I know, I know. It’s only October. You’re still enjoying your Halloween decorations and PSLs. Me too! I’m not trying to jump the gun. If you’ve got a loved one deployed, you’re already thinking about the Christmas box you’re going to send. And you’re going to want to send it sometime in the next month to make sure it gets there– especially depending on where your loved one is.
When John was deployed, I bought a gigantic Christmas stocking and filled it with individually wrapped small gifts. It fit comfortably in the large USPS flat-rate box– with room to spare. Of course, not everything on this list will be relevant to your loved one’s situation. Make sure when you’re buying and packing the stocking, you know what they need, can use, and are allowed to have.
So, here you go– 102 stocking stuffer ideas! Annnnnd…..GO!
From Home…
- Physical pictures
- USB drive or SD card with photos and videos
- Small photo album (Or try your hand at a photo-a-day journal!)
- Encouragement book
- Letters/notes
- Postcards from home or from places you’ve visited during the deployment
- Magnets from your area
- Keychains from your area
- Stickers/bumper stickers from local establishments (breweries, tourist destinations, etc.)
- Mug from a local gift shop
- Small jar of dirt from the backyard– so they always have a little bit of American soil with them
- Christmas ornament
- Small Christmas decorations
- Covers for electronic devices
- Phone cards
- Magnetic picture frame
- Coupons for when they come home (This good for a movie of your choice… etc.)
Personal Items…
- To-go insulated coffee mug
- Envelopes
- Journals
- Notebooks
- Writing utensils
- Pencil sharpeners
- Stationary
- Printed address labels (your address and theirs– they don’t have to address envelopes, they just have to stick the stickers!)
- Hand/feet warmers
- Sunglasses
- Gift cards
- Calendar (You could make your own!)
- Devotional
- Stress balls
- Individual packages of tissues
- Cologne/perfume
- Paracord bracelet
- Hair ties/hairbands
- Bobby pins
- Headbands
- Bandanas
- Gloves
- Hats
- New, clean pillowcase
- Single-load detergent
To Pass the Time…
- Batteries
- Tennis balls
- Hacky sacks
- DVDs (Walmart’s $5 movie bin is amazeballs!)
- Card games
- Puzzles
- Sudoku/Crossword/Puzzle books
- Book light
- Magazines
- Newspapers
- Cotton socks
- Gel insoles
- Nerf balls
- Headphones
- Rubik’s Cube
- Deck of cards
- Uno
- Phase 10
- Dutch Blitz
- Pinochle cards
- Kooshballs
- Water balloons
- Yo-yos
- Credits/gift cards for books and magazines on eReaders
- Credits/gift cards for Facebook games, apps, or other downloadable items
[Tweet “Love these practical ideas for stocking stuffers for deployment!”]
To Eat and Enjoy…
- Cake in a jar
- Cookies (Use a vacuum sealer, and you’re golden!)
- Dried fruit
- Granola bars (Try this recipe!)
- Homemade nut mixes (Try this recipe!)
- Gum (the kind in blister packs keep better!)
- Mints
- Hard candy like Lifesavers or Werther’s
- Coffee
- Hot chocolate mix
- Candy canes
- Little Debbie’s Christmas Trees
- Red and green M&Ms
- Tea bags
- Chocolate bells
- Pez dispensers
- Rice Krispies Treats
- Snack-sized boxes of raisins
- Movie candy
- Taffy
- Peanut brittle
- Divinity
- Homemade candies
- Marzipan
- Peppermint sticks
- Ribbon candy
- Hershey Kisses
- Candy coal
- Single-serving packages of cookies
- Mio/other liquid drink enhancer
- Candy coins
- Candy canes
10 Responses
These are great ideas, Jo. I wish you had a pdf of them so I could copy it. I wasn’t able to copy and paste, either.
Really helps. This is our first experience with sending a care package to our son who is deployed on a sub.
Thanks,
Fran
Hi Fran! Thanks! Actually, there are PDF and print buttons at the bottom of the post– I included them a while ago for my recipes, but they will work for this post too. :-) Cheers (and happy shopping)!
(They’re right above the Facebook, G+, Pinterest, etc. buttons, by the way. :-) )
Thanks for sharing these ideas!
-Nicole
http://www.lungesandlace.com
Thanks for stopping by, Nicole!
I think it’s totally normal to plan Christmas stocking stuffers in October! We’ve been planning Easter and Fourth of July boxes for the submarine because we have to send everything they’re going to get with them when they leave. I think it’s funny you put gel insoles on the list – my husband is always talking about how he needs to get (yet another) new pair of insoles for his boots!
Oh my goodness, Natasha! That is a planning feat! I’m in awe!!
We pack boxes from our church and when the box is full we shake it and put small wrapped candies in the boxes. Keep shaking the boxes and you get more and more candies in it. Amazing how much more you can get into a full box