The best stocking stuffers for women: lip masks, cozy socks, good chocolate and little gifts for the book lover, plus a few for him.
In our house the stockings never stayed on the mantel. By Christmas morning they were so full they had been taken down and laid on the hearth, lumpy and bulging and impossible to miss. When I was a girl they held my favorite candy, small toys and a puzzle or two. Somewhere along the way the toys turned into toothbrushes, nail polish and lip balm, and I won’t lie, I was just as happy.
For thirty years my late mother-in-law filled our stockings with little novelty gifts she had been gathering since January. For me it was always something with a dachshund on it. She is the reason I still believe the best stocking stuffers are the ones that show someone was paying attention all year.
These are the stocking stuffers for women I am tucking in this year, for my friends, my family and, if I am honest, a few for myself. There are plenty of sweet treats, because a stocking without candy is just a sock, and a few ideas for the men on your list at the end.
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Beauty Stocking Stuffers
A good lip balm is the first thing I reach for every winter, and it goes into every stocking I fill. If you want to spoil her a little, the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is the one beauty lovers ask for by name. She puts it on at night and wakes up with soft lips, which in the colder months, with the heat running day and night, is no small thing. TjMaxx and Marshalls also carry lip masks so be sure to shop their selections too.
Beauty minis are made for stockings. A travel size of her favorite serum, a little hyaluronic acid moisturizer for dry winter skin or a mini perfume lets her try something new without committing to the full size. Add a bottle of nail polish iin one of the pretty colors of the season, a deep red or a soft neutral, and a tube of rich hand cream for her coat pocket.
For her hair, a silk scrunchie or a pretty tortoiseshell claw clip costs very little and gets worn every day. A beauty lover will also appreciate a mini dry shampoo or a tiny tin of solid perfume for her handbag.
For the woman who never sleeps as well as she would like, a lavender pillow mist is a thoughtful gift. A few sprays on the pillow at night and the whole room smells like a summer garden. Pair it with a satin pillowcase, which folds small enough to roll into the top of a stocking, or a little bottle of essential oils for her diffuser.
Stocking Stuffers for Book Lovers
For every reader on your list, there is nothing better than a new book. In Iceland, books are given on Christmas Eve and the rest of the night is spent reading, a tradition called Jólabókaflóð. I wrote about how to start it in your own home, and a paperback fits perfectly in the top of a stocking.
Book lovers also love the little things that go with a book: a pretty bookmark, a clip-on book light for reading in bed without waking anyone, or a pair of soft reading socks. You will find more ideas in my gifts for book lovers.
Cozy Stocking Stuffers
When the days get short, the best gifts are the ones that make an evening at home feel special. Cozy socks are my favorite stocking stuffer of all, and I have yet to meet a woman with too many pairs. A small candle in a winter scent, a box of good tea or a hot water bottle in a knit cover are cozy finds she will use every night until spring.
For the friend who is always cold (every family has one), a pair of soft knit gloves or a warm headband is a practical gift she will wear all winter.
Small Gadgets and Practical Items
Practical items make some of the best gifts, because they get used every day. A portable charger lives in her handbag and comes to the rescue more than once. If she wears an Apple Watch, a new band in neutral colors or a pretty print changes the whole look for very little. A leather AirPod case is a small upgrade she would never buy for herself.
For the desk drawer, a set of good pens, a small notebook or a box of pretty notecards are perfect small gifts for the woman who still writes her thank-you notes by hand. My plaid gift guide has a few tartan stocking stuffers, too.
Sweet Treats for the Stocking
A stocking needs something sweet. Peppermint bark and candy canes are the classics, and in so many families a chocolate orange in the toe is part of Christmas morning. You tap it on the table, it falls into slices, and somehow it tastes better on December 25 than on any other day of the year. A small box of high-quality chocolates is always a great stocking stuffer, too.
For something different, World Market and Home Goods fill its shelves with little sweet and savory treats at this time of year, and a jar of hot honey is a fun surprise for the friend who drizzles it on everything. If you have time, homemade treats are even better: a small bag of my grandmother’s caramel corn or a few soft pecan caramels wrapped in wax paper. You will find more in my homemade food gifts for Christmas.
For the coffee and tea drinkers, fill a pretty mug with a packet of hot chocolate, a few tea bags or a small bag of good coffee beans. It is a sweet treat meant for Christmas morning itself. For more ideas, see my gifts for hot chocolate lovers.
Fun and Unique Stocking Stuffers
The most fun stocking stuffers are the ones that show you know her. Because of my mother-in-law, a dachshund in my stocking still feels like Christmas, and socks, ornaments, mugs and notepads with her favorite breed are easy to find for every dog lover. For the mahjong lovers (there seem to be more of them every year), a pretty pouch for her tiles or a set of mahjong coasters will make her smile at the next game.
A puzzle for the quiet days between Christmas and New Year’s, or a gift card to her favorite coffee shop or bookstore, gives her a little treat she can choose for herself. And a deck of waterproof playing cards goes to the beach, the pool and every vacation card game.
The stockings themselves can be the gift, too. If yours have seen better days, take a look at my favorite Christmas stockings.
How to Fill a Stocking
My grandmother always said a stocking should feel heavy, and I still fill mine the way she taught me, from the toe up. The heaviest things go in first, a chocolate orange or a jar of hot honey, so the stocking hangs nicely and the surprises wait at the bottom. Then come the practical items, the socks and the charger and the lip balm, and the small, fun things go on top so there is something to pull out right away.
An easy way to keep it from feeling like a random pile is to choose a little theme for each person: a cozy night in, a spa day, a reading weekend. And I like to tuck in one thing she would never buy for herself. It does not have to be expensive. It just has to be the one she pulls out, holds up and says, how did you know?
Wrap the smallest gifts in tissue so they do not disappear into the toe, and save the candy canes for the very top, hooked over the edge where they belong.
A Few Stocking Stuffers for Him
Men are hard to shop for, and stockings are no exception, so I lean toward things that get used. A portable charger for the car or the golf bag, a deck of those waterproof cards and a small bottle of hot sauce for the man who puts it on everything will all be put to good use. For bigger gifts, see my gifts for men who have everything.
Until Next Time
There is something about lifting a stocking off the mantel, heavier than it looks, that turns everyone into a child again for a few minutes. I hope you found an idea or two for the stockings in your house this holiday season.
Tell me: what do you love to find in your stocking on Christmas morning? And is there a stocking tradition in your family that you still keep?
For gift ideas for everyone on your list, see my Christmas gift guide.
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Good suggestions!