Looking For Non-Toy Stocking Ideas

michaels always have the dollar bins with all kinds of stuff there that would work good too.

My son is getting underwear and t-shirts in his stocking. I like the fun stuff to come from us and the necessities to come from Santa! How about a letter from Santa? (If Santa comes to your house). We have a Magic Elf with us until Christmas Eve and I was thinking of including a letter from Santa about our Elf's report.

Some things my mom has included in our Christmas stockings over the years: nail polish, gum, bookmarks, chapstick, gift cards, picture frames, crayons, notebooks/journals, etc etc. :)

a brand new box of crayons is always a hit :)

Ali - thank you for asking that - I needed these answers! LOL

Heather - I got a clip on light at Walgreens last week for $1.99 for my daughter.

I always got among some toys: several pairs of undies, socks, a toothbrush and toothpaste, chapstick, and travel bubble bath etc. I now give the same to my kids and ask my husband to include some of those things in my stocking as well. Sometimes it's the everyday things that mean the most.

Dollar store musical instruments are great for young kids. Bells, castanets, etc.

Hahaha!!! Isn't that the truth!

In our family, it was our silly joke that Dad always got an onion in his stocking - it was kind of like the coal thing, but he likes onions, so... :) My sister used to get a jar of pickles and I would get a can or jar of olives - favorite special snacks that we usually wouldn't get all to ourselves.
Jewelry or small perfumes sometimes too.

Elem. school aged boys like small flashlights, and they especially seem to love headlamp-style flashlights.

I used to get my husband full size liquid body soap, and it took up most of his stocking. He also gets a scrubbie or two stuffed into the toe. I've also gotten the travel size toiletries when he traveled more. One idea I have is to make everyone their own cloth napkin for Christmas dinner and put it in their stocking. We're really getting into cloth napkins around here. Handkerchiefs would be good too.

my mom always takes care of our stockings. she includes things like new socks, a new toothbrush, hats, gloves, notepads, and a new Christmas CD.

cans of silly string

I always put a new battery operated toothbrush and some fun kid toothpaste in the kids stocking. My MIL always puts a flavored lip balm. Last year she found Twinkie flavored Chapstick. The kids loved it.

Two ideas: My man loves cufflinks so a sweet gift specially wrapped in a small box. He loved the second, a beautifully wrapped box with a clue to the next clue. This was a day planned in advance to various places he enjoys going too, his favourite eatery, antiquing etc. I had the shop keepers give him the next clue, ending with a movie with coffee and dessert afterward (ok dessert was for me :) We both enjoyed the day to ourselves.

Did someone already say gloves? For women I love earrings. I have done booklights, disposable cameras, fun socks, gift cards, ornaments with the year on it, small pocket calendars, goodies from craft fairs..... I found a homemade yoyo and ball toss game this year for only $5 each!

My parents always bought us our expensive shampoo, conditioners, lotions, etc. that we couldn't always afford in High School or college and stuck them in our stockings. As my Mom always said, they filled the stockings up fast, were easy and she knew we'd use them. We would also get our annual Christmas ornament (picked out to show whatever we were interested in that year).

we do weird exotic fruits for my kids(like star fruit, passion fruit and horned melon). the kids think it's great. i know they're not "in season" here in the Northeast, but it's not something we usually get(And it's different than the oranges we got as kids)

Me, too...to the undies and the age! How funny!

My mom alot of times gave us lip balms, lotions, and little jewelry sets from Avon. She was able to get boy-themed chapsticks and bubble baths for my brother.

I have always given my kids a fun toothbrush in their stockings. I'd try to find one that represented their current interest - Barbie, Hot Wheels, etc. Now, at 20 and 22 years old, they still look for a new toothbrush, but it is way harder to find something fun!

In the past I have given these to my girls as gifts from us. Then they can take pictures all through our Christmas. Using them as a stocking stuffer would be a great idea.

so many great ideas, love the budget friendly ones, as its summer here in australia I will give my girls some fun flip flops and sunsceen.

The clip on mini lights are an excellent idea - off to find some for my girls for reading/coloring in the car at night when we travel. Thanks!!!
I usually put a Webkinz at the top of each stocking for DD's (11 and 7) so they can re-new their accounts for the next year. 7 yo still sleeps with her Webkinz.