What is it about a Christmas stocking? Old or young, waking up on Christmas to a stocking lumpy with little surprises has its own special joy.
Even if it’s something as small as a pack of gum or as practical as a pair of new socks!
The Tradition of Christmas Stockings
Thanks to the famous poem “The Night Before Christmas” written by Clement C. Moore in 1823, we do know that Christmas stockings have been “hung by the chimney with care” for at least the last two hundred years (and then some).
But exactly how long ago the tradition began and why it became so popular are more unknown.
Most agree the Christmas stocking tradition pays tribute to St. Nicholas, the Christian saint of ancient times known for his generosity and gift-giving to those in need.
The legend goes that St. Nicholas heard of a widowed man who could not pay a dowry for his three daughters (a desperate situation in those times). St. Nicholas dropped gold coins down the widower’s chimney by night, and one of the coins fell into one of the stockings hung by the fire to dry. The widower and his daughters were overjoyed to find the coins the next morning, their worries over.
The example of St. Nicholas continues to shape our idea of the true spirit of Christmas today.
Healthy Stocking Stuffer Ideas for the Whole Family
Here are some stocking stuffer ideas on the healthier side that I’ve come up with over the years or heard from others. And don’t forget to check out my 2018 Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide for ideas for your whole Christmas list!
On to the list…
Delicious
- Chia seed or coconut water drink (homemade or store-bought)
- Beef jerky or beef sticks (we love this brand)
- Chocolates, homemade in a Christmas silicone mold and wrapped
- Nuts in shell (with a nutcracker on the side… this one is fun!)
- A box of chai or other tea
- Fresh clementine oranges (pair with book An Orange for Frankie)
- Pomegranates (in season right now)
- Chocolate truffles (these are completely amazing)
- Coconut macaroons
- Chocolate-dusted almonds or pecans (love this recipe)
- Flowering tea (beautiful and healthy!)
- Natural gummy bears
- Hot chocolate (I put homemade mix in a small jelly jar with their name on it)
- Four Sigmatic mushroom coffee or elixir packets (for grown-ups)
Health and Beauty
- Chapstick or lip balm
- Nail clippers/nail kit
- Non-toxic nail polish
- Earrings
- Bath salts (if you have essential oils, baking soda, and epsom salt around the house, you can mix some up in minutes!)
- Sugar scrub (very quick and easy to make at home!)
- Homemade body butter
- Hair ties and accessories
- Frankincense and myrrh lotion bars (good for the men in your life too!)
- Toothbrush
- Natural facial serum or clay mask
- Vitamins
- Sleepology (for kids or grown-ups who have trouble sleeping)
Experiences / Sentimental
- Coupon for “date” with Mom or Dad
- Carousel or gaming tokens (with promise of family outing)
- Movie night with favorite dessert coupon
- Stay up hour late coupon (special Mom and Dad time!)
- Mini photo book with family memories and inspirational quotes
- A keepsake letter or love note
- Movie tickets or gift certificates
- Ask loved ones to record favorite stories or read-alouds and create a playlist
Perfectly Practical
- Festive socks (of course!)
- Dollar bill or half dollar coin
- Kitchen tools designed for kids + recipe card to try with Mom and Dad
- Mini sketch book
- Post-it pack (write things you love about them on the first few)
- Ear buds
- Toothbrush
- Leggings
- No-crease ponytail holders
- Mittens/gloves
- Crinkle cutter (for your aspiring chefs just learning to use a knife)
Games & Fun
- Logic puzzles or games (Logic Links and Kanoodle are two of our favorites)
- Word games (We like Boggle, Apples to Apples Freestyle, Story Cubes, Madlibs Jr.)
- Trivia card games (my kids love the Professor Noggin series)
- A card game of any kind – Zobmondo is a hit with the older kids in my house.
- Kinetic sand
- The classic that never gets old – a Rubik’s cube or Slinky
- Kinetic flow ring… these things are so cool!
Crafty
- Washi tape or decorative duct tape
- Beginner crochet kit (there’s even a Star Wars kit!)
- Crayons, colored pencils, new school supplies
- Wooden peg dolls – kids can paint to make dolls or characters
Themed Stocking
- “Adventure” kit for camping: compass, mini-flashlight, beef jerky, trail mix, binoculars, fanny pack – or buy one already made
- Letter-writing kit: stationery, stickers, pen, address book, fun stamps
- Crafting kit: yarn, crochet hook, mini cross-stitch set, buttons, stickers, ribbon
- Art supplies: watercolor paints, brushes, glue, sequins, stickers, paper punch or stamps
- Purse theme (for mom or older child): mints, Kleenex pack, pens, natural hand sanitizer, hand lotion
Just Because
- Jewelry or charms
- Festive tie for the man in your life
- Gift cards
- Religious medals or holy cards
- Cash or gift card inside a Money Maze gift box
One fun twist on the stocking stuffer tradition: Instead of gifting everything in one day, slip one new gift into the stockings on each of the twelve days of the Christmas season (traditionally from Dec. 25 to the feast of the Epiphany on Jan. 6). Your kids will love looking forward to a new surprise and it will help keep their focus on the whole Christmas season!
What are some of your favorite healthy stocking stuffers? Please share!
How to Make DIY Industrial Pipe Shelves
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Thanks so much for your feedback, Kathy. It’s a really tough balance between creating great content all the time for free and allowing advertising that pays for my time, web hosting, email service, etc. We’re always trying to find the correct balance so thanks again for your constructive feedback!
Merry Christmas Denise & Marc
Check out the wine bottle wrapping with scarves, table cloths, etc
Love Mom
Just finished making a couple batches of bath soap for the neighbors and… for stockings! So many friends are “expecting” their cubes of soap this year. It’s crazy how much people love (and benefit from) these DIYs! Your recipes have inspired me so much. I’ve tweaked a few here and there but you have really changed my household. Thanks, as always!
Pls ma, can you restore me back to the VIP forum
You can log in here 🙂
Awesome list! It is good to give something healthy while we all eat unhealthy food during Christmas.
My husband and I are really passionate about saving & investing money. A piggy bank, roll of change, and silver coins or bullion are my favorites. Silver coins are printed in so many designs these days, we love to collect any with animals on them and so do the kids!
Agree on the silver coins. We have been doing this for years and continue to even in our adult children’s stockings. I also love giving them for birthday gifts, to our grown nephews. Merry Christmas everyone!!
The “We Love this Brand” of Beef Jerky isn’t there.
Wonderful list!!!!!
Hi Katie… Speaking of gifts, my daughter has been wanting to get her ears pierced for years( she is nine) and I had a whole theme for Christmas (music box jewelry box with gift certificate for music lessons and was thinking about allowing her to get her ears pierced so a small pair of nice earrings) Well, I recently heard a friend into health too act like she wouldn’t get it done… I have put it off all this time because of age and another thing to take care of ( her ears,lol) , and also have been unsure of the best place to go! Do you recommend it? Is there something I have missed health wise across the board for doing it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated… Truly value your opinion and am so grateful for all you do! Thank you Katie!
We got our girls ears pierced at Claires. I researched and to my surprise, I felt it was the best option. Some doctors offices do it, but they typically have less practice and it seems there are more cases of holes being in the wrong place, etc. Tattoo parlors are another option and using a needle is supposed to be the safest and gentlest way, but I didn’t want to bring them to our local tattoo place and the one earring I have that was pierced by a needle is the only one I’ve ever had trouble with. There can be some small concerns with risk of infection, etc, but no long term health ramifications I’m aware of. For what it is worth, both my mom and mother in law acted like they wouldn’t get it done when they found out we were letting our daughters, but it was just that they disagreed with girls getting their ears pierced until 13 or 16 years old. I do typically clean the earrings with colloidal silver instead of the ear care solution.
Hi Katie, this is a great list! Can you please tell me what beef jerky brand you like? It is not a hotlink. thanks! Kris
Awesome suggestions! I’m going to make a healthy food based stocking this year. 🙂