Why stocking fillers are the best, and what we'll be putting in ours this Christmas

Check out our edit of 10 stocking fillers for all the family for under £10

It might be controversial, but as a child – and probably even now – I think stocking presents are usually the best, or at least the most exciting. When you’re a grown-up the surprise factor of presents has often long gone out the window, replaced by sheer exhaustion and a to-do list as long as your arm, so I tend to find these days any presents for myself or my husband are replaced by our must-have ‘essentials’ (mine is an Oxo Good Grips garlic crusher; his is a pair of tracksuit bottoms to replace his current pair of holely Canterburys). Either that, or you essentially instruct the other on what your ‘big’ present should be (mine: Sézane knitwear, him: golf lessons, apparently…).

So anyway, what I’m getting at is that stockings are where you get to have the most fun and the magic is kept alive with those little secret surprise presents that you actually didn’t know you were going to get. Last year, for example, I treasured some tubes of oil paint for my evening art classes and some supremely cosy knitted socks that I’m still donning this winter (I perpetually have cold feet).

I’ve always loved things in miniature and I find hunting for those tiny yet thoughtful gifts the most satisfying to buy in a way, knowing that you’re giving that person a small but totally pleasurable item that they didn’t yet know they needed or would want. So without further ado, here are some of the stocking fillers I’ll be stuffing into the Brown’s family stockings this year for under £10 (and some I’d definitely buy for myself).

Travel snakes and ladders game in a tin, £6.95, Rex London

Izzie has been after a Snakes & Ladders game for a while after we played it during a holiday to Norfolk where they had a board at the rental cottage – I thought this travel version would be perfect so we can play when we’re away, or at home.

Paddington’s Emergency Marmalade, £5.95, Fortnum & Mason

Martin, and Laurie for that matter, are particularly partial to a bit of marmalade on toast, so when I saw this cute special-edition jar from Fortnum’s to celebrate the launch of Paddington in Peru, I couldn’t resist…

DIY Necklace Kit, £2.64, Sostrene Grene

Izzie loves crafting and making her own jewellery and this seemed like the perfect stocking filler – Sostrene Grene has oodles of these little creative kits to choose from and they’re a great price, too.

Kiri Marbled Pink Square Photo Frame 4x4", £6.50, Oliver Bonas

I always think a memorable photo in a frame is a lovely gift at the best of times, but I particularly like these cute marbled designs from Oliver Bonas. I always have good intentions of printing off all my iPhone pics and framing them, but never seem to have time, so I’d really appreciate someone doing the job for me (hint, hint to the other halves out there!)

Jolly Ginger Christmas Party biscuit, £8.95, Biscuiteers

Martin is a HUGE fan of Biscuiteers biscuits (you’ll notice he has a pretty sweet tooth), so he’ll be thrilled to receive one of these in his stocking. They’re a great little gift for those who you want to send a little something to without being able to give it to them in person, as these can be popped straight through the letterbox.

Construction kit - Digger truck, £7.95, Rex London

OK, so Laurie is definitely a little too young to be doing this himself, but he loves building ‘machines’ with his grandad, so I thought this would make a great little project to keep grandad and Laurie occupied on Christmas Day while lunch is underway.

Icon Diary 2025, £7, Present and Correct

I bloomin’ love a diary and often prefer a paper version to my messy iPhone calendar. I feel one of these cute pocket designs will help keep me organised for the year ahead – or that’s the idea anyway…

Lip Balm Bestsellers gift set, £8.50, Wild

Wild’s refillable lip balms are genius – not only are they lush on the lips, they’re great for the planet too, with four refill ‘flavours’ to choose from. I especially like the gift set though, which comes with a case and one refill – you can even engrave the case for £5 more for an extra-personal gift. I would definitely have one of these in my stocking, and I suspect Izzie would be sneaking this one into hers too…

Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Colouring Book Adventure, £9.99, Hobbycraft

Izzie and I have just starting reading Roald Dahl’s books together – something I’ve been itching to do as I always loved his books as a child. She also LOVES colouring so this book feels like the perfect stocking filler.

Kids' Dinosaur Flip Top Gloves, Green, from £9, John Lewis

I don’t know about you, but our two are forever losing gloves at nursery/school (I won’t go into how we managed to lose a shoe at school recently, yes really) so this is a ‘gift’ for me as much as it is for Laurie – he’ll love these dino gloves, and at least it’s another pair in the armoury before we inevitably lose another set…

What did you think of these stocking fillers? Have you got any tips or stocking filler traditions to share? Pop them in the comments below! Want more Christmas gift inspo? Check out what’s on our kids’ Christmas lists here.