrella, action figures (yes, for the grown-ups, at least in my family),
And for the kiddies:
Most of this is obvious, but I'm going to list them anyway.
Hair clips, bubble bath, bath toys, Chapstick, hand sanitizer, an Archie Digest or any other comic, Barbie clothes because she already has the Barbies, cool Matchbox cars, mini Lego sets, Mobile sets, PlaySchool People, ABC hard books, Silly Putty, Play Dough, Slinky, Jax, mini checkers or chess, a small puzzle, dice game, novelty playing cards, water guns, water balloons, Army Men, fake police badge, toy wallets, fake money, batteries for "the big present", differnt coins and some dollar bills, ornament with their name on it and the year, mini flash light like for a key chain, marbles, tickets to Radio City or an upcoming movie or the circus.
And, of course, there are the gift certificates. You can buy them almost anywhere for almost anything these days. If you do decide to put them in your stockings, I wouldn't make them for more than $10. If you want to spend more, get several cards with small denominations. I try to stay a way from big stores so they are not spent on groceries and the like. Try smaller, maybe privately owned stores, or the beauty salon or barber, or your local bookstore. I really like homemade ones. The kind that offer a date night or doing dishes for a week straight. You can make them as simple or pretty as you like.
I tend to stay away from electronics and too much candy.
These are my suggestions - most tried and true, but I also came across a blog post from Jenna at:
Jenna's Journey Blog
Many of ours are the same, but she has 150 suggestions on her list. Some of them are fabulous. Go check it out. You will never stuff your stockings full of dollar store candy again!