THE hanging of stockings is a treasured Christmas tradition. Children (and maybe some adults!) hope and believe that on Christmas Day, the stockings would be filled with treats from Santa Claus himself—granting that they’ve been nice all year. If you’re playing Santa Claus this year or standing in as proxy in his possible “absence,” here are 10 practical things you can stuff the stockings with which your loved ones can actually use:
Printed socks
Fun and funky printed socks add a nice touch of festivity to an ensemble, most appropriate especially during the holidays. Anyone can rock them with their next OOTD!
Personalized notepad
If you’re old school like me, I like to write my grocery list or things to do for the day on paper—and a cute notepad is perfect for that. Having the name of the recipient makes it extra special.
Chocolate
Milk, white, dark, with fruits, with almonds—who doesn’t like a sweet surprise?
Tote bag
It’s perfect for putting in all your purchases when you’re out shopping or for carrying some groceries (refuse those plastic bags!). It’s great as an everyday bag as well.
Key ring
A generic, plain key ring seems tacky, so get a unique or personalized one. It would make a cute accent for a bag or a set of keys.
Face mask
While we stuff our faces with food this Christmas, we have to pamper it too, right? If the person you’re giving it to has dryness as an issue, get one with hyaluronic acid—it leaves the skin soft and supple.
Straw set
Many stores and establishments are already implementing a “no plastic straw” policy. We should get on this movement too. A set usually comes with a regular straw, a bubble tea straw and a cleaning brush—all in a handy pouch.
Room spray
Just do a few spritzes to instantly freshen up a room. If you have a mosquito problem in your home, a room spray with citronella works great as a repellent.
Gift card/certificate
It’s a no-brainer kind of gift, but a great one nonetheless. It’s good as cash and the best part is whoever you give it to gets to choose what he or she wants to buy with it!
Lip balm
Keep those little puckers moisturized—cracked lips aren’t cute! There are special Christmas-themed flavors, too, like candy cane and ginger bread.