While many times as children we envision the grand Christmas presents that top our wish lists, when we reach adulthood, it is often the small things, the stocking stuffers, with which we attach the most meaning and sentimentality.
In short, new bikes eventually wear out and are replaced, and video game systems become outdated and are updated, but sometimes the sweet little nothings from deep within our stockings continue to whisper to us for a lifetime.
Perhaps it is for this reason that many come to look forward to the stocking more than lavish gifts or ostentatious gestures. We grow to learn that, in life, it is the tiny details that often matter more.
A good stocking stuffed with personal things teeming with personality—that’s a wonderful way to wake up. So, do it for your loved ones this year!
Sweet treats
Forget candy or store-bought treats. What resonates as a stuffer worthy of stopping for is a homemade sweet perfectly suited for its recipient. Let it be seasonal cookies or colorful confections, wrap them in something simple, and serve them with love.
Hot drink mix
Nothing is as cozy on winter’s day as curling on the sofa, a throw blanket at the ready, with a favorite hot drink. Thus, a perfect way to show love via stocking is to include the right hot drink (or instant soup) mix for a loved one. If it can be made DIY, it should be, and if not, it should be repackaged to add a tinge more to the gesture.
Pocket hand warmer
The holiday season is a time when a touch of warmth, both figuratively and literally, is always appreciated, and homemade hand warmers are often the perfect stocking stuffers for accomplishing both. Go the DIY route to make sure it is supercharged with love.
Plant-based Presents
Oftentimes the most exciting thing about winter is when it breaks with the arrival of spring and all those beautiful blooms. Choosing a loved one’s favorite flower, getting seeds or bulbs, and making a special package to be sown in the coming year keeps the festivities around for months to come.
Bath salts
Taking a hot, soaking bath is for many the most relaxing thing imaginable, and tucking some homemade bath salts in a stocking is a fantastic way to persuade them to enjoy themselves. Making bath salts at home is easy, and best of all, they can be tailored with the most beloved aromas to fit the recipient’s sniffer.
Spice blends
If, indeed, the quickest way to a person’s heart is through the stomach, then providing that person with a spice blend made specifically for him/her/them is a surefire way to express (and likely receive) love. Spice blends and flavored salts are easy to make, and they look stunning in a cool repurposed jar or bottle.
Body scrubs
It’s incredible how a good scrub makes a person feel new, shiny, refreshed, and vibrant, so when giving a DIY body scrub as a stocking stuffer, it’s this feeling that’s really what the beneficiary will discover. How amazing is that!
Infused liquor shots
Infused liquor shots aren’t necessarily something that is meant to be gulped in one go. They are best as something to be savored and sipped. Adding flavor to spirits is as easy as soaking the desired fruit, herbs, or spices in the bottle with it for a while and then filtering them back out. Of course, the rest of the bottle will be elsewhere but put an infused liquor shot in the stocking to make the gift appropriately sized.
Mason jar snow globe
Snow globes are a classic Christmas gift and capture the season beautifully. Believe it or not, they are easy to make at home with an old jar and a found object or two. The basic concept is to glue the centerpiece item to the lid of the jar, fill the jar with water and glitter, and then return the lid, sealing it tightly. Shake it up and it’s a homespun snow globe.
Bottle cap candles
Whether it’s a favorite soda or beer or even a screw cap from a kombucha bottle, making a bottle cap candle is as simple as fixing a piece of wick (a strip of cotton or string) and pouring some melted wax over it. Essential oils can be added to give it natural aromas. Everyone loves sticking a few candles around to chill out for an evening.
Stuffing a stocking with homemade items like these is an amazing way to show someone just how much they mean to you by spending little to nothing. It’s all about taking the time to do it with love.
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