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What is it about a Christmas stocking? Old or young, waking up on Christmas morning to a stocking lumpy with little surprises has its own special joy. These healthy stocking stuffer ideas have something for everyone on your list!
It’s always fun pulling the hidden items out to reveal the gifts inside. Even if it’s something as small as a pack of gum or as practical as a pair of fuzzy new socks!
The Tradition of Christmas Stockings
Thanks to the famous poem “The Night Before Christmas” we know Christmas stockings have been “hung by the chimney with care” for over 200 years. 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. He’s the Christian saint of ancient times known for his generosity and gift-giving to those in need. He’s the real man behind today’s Santa traditions.
The legend goes that St. Nicholas heard of a widowed man who couldn’t pay a dowry for his three daughters. This was a desperate situation in those times. St. Nicholas dropped gold coins down the widower’s chimney by night. 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!
Best Healthy Stocking Stuffer Ideas for the Whole Family
Here are some stocking stuffer ideas on the healthier side. I’ve come up with these over the years or heard others recommend them. And don’t forget to check out my 2021 Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide. It has plenty of last-minute ideas for your whole Christmas list!
I have several individual gift guides, one for kids, one for her, and another gift guide for men. Those include some great stocking stuffer ideas separated by gender and age. The lists below are divided by category and include perfect stocking stuffer ideas for various ages and people.
You can pick up some of these trinkets, gadgets, and small gifts at Amazon, and I’ve included plenty of other high-quality brands I love. The best gifts are the ones that are heartfelt.
On to the list…
Consumable Stocking Stuffer Gift Ideas
- Chia seed or coconut water drink (homemade or store-bought)
- Beef jerky or beef sticks
- Chocolates, homemade in a Christmas silicone mold and wrapped
- Nuts in the shell (with a nutcracker on the side… this one is fun!)
- A box of chai or other tea
- Fresh clementine oranges (pair with the 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)
- Tea Crystals – Great option for the tea lover!
- Natural gummy bears
- Hot chocolate (I put homemade mix in a small jelly or mason jar with their name on it). A pre-made option is this amazing Cacao Bliss mix.
- Four Sigmatic mushroom coffee or elixir packets (for grown-ups)
- Organifi Gold – My favorite drink before bedtime!
- Mighty Gum – A healthier way to do gum!
- Spices for Meat (and anything else!)– Laila Ali (daughter of the great Muhammad Ali) handcrafted this amazing line of spice blends.
- LMNT Electrolyte Packets – These are great to replace electrolytes after a workout, a sauna session, or fasting. Watermelon and raspberry are my favorite flavors for hydration!
Health and Beauty Christmas Gift Ideas
DIY skincare makes great gifts for everyone who loves a little self-care. Or if DIY isn’t your thing, there are plenty of natural versions to get your loved ones. Many of the skincare gift sets at stores like Walmart have some ingredients I’m not a fan of. You can easily create your own healthy beauty stocking stuffers with the ideas below!
- Chapstick or lip balm. Here’s a recipe for DIY tinted lip balm or peppermint lip balm (like Burt’s Bees)
- Hand cream with essential oils
- Nail clippers/nail kit for a DIY manicure
- Wellnesse shampoo and conditioner
- Earrings – these jade ones are elegant.
- Natural hand sanitizer
- Bubble bath (or you can mix up your own DIY bubble bath in minutes with a few simple ingredients!)
- Sugar or salt scrub – Or make your own quick and easy sugar scrub at home.
- Moisturizing homemade body butter or store-bought
- Frankincense and myrrh lotion bars (good for the men in your life too!)
- New Toothbrush, peppermint toothpaste, or Floss
- Natural facial serum or clay mask
- Vitamins for the kids
- Sleepology by Genexa (for kids or grown-ups who have trouble sleeping)
- Natural deodorant (great for teens!)
- Kid-safe essential oils (my favorite brand))
- Toups Organics (Makeup & Beauty) – They have an incredible line of clean cosmetics, lotions, and even a baking-soda-free deodorant for sensitive types.
- Fontana Candles – I really like these non-toxic candles as they don’t have any petroleum byproducts, stabilizers, fragrance oils, or harmful dyes.
- Lotion Bars – These Beesilk lotion bars are amazing for the wintertime and a fun stocking stuffer. Use code wellnessmama for a discount! Or make your own lotion bars.
- Homemade bath bombs
Experiences / Sentimental
Give your loved ones the precious gift of your time and attention. These are great to give to the kids, a spouse, or even grandparents.
- Coupon for “date” with Mom or Dad
- Carousel or gaming tokens
- Movie night with favorite dessert coupon
- A coupon to stay up an hour late (special Mom and Dad time!)
- A coupon to pick the meals for a day
- Mini photo book with family memories and inspirational quotes
- A keepsake letter or love note
- Movie tickets or gift certificates
- A flip photo book with pictures from the year
Perfectly Practical
Who says socks can’t make a good Christmas gift? Even if they’re not a socks person, here are some fun, yet practical gifts they’ll love.
- Festive socks (of course!)
- Dollar bill or half-dollar coin
- Mini sketchbook
- Earbuds
- Leggings
- No crease hair ties or scrunchies for your tween or teen.
- Mittens/gloves
- Crinkle cutter (for your aspiring chefs just learning to use a knife)
- Fun plates or cups from Ahimsa that are plastic free and my kids’ love!
- Blue light blocking glasses for those who have trouble sleeping and need a break from the blue light when using devices before bedtime.
- Lifestraw or Sawyer Water Filter – Survival water filter straws and squeeze bottles that fit in your pocket.
- Tactical Pen – More than just a pen, it works in all conditions and can break a car window if a person is trapped.
- Trailside Utensil – For those who love to spend time outdoors and camp, this lightweight spoon and fork combo is ideal for any campfire meal. The multitool also has a bottle opener on it.
- NFL Sports Coasters – These stainless steel coasters are a great gift for that sports guy that has everything. They also make the perfect addition to a man cave.
Games & Fun
I love giving games as gifts in the kid’s stockings. It encourages learning, brain development, and creativity, and they have tons of fun with them. They’re also great for family game nights. And fun-loving adults appreciate them too!
- 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 for friends or family members to play together (my kids love the Professor Noggin series)
- A card game or dice 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!
- Small adult coloring book
Crafty Stocking Stuffer Ideas
Have a crafter on your list? Here are some arts and crafts gifts that are perfect for their stockings. I love sitting down at the table and doing art with the kids. And this gives them more supplies for our family art sessions.
- Washi tape or decorative duct tape
- Crochet kit for kids
- Crayons, colored pencils, new school supplies
- Wooden peg dolls – kids can paint to make dolls or characters
- Yarn and knitting needles with a Udemy class
- Tombow beginning lettering set
Themed Stocking Stuffer Ideas
Instead of a bunch of random gifts, you can do a stocking stuffer theme! These are great for kids and adults alike.
- “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 and crochet hooks, 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 Stocking Stuffer Gifts
Here are some other fun ideas that didn’t really fit into the categories above.
- Jewelry or charms
- Photo gift from Mixbook
- Gift certificate to learn something new, like being a beekeeper!
- Festive tie for the man in your life
- A gift card – Here’s one from Amazon in a festive mini envelope.
- 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. This traditionally runs 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 stuffer ideas? Let me know in the comments!
I was always looking forward every Weekend to reading your homemade recipes but now most of the time you are just advertising other products. I do not enjoy this.
There’s a new DIY recipe on most Wednesdays and a new food recipe published every Tuesday. Many blog readers are busy and are looking for healthy options that they can buy so Wellness Mama tries to provide both. Thanks for your comment!
Great post, Katie! I was searching for stocking stuffer ideas this morning and your email popped up in my inbox!
I purchased several items from this list! I appreciate you always!
xo
Amy
Do you have any suggestions for safe jewelry, especially earrings? With concerns regarding metal toxicity and energy flow for piercings, just trying to find healthy alternative materials (wood maybe?) and ways to wear them (clip on, I guess?)
Thank you for any suggestions you may have or sending me in the right direction of someone else who may have figured some of this out!
I love this list! Thank you for the inspiration!
I used to like your website and use it all of the time, however the last almost year there are SO many ads on it and in between paragraphs and so many pop ups that I can’t seem to remove no matter what settings I have. I don’t get these on other pages b/c I have tight privacy settings, but wanted to share that it is so annoying and distracting, so unfortunately I am not using your site at all anymore. I just saw something and happened to pop back on it to read something and the same things happens—ads all over the place I assume you are getting paid to have all these ads pop up all over, but it is a big disservice to your site. I loved learning and getting some health info from your site, but it’s just one big commercial now and that’s really sad. Just wanted to share. I know you can’t read tone, but I am not mad, just very disappointed.
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!
Hi Kathy
If you click the horizontal lines in the left side of the url window it makes transforms it into reader view.
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. 🙂