Best Stocking Stuffers - 5 Ideas for Filling Those Holiday Socks
Before I met my husband and we created our own distinctive mishmash of holiday traditions, my idea of stuffed stockings was a pair of Spanx filled with Stove Top.
Now that we have children, stockings are like the marshmallows floating in our hot cocoas - the perfect garnish on a day spent giving, unwrapping, eating, and photographing a fleeting parade of joyful moments. I even have my own stocking, a fancy embroidered number bearing my likeness. It's the best first stocking a Jewish adult could ever hope for.
Whether they're embroidered or store-bought, fuzzy cashmere or wooly felt, practically ancient or brand new, stockings are a great place to stash the little surprises that make a Christmas morning one-of-a-kind. As you look for ideas on how to stuff those famous holiday socks with a few unique stocking stuffers, start with these five favorites:
1. If a cozy fire is part of your family's morning celebration, make a few fire-safe satchels filled with naturally fragrant combinations, such as orange peels and cloves, for some memorable holiday aromatherapy.
2. Roll up a few removable frames decals, diploma-style, to go with new disposable cameras your kids can use to capture Christmas from their own angles. Have the photos developed and ask the kids to choose their favorites for permanent addition to the holiday decorating stash.
3. Dress a personalized paper doll in a construction paper version of the new dress or leather jacket you very recently hid in a certain someone's side of the bedroom closet.
4. Enclose a set of directions for a holiday scavenger hunt. Santa's leftover milk and cookies could be number one on the list, while numbers two through five could take care of a few presents that don't fit under the tree or are difficult to wrap.
5. Start a new Christmas morning tradition by wrapping together a blank postcard-sized canvas, two paintbrushes, and a selection of small paint samples. Once the recipient has created his or her impromptu holiday masterpiece, punch a neat hole at the top, string with fluffy red ribbon, and add some annual art to the tree.
The best stocking stuffers create memories, no matter what the holidays mean to you and your family. If you're the official stocking filler, give gifts that create a pinch of activity to counteract all that hot cocoa and help your loved ones work up an appetite while they're knee-deep in their special versions of the holiday spirit.
Now that we have children, stockings are like the marshmallows floating in our hot cocoas - the perfect garnish on a day spent giving, unwrapping, eating, and photographing a fleeting parade of joyful moments. I even have my own stocking, a fancy embroidered number bearing my likeness. It's the best first stocking a Jewish adult could ever hope for.
Whether they're embroidered or store-bought, fuzzy cashmere or wooly felt, practically ancient or brand new, stockings are a great place to stash the little surprises that make a Christmas morning one-of-a-kind. As you look for ideas on how to stuff those famous holiday socks with a few unique stocking stuffers, start with these five favorites:
1. If a cozy fire is part of your family's morning celebration, make a few fire-safe satchels filled with naturally fragrant combinations, such as orange peels and cloves, for some memorable holiday aromatherapy.
2. Roll up a few removable frames decals, diploma-style, to go with new disposable cameras your kids can use to capture Christmas from their own angles. Have the photos developed and ask the kids to choose their favorites for permanent addition to the holiday decorating stash.
3. Dress a personalized paper doll in a construction paper version of the new dress or leather jacket you very recently hid in a certain someone's side of the bedroom closet.
4. Enclose a set of directions for a holiday scavenger hunt. Santa's leftover milk and cookies could be number one on the list, while numbers two through five could take care of a few presents that don't fit under the tree or are difficult to wrap.
5. Start a new Christmas morning tradition by wrapping together a blank postcard-sized canvas, two paintbrushes, and a selection of small paint samples. Once the recipient has created his or her impromptu holiday masterpiece, punch a neat hole at the top, string with fluffy red ribbon, and add some annual art to the tree.
The best stocking stuffers create memories, no matter what the holidays mean to you and your family. If you're the official stocking filler, give gifts that create a pinch of activity to counteract all that hot cocoa and help your loved ones work up an appetite while they're knee-deep in their special versions of the holiday spirit.
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