Christmas stocking ideas

Christmas stocking ideas

Great ideas for Christmas stocking fillers, plus our pick of the best stockings around and top tips for stuffing a stocking.

How to fill a stocking

Put a tangerine or bouncy ball or something else round and solid in the toe to help the stocking keep its shape.

Place small, expensive items near the toe for added excitement value because they'll be the last to be found.

Slip long, slim items down the stocking leg, and stuff other more malleable items in between.

Items that are wrapped up will provide the most fun for the longest time – a good idea if kids open their stocking before waking mum and dad.

Don’t use too much sticky tape if older members of the family have conditions like arthritis.

Feeling lazy, or short of time? Get inspiration from Stocking Fillers (stocking-fillers.co.uk) who offer a range of gifts from under £1 (though you’ll only have yourself to blame if the 99p sticky eyeball turns up in Great Aunt Maud’s sprouts) plus pre-filled Christmas stockings for £19.99 tailored to different age groups.

Visit our Christmas section for more gift, decoration and food ideas

Stockings: six of the best

For prettiness: Cath Kidston’s Christmas Village stocking, £20
For Scotsmen: Liberty London’s Tartan stocking, £15.95
For strokeability: House of Fraser grey Faux Fur stocking, £25
For value: Matalan’s Stag stocking, £6
For cuteness: JoJo Maman Bebe’s Reindeer stocking, £16

Unusual stocking fillers

Often, obvious items work best in stockings. For kids, think crayons, packs of cards, mini jigsaw puzzles, wind-up toys, water pistols, travel-sized games, small soft toys, Corgi models and toy cars and torches. Adults appreciate travel sizes of nice bath oils and moisturisers, beauty products, tiny packs of unusual teas, coffees and foodstuffs, and miniatures of spirits.

But we’ve come up with a few unusual festive treats that won’t break the bank and will kick off Christmas morning with some nice surprises.