Has Santa enlisted your help filling stockings this year? Don’t want to fill them with junk or go broke trying to avoid filling them with junk? The solution: fill them with consumable stocking stuffers that are darn useful and won’t break the bank.
I have been battling the junk in my house lately. I’ve been doing 10 minute declutters and larger projects like closet clean-outs and I’ve really focused my kids’ Christmas gifts on quality over quantity to avoid adding more junk to our lives. With my big focus on getting rid of junk, stockings scare me this year.
Why?
Traditionally, stockings have been a huge portal to adding junk to my house. I get to a point close to Christmas when I panic that I have nothing to fill stockings and head to the Dollar Tree and buy a whole bunch of junk that ends up scattered across the floor of every room in my house. Not only is this insanely annoying to clean up on a regular basis, it also leads to many curse words when the junk is embedded in the soles of my feet.
Stockings also scare me financially this year. My financial home stretch goal this year is to stick to my Christmas budget. Stockings are usually what pushes me right on over my budget every year in my panic to fill them. I really don’t want the stockings to sink me this year.
After much thought on how to make stockings work for me this Christmas, I had an epiphany. My stocking solution is consumable stocking stuffers! Your first thought when I say consumable stocking stuffers is probably food. And although you certainly can stuff your stockings with candy and snacks (and I wholeheartedly hope you do!), consumable stocking stuffers don’t have to be food. I’ve got a whole bunch of consumable stocking stuffer ideas for the whole family – men, women, and children. These are sure to please the stocking recipients AND Santa and his deputy!
Consumable Stocking Stuffers
Men
I’m going to start off with the hardest group – men. I don’t know about you, but I really struggle to buy gifts for my husband and father. This absolutely extends to filling their stockings. Funny enough, when I set out to find only consumable stocking stuffers, filling stockings for the men in my life got a lot easier. Here are a whole bunch of consumables that you can easily grab to fill stockings for the men on your list.
Socks
Although technically socks aren’t consumable, my husband treats them as such. Now is the time to go through drawers and pitch all the holey socks to make room for the fresh pairs that make great stocking stuffers.
Deodorant
I always, always, always put deodorant in my husband’s stocking. I think he’d probably think I was sick if it wasn’t there.
Cocktail mixers
Does the man in your life enjoy the occasional cocktail? Fun cocktail mixers are a great item to pop in his stocking. My husband is and Old Fashioned guy, so a nice Old Fashioned mix is a great addition to his stocking that I know will get used.
Silicone loofah
My husband might not appreciate that I’m putting this on the internet, but he loves a loofah in the shower. I, on the other hand, have always been a little bit grossed out by loofahs. Imagine my delight when I discovered that they make silicone loofahs that don’t have that ick factor. It might not be immediately consumable, but you’ll need to replace it eventually, so I’m counting it.
Hand sanitizer
If you lived through the COVID-19 pandemic, you carry hand sanitizer around with you. And you go through that stuff so quickly. Why not restock hand sanitizer for the men in your life in their Christmas stockings? I prefer the sprays but go with whatever you like.
Hand cream
Hand sanitizer is a modern necessity, but it’s also super drying. And you really don’t need extra dry hands in the winter when your hands are already dry from the weather. How to combat these dry hands? Hand cream! My favorite hand cream is just a small tube of Vanicream. This is a great option for men because it’s unscented so they can’t complain of girly smells.
Pocket notebook
Does your husband rely on lists to keep himself straight? Grab him a little pocket notebook so he has one place to keep all of his lists and carry them around with him!
Glasses wipes
Do the men in your life wear glasses? Even sunglasses? Grab some glasses wipes and throw them in his stocking. They work for clear glasses, sunglasses, camera lenses – they’re actually pretty useful.
Bubble bath
I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that my dad is obsessed with bubble baths. My husband also fancies a nice bubble bath occasionally too. If the dudes in your life don’t appreciate a good bubble bath like mine, feel free to skip this, but if you think they might like a bubble bath, this is an unexpected hit.
Candy/snacks
Make sure you include something he can eat in his stocking – we are doing consumable stocking stuffers, after all. Lindt chocolate truffles are a nice fancier option, leftover Halloween candy works too if you still have some lying around, and a small jar of nuts fits perfectly in a stocking if your man prefers something savory.
Spice rub
I know that my husband isn’t alone in his love for smoking meat. He really enjoys smoking anything he can – ribs, brisket, chicken, whatever. Spice rubs are crucial for the success of his smoking adventures. Lucky for you, spice rubs fit super nicely in a stocking. Pick a rub that works well with his preferred meat. I got my husband the Lillie’s Q Carolina Dirt last year and it was a delicious addition to his collection.
Beef jerky
Speaking of meat, a lot of men love to snack on some jerky. Although you can absolutely opt for the jerky you can get right at the grocery store, might I suggest that you find a local place that makes more artisan jerky? We have a place in our city that makes a ton of different flavors of jerky with a ton of different meats. Have you ever tried emu jerky?
Gum/mints
My husband loves to keep a tub of gum in his car for quick breath freshening. He kinda stinks at keeping it stocked, though, so this can lead to some frustration when he goes to get a piece of gum only to find his stash depleted. Don’t let your men experience this frustration. Grab a tub of their favorite gum or mints and throw it in the stocking!
Hot sauce
If the men in your life like it hot, hot sauce is a great consumable stocking stuffer. There are so many fun varieties – from traditional Tabasco to a bit more exotic Sriracha. Grab one that you think would please his palate shove it in!
Women
Of course, many (if not all) of the ideas listed above for consumable stocking stuffers for men would also work nicely in stockings for women. If you’d like some additional ideas that might lean a bit more feminine, I’ve got you covered!
Hair accessories
I live with my hair in a bun. This means that I go through hair ties at an alarming rate. My favorite type of hair tie is the phone cord looking ones. They tend not to get caught in my curly mess or pull a lot of it out of my head. They are winners.
Skincare
You know I love my skincare. I’ve walked you through my whole skincare routine and I’ve suggested you add skincare to Mom’s Christmas list this year. Skincare is something that gets used every day, so it runs out quickly. That makes it a perfect consumable stocking stuffer. My stocking skincare picks are Vitamin C serum, eye patches, and SPF.
Makeup
I’m not as into makeup, but I know a lot of ladies are. And similar to skincare, if the ladies in your life are makeup wearers, they go through makeup pretty quickly. Because makeup is such a personal thing, make sure you’re grabbing things you know they’ll use and love. If you have no idea, a good mascara is always a good option. My current favorite mascara is e.l.f. Lash XTNDR. It’s a tubing mascara that comes off easily with just a little warm water. A miracle!
Lip balm
Who doesn’t like a lip balm? Every woman you know would be ecstatic to receive lip balm in her stocking. There are so many options here, so either go with what you know she loves or try a fan favorite. My preference is just Aquaphor in a tube, but all the influencers can’t stop talking about Laniege lip sleeping mask if you want to give her something a little fancy.
Nail care
Nail care items are always a good thing to pop in a lady’s stocking. If they like to have painted nails or toenails, throw in a fun color of nail polish. If nail polish isn’t their thing, a cuticle oil pen is a great idea.
Pens
I am very picky about my pens. My favorites aren’t expensive, but I’m sad when I don’t have one close to hand. The women in your life probably have a favorite pen too. Find out what it is and throw a box in her stocking. If you need a new favorite pen, might I suggest the Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.5?
Tea/coffee/hot chocolate
When the weather gets cold, boy do I love a warm beverage. Give me all the coffee, tea, and hot chocolate! Keurig or Nespresso pods fit great in a stocking, as do tea bags and hot chocolate packets. She will use them, so throw in a few more than you think she’ll want! If you’re not entirely sure which hot beverage she prefers, a gift card to her favorite coffee stop is a great option too!
Fancy jam
Welch’s grape jelly is good for your kids’ PB&Js, but momma likes a little fancy jam on her morning toast. Grab a few small jars of fancy jam to fill up her stocking this year. If you don’t have a local place nearby that makes specialty jam, you can grab Bonne Maman at most grocery stores and it’s delicious.
Kids
Again, many of the consumable stocking stuffers we’ve discussed as being good options for men and women also work well for kids. Especially the candy. If you don’t want to overload your kids with sugar, there are other great options for kid-friendly consumable stocking stuffers.
Toothbrush
My kids are extremely hard on their toothbrushes. They get flattened and bitten, they get thrown in the toilet, they get stepped on. The recommendation is to replace your toothbrush every three months, but we definitely replace our kids’ toothbrushes more often than that. That makes a fun toothbrush a great consumable stocking stuffer. My son is into superhero toothbrushes and my daughter is all about the princesses. Whatever your kids love, there is a toothbrush for them!
Art supplies
My kids go through art supplies pretty quickly. Not only do they use them to make crafts and color, but they also break art supplies very easily. Because they go through them so quickly, I find myself buying art supplies constantly. If your kids are like mine, do yourself a favor and buy some fresh art supplies for your kids’ stockings to save yourself a trip to the store in January. My daughter loves the twistable crayons and my son is partial to colored pencils. These are great stocking stuffers!
Bandaids
Are your kids as obsessed with bandaids as mine are? Any time they do anything that causes any type of pain, they want a bandaid, whether there is blood or not. Grab each kid a fresh box in whatever theme they like best and they will be so excited!
Temporary tattoos
My kids are also obsessed with temporary tattoos these days. What is with them needing to have things on their skin all the time? I’m happy for their obsession here at Christmas, though, because I know they’ll love receiving temporary tattoos in their stockings. My son is getting some hockey tattoos, and my daughter is getting Minnie Mouse tattoos. They have tattoos for everything your kid is into.
Stickers
Stickers are also a wonderful stocking stuffer for kids. My daughter would sit with stickers all day if I let her, so she goes through them quickly. I’ve found that the best place to get stickers is the Dollar Tree. They usually have a really great selection and they’re super cost effective!
Bubbles
Bubbles are a great stocking stuffer, especially if you live in a mild climate. My favorite bubbles are the Fubbles no-spill bubbles. They truly are no-spill and they’ll fit nicely in your kid’s stocking. So maybe these aren’t as consumable as other bubbles, but they’ll run out eventually after actually making bubbles.
Orange
It’s fun to keep traditions alive, and what better way to do that than stick an orange in your kids’ stockings. There are many theories as to why it’s traditional to put an orange in the toe of stockings at Christmas, but whatever the real reason, I love it. You can, of course, stick with a real orange. If you want to really have your kids love you, you can swap out the fruit for a Terry’s chocolate orange like my mom always does. They’re hard to find, but if you can get your hands on the dark chocolate variety, you’ve hit the jackpot!
Juice box
My kids don’t often have juice or juice boxes in my house. That makes a juice box a great little treat to stuff in their stockings. They can even enjoy it right away as they eat the monkey bread you’ve made for breakfast.
Other posts
If you need help in the Christmas department this year, I can help! Check out these posts:
I hope you’ll give consumable stocking stuffers a try this year. Did I miss anything that you love to put in your loved ones’ stockings? Let me know in the comments below or over on Instagram @sarainseason!