![]() My siblings and I always found a special chocolate bar or marshmallow treat sticking out of our stockings on Christmas morning, and now my kids do too. For older kids and teens, Coup and The Fox in the Forest are favorites from our guides to beginner board games for adults and two-player board games whose boxes would fit nicely in a stocking. And they will keep kids of all ages engaged through the holidays and beyond. Ultra-simple but fast-paced brain games like Blink or Spot It-or a classic like Uno (now with a slew of themes, from Minecraft to Avengers to old-school Mickey Mouse)-can also help fill a stocking. Exploding Kittens is a silly romp recommended for kids ages 7 and up. Some of our own kids have also liked Exploding Kittens, the enormously popular game co-created by Michael Inman, creator of The Oatmeal. They’re easy to grasp yet challenging enough to be fun for all ages. (Both are among our favorite board games for kids.) We also love Rat-A-Tat Cat and Sleeping Queens, two card games in our guide to gifts for 6-year-olds. We also love Rhino Hero, which requires a steady hand to stack cards into a tower that’s sturdy enough to support a wooden rhino. To please a range of ages, we love Sushi Go!, a fast-paced, pick-and-pass card game featuring cartoon illustrations of nigiri, dumplings, and other delicacies. (Others appreciate that an orange rounds out the toe, creating a picture-perfect sock.) Some families give the tradition a twist: One Wirecutter friend reported that her Santa always places an interesting fruit in her family’s stockings-a rambutan, horned melon, dragon fruit, or anything they haven’t tried before.Ĭard games are another stocking staple, and for good reason-simple, family-friendly games can be lifesavers during the holidays, giving everyone something to do between big meals and long naps. There are different reasons for keeping up the practice, but one common thread seems to be that the more-humble orange still reminds us of how fortunate we are. Although the sight of a lone citrus fruit hidden in a sock may generate a bit less awe than it did 100 years ago, the driving sentiment and emotional impact of the tradition are alive and well within many families. During the Depression, the fruit was considered a luxury, and those in a position to get an orange considered themselves lucky. In the early 1900s, citrus growers pushed oranges as a delightful and healthful holiday gift, and gift givers jumped on the trend. In late-19th-century Europe, an orange was an exotic treat-both spendy and scarce. Tucking an orange into a Christmas stocking is a tradition with a long history. We’d love to hear about your own best stocking-stuffer ideas and traditions in the comments below. We also have guides to gifts for tweens and teens. If you’re searching for more gift ideas for kids, check out our guides to the best gifts for 1-year-olds, 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, 4-year-olds, 5-year-olds, 6-year-olds, 7-year-olds, 8-year-olds, 9-year-olds, and 10-year-olds. ![]() ![]() Some of the gift suggestions may also be appreciated by adults, and we have ideas on the best stocking stuffers for grown-ups, too. Little gifts like these could work well for Hanukkah-when many children receive small presents on each of the eight nights-or for any occasion when you’re looking for tiny but special items for kids. The ideas we collected are appropriate for a variety of traditions. We asked Wirecutter staffers-as well as our own families and friends-to share their stocking-stuffer go-tos, aiming to play Santa’s helper for a range of tastes from classic (socks, lip balm) to whimsical (temporary tattoos, wacky bath bombs) to practical (good ol’ undies and toothbrushes). ![]() Whether they’re part of a long-standing family tradition or a recent addition, petite presents can be as meaningful, thoughtful, and memorable as the big stuff. ![]() Yet this assortment of small gifts needn’t be scraped together during an 11th-hour mad dash to the drug store. Stocking stuffers are often the final piece of the gift-giving puzzle. ![]()
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