The best stocking stuffers for friends, family, and everyone else on your list
Just because they're small enough to fit in a stocking doesn't mean they have to be lame.
By
Leah Stodart
and
Leah Stodart
Senior Shopping Reporter
Leah Stodart is a Philadelphia-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable where she covers and tests essential home tech like vacuums and TVs, plus eco-friendly hacks. Her ever-evolving experience in these categories comes in clutch when making recommendations on how to spend your money during shopping holidays like Black Friday, which Leah has been covering for Mashable since 2017.
Read Full Bio
Haley Henschel
on
Haley Henschel
Senior Shopping Reporter
Haley Henschel is a Chicago-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable who reviews and finds deals on popular tech, from laptops to gaming consoles and VPNs. She has years of experience covering shopping holidays and can tell you what’s actually worth buying on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Her work has also explored the driving forces behind digital trends within the shopping sphere, from dupes to 12-foot skeletons.
Read Full Bio
All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.
Credit: pexels
This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.
It’s gift guide season again. That’s right, gift ideas for couples, gift ideas for her, and suggestions for every hyper-specific type of person in between have been all over the internet since September. It gets earlier every year, as they say. But what’s the one thing that always gets left to the last minute? That’s right, the humble stocking stuffer.
Yes, stocking stuffers are small — and the stocking itself is merely part of the Christmas decorations — but let’s be clear: just because stocking stuffers are small in size, that doesn't mean they have to be a cheap afterthought.
A throwaway gift is likely to be just that — thrown away — so why not use the element of surprise and stuff that stocking with something they won’t expect, like some cool tech or a solid gift they never even knew they needed.
Whether you’re gifting on a budget, hampered by an agreed spending limit, or just need some inspiration, we’re here to help. We’ve asked around and done some research to pull together a list of the best stocking stuffers out there.
These are the best stocking stuffers in 2025.
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Credit: Apple
Apple AirPods
Best For Apple
Is there anything more beautiful than the gift of street cred? Apple's AirPods Pro offer stellar sound for being such tiny earbuds and use optical sensors to detect when they're in your ears or when to pause. A wireless charging case extends the battery life up to 24 hours total if both the case and headphones are fully charged — plus, there’s instant access to Siri.
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Credit: Workoutlabs
Exercise Cards
Best For Fitness Fanatics
Not everyone wants to be told they need to improve their fitness at Crimbo, but for those who enjoy working out these are perfect. Each card features a different exercise, with tips on how to perfectly execute and the overall fitness benefits. They feature 60 exercises, including exercises that require no equipment — just in case your loved hasn’t sorted a home gym.
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Credit: Amazon
Security Camera
Best For Homeowners
Perhaps they live alone and are easily spooked. Perhaps they're convinced that the neighbour is stealing their Amazon deliveries. Whatever the reason, the tiny Blink security camera can offer an extra pair of eyes inside or outside the house. 1080p HD video recording and a two-way speaker make surveillance (or spying on pets) even easier.
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Credit: The Last Co
Reusable Straw
Best For Sustainability
There's a bigger environmental fight to be fought than the one on plastic straws, but average people making it a point to reduce their usage can still make a difference. This stainless steel straw can be slipped in your bag and taken anywhere.
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Credit: Mountain Grillers
Meat Claws
Best For Carnivores
Is there a meat lover in your life? Of course there is. They can go full Wolverine with these meat-shredding claws — for shredding BBQ style pork or keeping their roast in place during the always-tricky procedure of carving. Or just wear them around the house to look super-cool!
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Credit: Amazon
Smart Speaker
Best For Smart Homes
Smart home or not, the convenience of Alexa can't be argued with. The fifth generation Dot is the coolest yet. It can control smart devices like lights or security cameras, act as household intercom between rooms, order an Uber, set cooking timers, and more — plus, it’s a sweet sounding speaker in its own right.
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Credit: Kurgo
Shed Sweeper
Best For Pet Parents
Black fabric vs white pet hair: The ultimate showdown. Relieve your loved one of incessant lint rolling and gift this Shed Sweeper. The handy brush scrapes fur into a pile, picking up shedding that even the vacuum skips over. There are even specific techniques for car seats, upholstery, and carpets.
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Credit: Diwuji
Touch Lamp
Best For Night Owls
This LED night light is brilliantly handy — just tap the top of the lamp to adjust the light and turn off/on. With three brightness levels and a range of cool RGB colours that beam out at 360 degrees, it’s especially good for a kids’ night light. Charges easily with a USB.
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Credit: Jospeh Joseph
Avocado Slicer
Best For Hosts
It’s normal to carry around spare guac, right? Make an avocado lover's dreams come true with this handy 3-in-1 tool. They'll be able to slice, pit, scoop, and whip up avocado toast like the best Instagram food bloggers out there, and then throw it in the dishwasher after the prep is done.
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Credit: Haryali
Shaving Kit
Best For Grooming
Forget gadgets and gizmos. When it comes to shaving, there’s no substitute for an old school, man’s man razor kit. It comes with straight-edge razor, soap, brush, and a shaving bowl — all the kit a man needs to appreciate the true artistry of shaving.
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Credit: Amazon
Fujifilm Printer
Best For Photographers
You can't bank on someone taking an instant camera everywhere, but you can bank on someone wanting to keep hold of their memories. The nice thing about Fujifilm's mobile printer is that they can document everything as they normally would on their phone, and then connect via WiFi to print from their camera roll or Instagram.
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Credit: Jo Malone
Fancy Soap
Best For Luxury
There’s barely a person alive who doesn’t appreciate good quality soap. You can’t go wrong with Jo Malone, which produces arguably the best-quality soaps around at this price — a gift that everyone’s pleased to find at the bottom of their stocking, not to mention well lathered with a luxurious bath.
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Credit: Apple
Apple AirTag
Best For Valuables
Here's a way to ensure that stocking (or keys, phones, wallets, whatever) never gets lost. The Apple AirTag uses a combo of Bluetooth, Ultra Wideband Technology, and Apple’s Find My network to track the essential bits and pieces.
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Credit: Ugreen
Earbuds Case
Best For Organisation
Earbuds are great, but get lost all too easily — and all-identical AirPods are forever getting mixed up. If the person on your list already has ‘buds that they take everywhere, perhaps you can offer the precious earbuds some protection with a funky case. Clip included for extra security.
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Credit: Tiiduo
Glasses Repair Kit
Best For DIY
Whether it's actual glasses, sunglasses, or fake hipster glasses, it's nearly impossible to avoid wonky hinges and missing screws at some point. Luckily, this handy DIY kit is full of different-sized spacer nuts, a screwdriver keychain, and measurement instructions to make most repairs an at-home project.
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Credit: L'Oreal
Face Mask
Best For Skincare
No skincare vet in their right mind would say no to a L'Oreal face mask. The skincare professionals in the lab have selected three pure clays and combined them with charcoal, which acts like a magnet to draw out impurities.
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Credit: Microsoft
Wireless Arc Mouse
Best For Hot Desking
This is perfect for someone who takes their office set-up on the go — whether they’re always working away or a coffee shop hot-desker. It’s a mouse that flattens out and automatically switches off, so it can be easily popped in the pocket, and then springs back into shape. Technology at its most handy.
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Credit: Exploding Kittens
Exploding Kittens
Best For Gamers
Dubbed “a card game for people who love kittens and explosions”. It sounds random, but this irreverent card game is a cult sensation. It’s immense fun for parties and family get-togethers — a Russian roulette-style game in which the object is to stop your kitty from, well, exploding.
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Credit: Anker
Portable Charger
Best For Camping
Dead batteries in any device — whether it's a phone, camera, or a tablet — is a global annoyance, and can even get a little scary if you're depending on the device to find a person or a place. Anker’s famous portable chargers can juice up an iPhone almost twice, and their small lipstick size allows them to fit almost anywhere.
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Credit: Donhobo
Foldaway Rain Jacket
Best For Festivals
The great thing about stockings is that you can stuff them with practical bits and pieces — things that your loved one might never buy for themselves but will absolutely appreciate. What’s more practical that a raincoat that can be packed down into a handy carry case? With multiple pockets and reflective features.
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Credit: Funko
Funko Pop
Best For Nerds
How to get a geek to geek out: Funko Pops. These things are everywhere, taking the best characters from TV, movies, and video games and turning them into the cutest decorative figurines to deck out a desk. This Funko is from the the most recent season of Stranger Things, but they have characters from everything — whatever their geeky tastes!
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Credit: Foreo
Cleansing Massager
Best For Skin
This is for that special someone who prides their self on glowing, blemish-free, super-clean skin. It’s a mini silicone brush that uses T-sonic pulsations for a deep cleanse and massage. It takes care of oils, dirt, and hard-to-shift skincare products. It’s so tiny that it can be popped in a bag for on-the-go use.
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Credit: Fitbit
Fitness Tracker
Best For Fitness
The workout enthusiast in your life is probably expecting a water bottle or cheap headphones in their stocking — so naturally, blowing their mind with a Fitbit Charge 5 is the way to go. It has a vibrant touchscreen, stacks of personal fitness data, built-in GPS, plus lots more tech. The seven-day battery will keep your pal motivated.
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Credit: Pocket Sriracha
Hot Sauce Keychain
Best For Accessories
For people who are big into flavour, ordering at a restaurant only to receive bland food is the biggest bummer. This mini sriracha keychain is a totally necessary addition to any foodie's keychain or bag, so you'll never have to hear "it's not spicy enough" again. The actual sriracha isn't included, but you can easily grab that from the grocery store.
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Credit: Maylawn
Bath Bomb Set
Best For Stress
We all feel that combo of stress and so-cold-it-hurts weather — cranked up to almost unbearable levels at this time of year — but an easy solution (and one that’s also extremely Instagrammable) is a bath bomb. The fizzing balls of soap offer relaxing, anxiety reducing fruity or floral scents. Splash out with a whole luxurious set of soothing little bath bombs.
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Credit: Amazon
Smart Plugs
Best For Efficiency
Gift peace of mind, voice control, and savings on the electricity bill with an Alexa-powered smart plug. They just plug it into the wall and set up in the Alexa app, allowing your family member or friend to simply ask Alexa to turn devices and appliances on and off. Works especially well in homes that already use Alexa-powered devices.
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Credit: Apexel
Camera Phone Lenses
Best For Instagram
A real DSLR camera is of course the top dog when it comes to pro photography, but it’s not the kind of kit that’s always convenient to lug around. This set of HD lenses will boost the capability of any camera phone. There are 10 lenses in total, including wide angle, macro, fisheye, and kaleidoscope lenses. Guaranteed to up their camera phone game.
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Credit: Amco
Odour Bar
Best For Kitchens
While we will forever be questioning why garlic and onions are the world's most stubborn scents, this stainless steel "bar of soap" has been proven by reviewers to eliminate stench like magic. All you have to do is rub it as you would with a real bar of soap, with or without water. It's also dishwasher safe.
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Credit: Tea Pigs
Peppermint Tea
Best For Tea Drinkers
Here’s one for the tea lovers who like a high-quality taste but can live without the constant caffeine boosts. Tea Pigs are award winning — biodegradable bags packed with beautifully flavoured caffeine-free peppermint leaves. As minty and healthy as tea bags come.
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Credit: That Inventions
Heated Ice Cream Scoop
Best For Sweet Teeth
Attempting to scoop straight-from-the-freezer ice cream is painful. Give your frozen treat-loving friends a break with a heated ice cream scoop. Using biodegradable liquid to transfer heat from the handle, they’ll get perfect scoops every time without melting. It doesn’t use electricity, so it’s safe in the drawer and the dishwasher.
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Credit: JBL
Mini Bluetooth Speaker
Best For Playlists
Your music loving friend will get plenty of good vibes from this JBL Go Bluetooth speaker. It’s waterproof and comes with a handy loop for easy carrying. They’ll also love the power booming out of this little speaker — plenty of bass and 5 hours of battery.
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Credit: Otstar
Jar Opener Set
Best For Cooks
Here’s a gift that absolutely everyone can appreciate. There’s not a person in human history who hasn’t at some stage been defeated by an un-openable jar. This gadget includes both a jar and bottle opener, with a multi-purpose design to open jars of all sizes. You’ll never have to go without jam ever again!
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Credit: Bubblegum Stuff
Netflix Dice
Best For Streaming
Does your pal or significant other spend countless hours in front of that Netflix menu, totally befuddled about what to watch? C’ mon, we all do. There’s simply too much choice. These dice are a fun gift for someone with “watcher’s block” — roll the dice and they decide what to watch on the viewer’s behalf! Remember, the results are final!
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Credit: Vallenwood
Never Soggy Cereal Bowl
Best For Breakfast
Soggy cereal is just wrong and must be stopped at all costs. If the person you're buying for is a cereal-every-morning person (or just doesn't like their food to touch), this compartment bowl is a simple life hack. The split design keeps milk separate from cereal, keeping it crunchy, or makes snacks like crisps and salsa way easier.
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Credit: Funtime Gifts
Thumb War Toy
Best For Big Kids
The old school game of thumb wrestling is more than just a game, it’s a battle of wits and strength — and it deserves the appropriate setting and attire. This thumb war wrestling right and mini luchador costumes will keep everyone entertained across the festive period. Better still, start a federation and keep a tally of those results!
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Credit: Paladone
Henry Hoover Screen Cleaner
Best For Working From Home
Henry is an integral family member in many households. OK, he’s a vacuum cleaner, but he’s mucked in with more chores than almost anybody ever. Now he can do the same your friend or family member’s workstation. This little henry sits on the desk and uses microfibre fabric to clean any screen — monitors, tablets, phones, or TVs.
Leah Stodart is a Philadelphia-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable where she covers and tests essential home tech like vacuums and TVs, plus eco-friendly hacks. Her ever-evolving experience in these categories comes in clutch when making recommendations on how to spend your money during shopping holidays like Black Friday, which Leah has been covering for Mashable since 2017.
Haley Henschel is a Chicago-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable who reviews and finds deals on popular tech, from laptops to gaming consoles and VPNs. She has years of experience covering shopping holidays and can tell you what’s actually worth buying on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Her work has also explored the driving forces behind digital trends within the shopping sphere, from dupes to 12-foot skeletons.
