Getting Personal

                Festive Stocking Fillers
            
                Christmas is the perfect time to get friends and family together and show them how much you care - the holiday season really brings out the best of entertainment, good food, beautiful decorations and general fun and games. Of course it can be stressful too - so it's worth remembering that there's a huge range of online gifts and stocking fillers available, which allow you to browse at leisure and pick a really good choice of humourous, practical or downright odd little stocking fillers for everyone this year, without having to drag yourself around the heaving high street on a busy Saturday afternoon! 

Stocking fillers are often one of the best things about Christmas for the recipients - everyone loves a stocking, no matter what their age - there's just something about their knobbly contents which is just really exciting, and often it's the smaller and more personal gifts which really strike a chord with the recipients! 

Stocking Fillers For Budding Chefs
 
Even if your loved one can barely cook toast without a disaster, there's new hope in the form of the Egg Cup and Timer gadget - designed to make a perfect boiled egg, as the grains of sand time the cooking to perfection. The resulting perfect breakfast egg can then be enjoyed from the stylish glass cup - just don't forget to accompany it with some buttered soldiers for the perfect breakfast or snack!

When the chef's got the hang of the egg cooking- they might wish to show off their new pride of place in the kitchen, with stocking fillers such as the 'Head Chef' badge - it's a cute little navy blue enamel badge on a gold pin, and will look a treat on the chef's pinny... (It's worth noting too that there's a range of these badges which perfectly replicate the ones that you used to get - or perhaps didn't get (!) - At school, all proclaiming the wearer to be either 'perfect' (rather than a prefect, which let's face it, was for swats only) - or the dancing queen!

Green fingered stocking fillers!
 
If gardening is more your loved ones' bags - or you're hoping to get some of the family out the back to help you occasionally, how about piquing their interest with some fantastic little 'grow it' kits? These are especially good for children who've not yet experienced growing plants, as some of the smaller seeds particularly start to emerge after only a fortnight - they'll see the fruits of their labours very quickly and experience the thrill of making something grow. All very trendy too - particularly with the focus on sustainable food and shortened food miles - your little ones can be at the front of the change curve with these packs! For simple starts the mint pack is a great option - little mint seeds in a neat foil pack which germinate in about 2-3 weeks and eventually will add a tasty kick to your food (or cocktails!) - or for older and more patient kids, there's a really unusual array of 'grow it' kits such as the tea and coffee plants kit, the chili kit or the venus fly trap kit! Each of these comes with full instructions and all the kit you need to get your plants on the way - grow pots, plant markers, food discs etc - stocking fillers like these really do last beyond the initial five minutes of fascination and will provide ongoing interest for all the family - who knows, they may even spark off a lifelong interest!

Creative gifts

For arty stocking fillers, why not try the 3D doodle kit, which really does transform everyday idle doodles into something far more fantastic! The kit makes really quick and easy 3D artworks using a special compass with the provided red and blue crayons in the pack. Once the artist has finished their masterpiece, they put on the special 3D glasses provided, and the picture will appear to lift off the page! This is one of those fantastic stocking fillers which will intrigue adults and kids alike - and drag them away from the television for a while! Similarly, you may want to try other creative stocking fillers such as the excellent range of DIY creative gift card kits available - ideal for writing those thank you cards after the Christmas holidays! Your kids will love the range of boxes available - glamour puss card kits, fairy cake kits - and the highly amusing cheeky monkey card kit! Each comes with everything needed to make five personalised cards, including motifs, glitter, banners and card toppers - and will keep busy young people occupied, whilst you escape into the kitchen for a well-deserved festive drink!

Related article: Stocking fillers to get you in the groove (Stocking Fillers)