In my eyes stocking fillers should be those little things that you can’t really justify buying yourself, but that you really would like in your life. I have come up with a list of eleven small presents that would be ideal for popping in a stocking, or even as a secret santa present, all of which are below £10.
1) Personalised Presents- Vistaprint is doing some great Christmas deals at the moment, you can get a calendar with whatever pictures you want in it for just £7.99 with free P&P, so whether you want to get one with just pictures of your dog in it, one for your parents with family pictures in, or for your friend’s secret santa with some embarrassing FND pictures in it, it’s definitely worth a look. They also have some great deals on mugs and phone cases that you can have any photo on, starting at £3.99 and £7.49 respectively.
2) Nail varnish- If you are struggling to find a small present for a girl then a safe answer is always nail varnish, there is a nail varnish for every girl. Here are some ideas for nail varnishes that are a bit more special: Barry M has a new matte range, my favourite is a burgundy colour they’ve named ‘Crush’, they also do a nail confetti range, ‘liquorice’ is the best bet because it is black and white confetti which goes amazing with nearly everything, and Maxfactor’s Max Effect in Diva Pink, all £3.99. Boots and Superdrug often do 3 for 2 deals around this time of year which would still make it under £10, so look out for those!
3) Socks- Now, most people are used to getting socks in their stocking, but I’m not talking about boring old black socks here. Peacocks sell batman and superman socks, but what makes these socks extra special is the fact that they have capes. I don’t think I know a single person that wouldn’t appreciate a pair of socks with capes. They are also available if you search on eBay and Amazon.
4) Chocolate- A Terry’s Chocolate Orange is always appreciated, but why not make a chocolate gift a bit more interesting? You can buy Tabasco chocolate for £4.99 from firebox.com, Tesco sells marmite chocolate and Green & Blacks do some amazing chocolate flavours, including sea salt, burnt toffee and butterscotch, so why settle for a bar of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk?
5) Man Soaps- Having a man to buy for in your secret santa can sometimes be hard, however, there are some great novelty gifts including ‘manly’ soaps. These include beer soap, which can be purchased for £5.99 from firebox.com, it is made from real beers and you can choose from 4 scents: Stella Artois, Guinness, Kronenbourg and Newcastle Brown Ale. It is also possible to buy bacon scented soap. Admittedly, not the most practical of gifts, but great as a novelty item.
6) Nandos Sauces- In Nandos restaurants they have been selling Christmas packs of sauces, including 5 sauces and some peri-peri salt for your chips. This is not available online so it means you do have to go to a restaurant, but anyone will agree that is a valid enough excuse for a trip to Nandos. This pack is about £10 if I remember correctly, but it is definitely under £10 and is something anyone can enjoy.
7) Lightsaber toothbrush- While I was searching for fun gifts for this article these are one that stuck out for me. Even if you aren’t an avid Starwars fan a lightsaber toothbrush just seems too tempting, especially when it lights up like a lightsaber. These are available from various sites for various prices and most of them come in packs of 2, a red one and a green one.
8) Christmas Clothing- Everyone needs a Christmas jumper, it is a seasonal necessity, there are plenty available at very reasonable prices though most are over £10. Matalan, however, do a selection of men’s Christmas jumpers for £10 that not only would look good on any guy, but would look good on a girl, too, with some jeans or leggings.
9) Tea Infuser- I am a big tea drinker and I know lots of people that enjoy tea but find that in leaf form it’s a bit too fiddly, however, in House of Fraser you can buy a tea infuser which is shaped like a goldfish for £7.50. This makes it easier as you just put a bit of your favourite tea inside and hook it onto the side of your cup, no need to use a teapot and strainer.
10) 3D cookie cutters- With Great British Bake Off getting more and more popular the likelihood is that you have a friend who likes to bake, and every person that likes to bake would appreciate some 3D cookie cutters, you can get safari ones in the shapes of lions and elephants from iwantoneofthose.com for £6.99. Dinosaur ones are also available at thegreatgiftcompany.com for £6.00.
11) Alcohol- Everyone appreciates a bit of alcohol so why not get an alcohol based gift set, they normally come with something else, too. In Tesco there are various gift sets, for example The Famous Grouse golf set, including 2 small bottles, for £10. They also sell a Jack Daniels mug and fudge set.
Kailey Hazeldene
