worthwhile stocking fillers

liz-paul

I have developed my mums habit of buying loads of cheap, useless tat at christmas & I'd like to stop. I think it stems back to when we were kids and the cheap bits bulked out the decent stuff. But my house is coming down with stuff we don't need! I'd still like to do stocking for my boys (age 6 & 9) but not sure what to put in. It's usually small toys, games, puzzles etc that aren't really looked at beyond NYE. I don't mind putting in plenty or sweets & choc but I need soemthing else too. Ideally not really expensive but something that will be used and/or consumed.

Thanks :beer:

DomRavioli

Small book from charity shop? I loved reading my new book on christmas morning whilst everyone else was getting ready (as a child and as an adult!)

Stationary bits? Wilkos have a good range of cheap stationary, as do some of the larger pound shop chains.

kerri_gt

How about some silly socks, or fun bath / shower items, a small pot of hair gel or something like that which they don't really need at that age but will prob have fun using, even a new novelty toothbrush?. I recall age 5/6 a new hairbrush appearing in my stocking - my mum had clearly decided it was time I had a new one.

I recall at that age my cousin (male) and myself used to like things like 'tubs of slime' and novelty joke stuff (like whoopie cushions, plastic poo etc) - you know the more gross an adult thought it, the more hilarious we thought it was.

http://www.millracegardencentre.co.uk/make-your-own-slime.html?utm_source=googlebase&gclid=CPLQjJj5-8gCFSnkwgodm3sBuQ

Oh, and a chocolate orange, please put in a choc orange - no stocking is complete without one :-)

Part of the fun in us having stockings was the opening and excitement of seeing what was under the wrapping. The fun aspect was more priceless than the things inside often (though I still have my original Slinky)

Perhaps before xmas - around now would be a good time, you could give the boys a shoebox each and ask them to put in some items from prev stockings they no longer play with and give them to a shoebox charity collection. You could say to them that they had fun opening the presents but if they don't use / want items now, then it would be nice (and in the spirit of Xmas) to pass them on to some other children less fortunate to enjoy and have the fun of opening.

gilly1964

Hi

These are the things that used to go into my son's stocking

New pants, socks, pyjamas
A Christmas Book
Colouring bits and pieces
Jigsaw
Top Trumps
Chocolate Orange
Chocolate Coins

Hope this helps

LEJC

bubble bath/shower gel /shampoo/soap.....all things they will need throughout the year.
socks,t shirts,underwear again things that will be used albeit a possibly something you should buy them anyway!

do either of them have collections that you could buy something small towards..i'm thinking lego or knex or even the type of things that are given free in the newspapers

chanie

My children get a mixture of stuff, including cheap tat.

Useful stuff
PhD for Xmas eve
New toothbrush
Umbrella
Drinks bottle

Books to encourage reading

Food
A chocolate Santa - to bulk out the stocking
A giant tube of smarties

Cheap tat
I do still buy this and hide it away when they aren't looking. I give it back to them throughout the year as rewards for good behavior, long car trips etc.

izzy65

Fairy cake mix, in a character they would like , gives them something to do with you
Character bubble bath
Colouring in book and pens
I read on here that Nutella are doing a personalised jar, so would be fun for each of them

Spendless

I always felt I was hopeless at stocking items, having had no tradition of my own to fall back on (all my presents were under the tree). When my DD grew old enough to articulate her opinion, she said that she felt that stocking presents should be like a lucky dip, but all the 'prizes' out were aimed at your own life. I found this made it easier.

What sort of things do your boys like doing?

madmoys

I used to put a box of my kids favourite cereal in their sack to help bulk it out!

liz-paul

Thanks everyone some good ideas there!

Might give them a mini box of cereal at the top for their first breakfast of the day!

Their stockings aren't massively big so I'm thinking plenty of treats, some arts & crafts stuff or making/activity kit that will be used, top trumps/small games, some small lego for DS1, some moshis for DS2 and maybe a small gift card for something like the cinema. Thanks so much for the ideas. Now I jsut have to actually buy it lol

IrishRose12

I keep a very traditional stocking going here in our house.

Underwear, socks, toothbrush, an apple, an orange, a book, colouring book and crayons/pencils, tube of sweets, a crisp new £5 note, Chocolate coins, a chocolate Santa and a new Christmas bauble with child's name on it and the year. Only thing new that gets added from when I was a child is a Kinder Egg Christmas Santa now.