Realistic Stocking Stuffers for Men by Category

Image borrowed from aquaviews.net

Every Christmas, I find that I struggle with figuring out how to make this year's gifts extra special for Dalin. I love Christmastime and the joyful spirit that comes with it, and I never want to lose the magic that always filled my family Christmases growing up.

For this reason, finding fun, useful, and unique stocking stuffers (to give Santa suggestions of course;) is always a challenge. Usually, the stocking is one of the last things I check off my list before Christmas Eve, but this year, I want it to be extra special, meaningful, and fun.

Whenever I have looked up lists for men's stocking stuffer ideas on Pinterest or wherever, the majority of the suggestions include beer products, flasks, and whatnot which are completely irrelevant for a family like ours which doesn't drink alcohol. So I've been brainstorming some ideas for a while and now you get to see what I have come up with. I hope this helps get you started and I would love to hear afterward what you think or if you have any other useful suggestions!

Food & Snacks
an orange or clementine (for the toe--gotta keep tradition alive!;)
dried fruit (apricots, Craisins, pineapple, banana chips)
nuts: peanuts, pistachios, cashews, almonds, walnuts, pecans (to name a few)
kettle corn
caramel corn
beef jerky
Slim Jims (or meat sticks)
gum
candy (Sour Patch Kids, sour watermelons, Airheads, Extremes, Warheads, pixie stix, Nerds, Pez, gumballs, Dum-dums, etc.)
chocolate (with nuts, with caramel, Snickers, Almond Joy, Mounds, chocolate-covered nuts)
sunflower seeds
Beef Summer Sausage (you know, the yummy seasonal sausage you eat at parties with special mustards or cheese and crackers?)
special hot chocolate mixes (peppermint, caramel, dark chocolate, white chocolate)
chocolate-covered pretzels
a bottle of Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice
a mini bottle of Martinelli's 
a little bag or tin of his favorite homemade cookies (or in Dalin's case, I'd just go to Subway and buy a bunch of chocolate chip from them or some oatmeal raisin cookies from Swig)
candy canes (keeping it classy--except unless he loves the original, I'd maybe opt for Starburst, Lifesaver, or some other flavor)
Charleston Chews
Cow Tales
Giant Pixie Stix
Pralines
Truffles
Pirouettes
Men's daily vitamins

Hygiene Items
deodorant 
new toothbrush 
toothpaste
mouthwash
floss
Crest 3-D whitening strips
body wash from Bath & Bodyworks
a comb
nail clippers
a razor and shaving cream (unless your husband, like mine, uses electric)
Clavin Klein hair gel (or just a travel size)
manly lotion
new contacts' or glasses' case
a favorite cologne (or a new one to try)
cologne samples (three Christmases ago I gave Dalin a little bucket with dozens of different bottles of cologne samples--they last a long time!)

For Fun
a nutcracker (for those nuts I mentioned earlier)
new socks
a new iPhone case
favorite store or restaurant gift cards (we have never given each other gift cards because we figure it's the same money anyway, but I'm starting to think it's a good idea because it forces us to go out to eat together or for the person to look for something special at a store he likes)
Silly Putty (our husband's are just giant kids, right? Dalin loves Silly Putty)
new headphones (I will not be doing this this year--we have a zillion sets all over the place)
chapstick (My husband is the king of using and losing chapstick. And letting it go through the laundry. We always need chapstick.)
a new wallet (if his is more than two years old, it's probably safe to assume he'd be happy with a new one)
a mini notepad and pen
nice pens/ pen set
a watch (digital if he has a nice one to use for casual activities, or a nice one if he doesn't)
mini tools/ tool kit
Swiss army knife 
Swiss army flashlight
a subscription to TV channels or a magazine (Dalin gets the ESPN magazine)
some personalized date coupons or notes 
a Christmas letter (like the one we write to each other every year)

There are only 50 days until Christmas, so it's not too early to start planning, making lists, and keeping an eye out for the best deals!

Happy November:)