Can you believe it’s already the week of Christmas? One of my many useless skills is planning and getting gifts ready ahead of time. I’m super organized like that. I’m not one of those early shoppers but I always know exactly what I want to get. I probably spend about 15 minutes in the store and just order everything else online. But I know many people who are a little behind, my hubby being one of them. He has pretty much everything but the stocking stuffers together. That’s the part we typically think about last. As a kid, my mom always put mostly candy in my stocking which was awesome. But now that we’re older and on diets, we have to get a little creative with what we fill the stockings with. Here are 7 stocking stuffer ideas that you can throw together quickly, non of which force you to go off your diet.
Themes
I love doing themed stocking stuffers. I just think it makes things fun 🙂 Sometimes these can be difficult though. The theme I chose for my husband this year required a little extra work but here’s an easy way to make themes work on a time limit. Pick a theme you can find just about anywhere. Choose something that’s super popular right now. A Star Wars themed stocking would be perfect. You can grab small nick knacks literally anywhere you go. Healthy snacks are also good. Just walk down the health food isle next time you’re at the grocery store and grab some Quest bars. Christmas itself could be a theme. Think Christmas ornament, Christmas pajamas, Christmas movie, etc.
The necessities
This one isn’t the most exciting but let’s face it, we all need new socks (which is pretty much the best feeling in the world), perfume, deodorant, body wash, and a new toothbrush. These are the things I hate buying for myself so getting a stocking full of them would actually make me pretty happy.
Gift cards
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with giving a gift card! Many people think of them as a last minute gift and not very personal. But you can make them personal. I would love to get a gift card to my favorite restaurant that I rarely get to go to. You can get creative with your gift cards. You can even create your own. One year when we didn’t have much money I made my husband different promise “certificates” like going to a certain movie when it came out, going to a concert of his choice, or a fancy dinner when we did have the money. Find fun boxes for the gift cards and throw em in the stocking. Note: The stocking doesn’t have to be full!
Movies
DVDs and Blu Rays should be small enough to fit in a stocking. Grab a couple favorites you’ve seen together in the past year as a stocking stuffer. One thing I love to do on Christmas is curl up on the couch and watch movies!
Planners
This one isn’t for everyone but remember how I said I’m a total organization freak? One thing I would love to get for Christmas is a planner for the new year, calendar, pens, highlighters, notebook, and anything I could use to start setting my New Year goals. All of that stuff can be easily found at Walmart or Target.
Toys
I don’t have any kids and I think it’s pretty obvious that the ideas in this post are geared toward adults so when I say “toys” I do mean for adults, just to make that clear. Toys are so much fun because they take us back to the exciting Christmas mornings as a kid. Consider small Lego sets or Funko bobble heads for stocking stuffers.
Amazon Prime
It’s not too late to do some online shopping! With Amazon Prime you can receive your order in two days. It’s cutting it close but it can be done and you don’t have to step foot in the store.
I know it’s a hectic time of year but I honestly don’t think it should be. I feel like my husband and I have been so lazy this year. We didn’t even get out our tree but instead threw up the little black tabletop tree. We did string some lights but that’s about it. Shopping was done mostly online. And we aren’t visiting any family this year which is totally fine with me. It’s nice to stay home in Pj’s all day 🙂 My point is, although we didn’t put forth much effort in decorating, running out to the stores, or planning a big Christmas dinner, we’re still enjoying the holiday season and we aren’t stressed out. In my mind the holidays are a time to RELAX and I think we should start making that a priority. Finding the perfect gifts doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, just being nice and spending time with loved ones is enough. It’s the memories you make together that are more valuable than anything else. Well, I’m signing off for now because I have some hot chocolate to drink, Christmas movies to watch, and straight up chilling I need to be doing this week with my hubby. Take it easy and have a Merry Christmas!
Nicole Tinkham 