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Christmas Gifts

101 Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Toddlers

When thinking of stocking stuffer ideas for toddlers, you have to think along the lines of what would be small enough to fit in a stocking (unless you have one of those ridiculously huge ones), what they like, and where they are at in terms of motor skills and cognitive development. Who knew there was so much to think about?
No matter what your child likes, there are bound to be a few ideas on this list of stocking stuffer ideas for toddlers they’re sure to love:

  • Children’s Bible
  • Christmas children’s books
  • Christian children’s books
  • Bath books
  • Socks
  • Underwear
  • Peppermint candy
  • Coloring books
  • Crayons
  • Crayola Color Wonder anything
  • Sidewalk chalk
  • Bubbles
  • Stickers
  • Rubber bath toys
  • Bubble bath
  • Personalized Christmas ornament
  • Candy coal
  • A letter to the child signed with Rudolph’s hoof print
  • Hair accessories
  • Hair brush
  • Children’s character wash cloths/wash mitts
  • Play cellphone
  • Watercolor paint
  • Mini Play-Doh
  • Reindeer antler headband
  • Santa hat
  • Rudolph nose
  • Whistle
  • Tambourine
  • Bell stick
  • Maracas
  • Kazoo
  • Whoopee cushion
  • Memory card game
  • Mini boxes of puzzles
  • Gingerbread man cookie
  • Silly String
  • Bath foam
  • The Elf from Elf on the Shelf
  • Christmas movies
  • Toy cars
  • Costume jewelry
  • Princess magic wand
  • Christmas cup
  • Chocolate covered marshmallow Santas
  • Alphabet magnets
  • Small stuffed animals
  • Anamalz
  • Bath crayons
  • Toothbrush and toothpaste
  • Giant candy cane\
  • Plastic cookie cutters (for Play-Doh)
  • Beanie babies
  • Barbie doll
  • Action figure
  • Mittens
  • Winter hat
  • Scarf
  • Ear muffs
  • Booties
  • Sensory balloons (Pinterest)
  • Stringing beads
  • Boogie Wipes
  • Crayon Rocks
  • Smock
  • Toddler paint brushes
  • Echo microphone
  • Thomas Trains
  • Squeeze fruit/veggie pouches
  • Mini boxes of Goldfish
  • Sophie the Giraffe
  • Stacking cups
  • Bath tugboat
  • Amber necklace
  • Mini Etch-a-Sketch
  • Finger puppets
  • Reusable snack pouches
  • Play keys
  • Glow sticks
  • Giant bouncy ball
  • Play snow
  • Flash cards
  • Bicycle horn
  • Stamps with ink pad
  • Memo pads
  • Colored pencils
  • Washable markers
  • Magnifying glass
  • Kinetic Sand
  • Ouchie Junior bandages
  • Cutlery set
  • Matching plate and bowl set
  • Under the Nile fruits or veggies
  • Play food
  • Play kitchen utensils
  • Toy airplane
  • Snack cup
  • Fake bugs
  • Christmas jammies
  • Foam sports balls
  • Silly animal masks

My personal favorite thing to do with stockings is to make sure there is one food item and one plush item to top off the stocking. Of course, this is more for visual appeal, but you can also make it a game! Let’s face it, with gifts under the tree, the stocking is rarely noticed. Turn it into a game of “I Spy.”

For example, if you have a giant candy cane hanging out of the top of the stocking, you could say “I spy with my little eye a really big candy cane!” He or she is bound to look around the room and find it, thus leading to the desire go through that stocking!

The sheer joy on your toddlers face will just melt your heart away on Christmas morning.

Best Family Christmas Party Games

We all know that family Christmas parties are always a good time, but do you know how to make them even better? Christmas games! That’s right! Good, planned, organized fun!

Often times, Christmas parties become hectic and loud, as everyone becomes entangled in their own personal conversations in their little cliques. Sometimes it’s best to have a few Christmas games planned to get everyone socializing with one another, and to just make it a really memorable time.

In need of a few ideas for Christmas games? I happen to have written this list of 8 of the very best Christmas games around!

Family Christmas Party Games

Pin the Nose on Rudolph: Like pin the tail on a donkey, this Christmas party game involves a blindfold. Players must try to pin Rudolphs nose on his face where it should be, and whoever is the closest is the winner! If you can find a poster of Rudolph, you can use that as the board; otherwise, make one yourself out of felt or poster board.

(Alternate version: Pin the carrot nose on the snowman. Similar DIY concept, but with carrots and a snowman instead!)

Candy Cane Hunt: On Easter, I hide Easter eggs. On Christmas, I hide candy canes! Same concept, different hidden treasure. Hide a couple of “jackpot” candy canes, too! (those large tubes filled with M&Ms or Kisses.)

Candy Cane Chain: Holding a candy cane in your mouth, you must see how many candy canes you can pick up using only the one in your mouth, no hands allowed! Each person gets 60 seconds. Who can gather the most?

Snowman Snowball Pitch: Using a backboard (a cardboard tri-fold one), paint a winter scene with a large snowman in the middle. Cut a hole in the stomach and a smaller one in the mouth of the snowman; these are your targets. Using paper balls, each player must try to score the highest they can with 10 pitches. The mouth is worth 10 points, and the stomach is worth five points.

Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest: What wasn’t previously a competition can become one if you set out a craft table with Christmas odds and ends, basic supplies, and some cheap, blank sweaters.

Jingle Your Bells: This is similar to that Minute to Win It game “Junk in the Trunk” where you strap on a tissue box to your hiney and shake your booty. The only difference is instead of shaking out a bunch of ping pong balls, you will compete against one person to shake out 10 (or however many) bells out of the box. Set a time limit and whoever gets more out or finishes first wins!

Sketchy Santa: In this game, each person will hold a paper plate on top of their head as they attempt to sketch the very best Santa they can. Everyone is up against the clock and each other, so the best picture drawn before time is called is the winning drawing!

Christmas “Who Am I?” Game: In this game, a Christmas-related thing is assigned to each person and the word is stuck to their back for others to identify. Everyone gets to ask 10 questions to try to figure out who they are, and can only ask one question of each person they decide to ask. The first person to figure out who they are is the winner! (Example words: Santa Claus, Christmas tree, snowman, candy cane, elf, holly, snow, gingerbread man, a stocking, etc.)

Of course, don’t forget the other family favorites such as Christmas-opoly or planning a Dirty Santa gift exchange! See, Christmas games really make family Christmas parties a good time!

Family Gifts for Christmas: Fun for the Whole Family

Buying gifts for everyone in the family? That can be so expensive and stressful! Have you thought about family gifts for Christmas?

Believe it or not, you can cross entire families off your Christmas shopping list at once by putting together family gifts for Christmas this year! It’s convenient and (can be) cheaper for you, and still very pleasing to the recipients! It’s also a nice way to give them a gift they can use to bond together as a family, rather than this one sitting in the corner on his iPad, and that one in the basement watching TV.

Now when it comes to giving family gifts for Christmas, you’ll still want to be sure that everyone in the family will absolutely love the gift, right? Right. Here are a few family gift ideas:

Family Game Gift Ideas

Family board games: Board games can be pretty pricey so sometimes just one is enough! If you have the extra, spring for a few fun family games such as Scene It! Disney, Disney Headbandz, Clue, Sorry, Monopoly, Life, Cranium, Guesstures, or Pictionary.

Outdoor sports gear: Getting outdoors is one of the very best things for any family, so spring for something for the family to do outside together! A good example is a backyard volleyball net, along with a volley ball and a badminton set. Or maybe Kan Jam Game Set, which is always a lot of fun!

Outdoor games: I have fond memories of outdoor games at barbecues with my family. A mainstay was horseshoes, but you can also play cornhole, laser tag, or bocce ball.

Family Activity Gift Ideas

Tickets to local attractions: If there’s a zoo, museum, or an aquarium nearby, cease this opportunity to purchase their Christmas gift! If you work for a place who offers a discount program, you might get lucky and have a hefty 40% off discount waiting. Also, check online for discounts!

TV streaming services: Purchase a year membership to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, or the like. It’s the gift that keeps on giving (well, for a year, at least)!

Family movie night gift basket: Pick up a couple of new movies (or some classics!) and put them in a nice basket along with some of those theater-sized boxes of candy, popcorn kernels, a popcorn popper, and a couple of different popcorn seasonings.

Family Food Gift Ideas

Coffee and cocoa basket: Put together a gift basket containing mugs for each person in the family, a few samples of gourmet coffee, hot cocoa, and perhaps marshmallows for the cocoa!

Baking gift basket: Make a gift basket with a few baking essentials such as silicon muffin cups, a rolling pin, cookie cutters, a whisk, a wooden spoon, a rubber spatula, aprons, and a cook book!

Gourmet foods: We’ve all seen these gourmet gift baskets at those kiosks in the center of the mall aisles; have you ever thought about making your own? Gourmet meats and cheeses, or even some delicious chocolate or pastries from a local bakery!

BBQ setup: If the family does not have a grill, purchase one of those small patio grills and inside it include grilling tools, a couple of aprons, different meat seasonings and marinades. If there’s still room, maybe add a small bag of charcoal and a BBQ lighter to complete the kit!

Grow-a-garden Gift Bag: Purchase a large bucket or gardening bag and include all of the necessary gardening tools, enough pairs of gloves for the family, and seeds for various different fruits and veggies that can be grown easily in your region. Include a manual about gardening that explains the zones and the best times and places to plant certain types of food.