7 Unique Stocking Stuffer Ideas
Need some stocking stuffer ideas? We did, too.
The holidays are going to look a lot different for a lot of families this year. We hope they'll be smaller affairs - don't travel for the holidays, please. We know it's hard, but you're saving lives by staying put. Dr. Hugh Montgomery, professor of intensive care medicine at University College London, explains, "This coronavirus is very, very infectious, so every person passes it to three. Now, that doesn't sound like much of a difference, but if each of those three passes it to three, and that happens at 10 layers, I have been responsible for infecting 59,000 people." I think I speak for all of us when I say...yikes. Let's not infect 59,000 people for Christmas.
Shop Small and Invest in Quality
Small businesses are suffering, delivery drivers are being thrown into harm's way, and many of us aren't in the position to keep buying cheap, replaceable stuff over and over when it breaks or fails. It's time to shop small, support local businesses, and gift long-lasting, high quality pieces for your loved ones that will serve for months and years to come. (Except the chocolate we're going to recommend. That's going to last 10 minutes.)
Luckily, the explosion in online shopping has made it easier than ever to sit perfectly still on your couch, serenely click a button or two, and absolutely NAIL the holidays. This year, maybe more so than ever before, you can seriously crush your stocking stuffer game AND you can have a positive impact by supporting small businesses that are giving back, manufacturing in the USA, and producing ethical, fair trade gifts.
Stocking Stuffer Idea #1: Handmade Soap
Pssst.... you still gotta wash your hands for 20 seconds multiple times a day. Make it something to look forward to with beautiful, fragrant, handmade, organic soap. There are so many organic soap makers on Etsy.com who are using gorgeous ingredients, and we're willing to bet many of them are in your own backyard. Purchase local and reduce the carbon footprint in shipping! Here's one in our home state of Washington, lemonbuzzzsoap. I mean, look at this:
Literally drooling.
This etsy shop is small, woman-owned, handmade, organic, and her soaps are wrapped in plantable seed paper! OMG. It's the gift that keeps on giving. We think this one's a perfect stocking stuffer idea for the whole family, from the grown men to the young kids. Buy a 3-Pack and knock out three stockings with one purchase.
Stocking Stuffer Idea #2: Socks. Yeah, You Heard Me.
There is a point in everyone's life where getting socks for Christmas goes from a bummer to a stunner. We found the stunners. It's BOMBAS socks, who founded their company on a Buy One, Give One premise - for every item purchased, an item is donated, mainly to support the homeless community. Be sure to check out the BOMBAS donation counter: 42,388,693 items have been donated. Oh, now it's 42,388,698! Now it's 42,388,701! How many do you see?
ANYWAY. BOMBAS aren't just doing good, they are looking good. Check out this Women's Holiday Calf Sock 4-Pack:
powerful Arendelle vibes
Another multi-pack! That's four stocking stuffers in one hit! This listing says "Women's," but we know quite a few dudes and non-binary people who would rock these patterns. And we at BooginHead do appreciate a good pattern. We're going to take "Women's" as merely a suggestion. Live your colorful truth...with socks.
Let the children learn early that socks are a celebration. Look at this Toddler Sesame 7-Pack Gift Box:
The letter of the day is most definitely S.
Fainting from cuteness. Split it between multiple toddlers, or achieve peak sock inception and shove them all into one stocking at once. As the proud owner of many BOMBAS, BooginHead marketing manager Jacky will vouch - these socks rock.
Have you heard of Sesame Street's new anti-racism initiative from Sesame Workshop? Good stuff.
Stocking Stuffer Idea #3: BooginHead Baby Stuff
Yep, we're putting ourselves on the list. This one's for the littles! Don't leave your tiny people out of the stocking stuffer fun. BooginHead's baby gift sets come with pacifier clips, teethers, baby bibs, and even a pacifier with a stuffed animal that comforts and soothes in a variety of ways. Be sure to take off all the packaging beforehand so there's no lag between stocking time and snuggle time!
I'm blue, abadee, abadahhh
BooginHead is a small, woman-owned, independent business and we are proud to support Black Lives Matter and LGBTQIA+ Equality. A portion of our monthly proceeds are donated to the fight for a more just and equitable world. Every purchase made on BooginHead.com helps us do more. Check out BooginHead Blog for more details!
Stocking Stuffer Idea #4: Classy Individual Packs of Personal Wipes
Hear us out.
One of the purest joys of the holiday season is gifting people something unexpected they didn't know they needed. This is one of those items. If your kids are older, remember how often you used baby wipes for a thousand other things than wiping a baby? Did you know that convenience, that cleanliness, that feeling of freshness could still be yours, and formulated especially for your body's needs? There's one small, Black-owned, woman-owned brand doing it right, and it's The Honey Pot.
as The Honey Pot says, "Oh mama, that's fresh"
Their Mommy-to-Be-Wipes are plant-based with no residues or artificial fragrance, which is truly a gift when every random smell makes you want to vomit. That, plus The Honey Pot's partnership with Happy Period means every purchase supports a small business AND helps provide menstrual hygiene kits to those who are homeless, low income, or living in poverty.
We're going to put a caveat on this one: If you haven't had a baby yourself, don't stick this in a pregnant person's stocking. This is a "the god in me recognizes the god in you" type situation. As people who have given birth ourselves, we can tell you that pregnancy and postpartum is...oozy. We would have loved something like this way back when.
Stocking Stuffer Idea #5: Made in the USA
Let's lower that carbon footprint! There's a lot of shipping going on, and the closer to home you can find your treasures, the better off our planet will be. We're big fans of Rareform, a company that makes beautiful bags and wallets from reclaimed billboards. Not only are Rareform products made in the USA, Rareform has saved over three million pounds of billboards from landfill. The stitching and quality is incredible and you're going to use a Rareform piece for years.
Also, they look hella rad. Behold their stocking stuffer sized product, The Veer card holder:
A pocket-sized powerhouse
And because they're cut from weather resistant, colorfast billboards, no two Rareform pieces are alike. Unique stocking stuffer idea? Check. Saving the planet? Check. Supporting small business? Check.
Just in case it's relevant to your interests, BooginHead's SippiGrip Silicone is also made in the USA. <3
No more floor splatters!
Stocking Stuffer Idea #6: Face Masks
Oh hey guys, we're back on our own stocking stuffer list... with the best face masks you'll ever own. Not to brag.
BooginHead face masks are made of our safety-tested baby bib fabric, which is 95% cotton and 5% spandex for optimal breathability and a comfortable stretch. Our ear loops are super silky and wide and don't irritate your delicate ear skin. All BooginHead patterns are hand-designed in house for an upleveled look and feel, and they have a pocket for a reusable carbon filter if you want to double up on the protection. All that, plus we donate 10% of proceeds from face mask purchases on our website to coronavirus relief efforts local and nationwide. It's a stocking stuffer you can really feel good about.
Navy Stripes, Youth size
Camo, Adult size
Black & White Check, Adult and Youth
Everyone knows the key to an efficient stocking stuffer strategy is multi-packs. BooginHead face masks come as a 2-pack, so stick both in one stocking or break them apart for siblings, cousins, and besties. They come in Adult and Youth sizes, so if you're the kind of family that gets those matching family pajamas, why not branch out into matching family face masks?
What dreams are made of. Find them at Target!
What's this, plaid pacifier clips? Something to match your matchy-matchy for the holidays?
extremely George Takai voice: Oh, my!
Stocking Stuffer Idea #7: Organic, Fair Trade Chocolate
We saved the best for last, because this chocolate will last exactly .5 seconds after being gifted. Have you heard of Theo Chocolate? Seems like a few years ago they were only a jewel in Seattle's crown, a small, independent bean-to-bar roaster and confectioner in our Fremont district. Now they're in REI, Whole Foods, Safeway, and for good reason. This sh!t is delicious. A person who's been bored in quarantine and regularly dropping $90+ on their website at a time should know. Which is...not us. We definitely, um...did NOT do that. Multiple times.
Shut the front door
Here's what we love about Theo Chocolate. They are small, organic and fair trade, made from scratch in Seattle, Washington (we have BEEN INSIDE THE FACTORY, it smells *divine*), and if you have a chance to check out Theo Chocolate on Instagram, you'll see that Theo has been putting in the work on anti-racism and we are here for it.
Yes, I'll take one of each, please.
Their limited edition holiday confections are indulgent, ethical, and celebratory, and what's a holiday without candy? With Theo, you have the option to stuff a stocking with a little more than just cocoa and sugar this year.
There you have it! The 2020 holiday season can be intimate, small, and mighty all at once by shopping small, investing in quality, supporting companies who give back, and going online. We hope it's the route you take. Because at the end of the day, the greatest gift you can give this year is not infecting fifty nine thousand people with coronavirus. Happy Holidays!
Before you sign off and start shopping for your stocking stuffers, check the BooginHead Blog for updates on what we're up to, our philanthropic efforts, and more!
