Looking For Non-Toy Stocking Ideas

Our tradition is socks...not just ordinary, but some with designs and things on them. It's always fun to see what you find. :-)

Our tradtions have always included batteries, lip balm, beef jerkey and socks. This year the kids will find sharpies, hats and pencils. With them getting older, i find that it needs to be fairly 'equal'. When Anna gets older, things that usually showed up are hair clips, hair bands, bracelets, nail polish and other fun little things like that.

A few times growing up we had breakfast items in our stocking... of course an orange, also hot chocolate mix, instant oatmeal packets. We always had breakfast before opening any wrapped gifts, so we'd dig through our stockings and enjoy the unwrapped gifts Santa left, then eat our stocking breakfasts together, and then we'd get to the other gifts. I thought it was fun!

Our tradition is a new book, underwear, socks, toothbrush(a Fun kind), toothpaste(a Fun kind), and one fun little item from their Dear Santa list. They receive one gift from Santa from their list.
I am trying to keep it simple but exciting...Oh, and I had to tell them that santa knows what they need!
;)

What a greta idea! Thanks a lot!

toothbrush, toothpaste, mittens, magnets, coloring books & crayons, cute pair of socks, something i would not normally get them. have fun shopping for two this year...:)

I always make a new journal for my kids every year (I started it when my oldest was 3) they use it to write little notes, draw, whatever they want. I usually try and find some new writing tools/markers to go with it. This year my youngest is into cutting up paper (he get's that from his mama :)) so I am looking for some cool scissors for him.

My children have enjoyed: bird indentfying cards, whistles, flashlights, titanium spork (for camping), memory cards, audio books, good quality clay, rubics cube...
The older ones: bracelet,earrings, first colonge, a nice writing pen, sketch pencils, personal planner.
Babes: Stuffed animal, little people figures(the chunky ones), rescue heroes, soft book with photo pockets to fill...
This year my 7 year old is getting a hamster, so here stocking will hold a few small hamster related items.
hope this helps. A. Martin

My kids are really into non-traditional things: paperclips, a sticky note cubes, mini notebooks, etc... This year each of my kids will get traditional candy, an orange & nuts in the shell with a mini flashlight and a big non-breakable magnifying glass and a small custom gift (a lego motor for my 10 yo, a sports book for my 8 yo, a ballet skirt for my 6 yo and measuring cups for my 4yo).

Similar to coupon books are these funky children IOUs - http://larkmade.com.au/products/childrensious.html - we don't do xmas / stockings etc but I bought these for a countdown calendar I'm making for my two bigger kids (4 and 6) :)

That is an awesome idea!!! I may have to have a fiddle with that and tweak it for my 6 year old!!!

One year I carefully cracked open walnuts and took out the nut part and filled them with tiny gifts like rings, earrings, and I went to the hobby shop and got antique coins to put in them. Then I glued the nuts back together so my nieces had to crack them open to get the gifts. I think I had more fun putting them together than they had opening them.

for adults I often do string, book of postage stamps, socks, laminated wallet photos of loved ones.

I'm another fan of socks, character ones mostly, pens and fun chap sticks.

Our big "splurge" for stockings for the adults is lottery tickets. We do not usually participate in lotteries, but the young adults esp., seem to really enjoy the "scratch-off" type tickets that allows them to actively participate in their winning/losing. And if you buy about 10, they usually win at least $5 or so.

My dad always gave us scratch off lottery tickets in our stockings, and my mom always made sure she put a new toothbrush in our stocking. I guess the toothbrush was to show the disciplinarian side of Santa.

How about packets of seeds to plant when the weather warms up? Or a single use disposable camera if your kids don't have their own. Then you can also include a little album and help them make their own capturing christmas book.

Ali, if you have a flip-type page-a-day desk calendar, you can put the 2010 refill in your husband's stocking.

I am doing little photo albums this year, brag book style with a random collection of photos from through the year. I've put my son's name and the year on the cover with rub ons. Great way to use up left over photos.

novelty bandaids, ornaments, beef jerky, fun pens and pencils

An icord knitter (looks like a child with 4 nails on top, hole through it, to learn to knit. My oldest son with Asperger's loved his. He enjoyed knitting on it and moved on to larger loom knit projects.

Stockings have always been our favorite part of Christmas morning. We save them until last when everything else is opened. It's like dessert! I usually do things like chapsticks, hair dodads, those candy canes filled with chocolate candies or hershey kisses (reseese cups for hubby), cute pens, new toothbrushes usually the battery operated in the fave character, gift cards (older kids) plushy toys for the little ones, small lego kits for my little guy, paints, markers, pocket calendars, etc. I like the battery idea!

LOL!!! Love the tissue idea!! Get pictures!

Maybe a different take on this idea...
my oldest decided he didn't want a lego advent anymore a few years ago but my youngest still does hers. I couldn't stand just one of the kids having a daily 'open' for advent. Sooo...I purchased a cheap chocolate one that had doors that could be opened up right away. My husband and I typed a list of 25 things we love about him and put one slip in each door. We added a slip to my daughter's toy doors as well. The kids LOVE it. Their ages are 12 and 16,

Me too!
Very fun spy eye glasses and drinking straw eye glasses......
plus tea candy for my oldest.
Very cool!