Fun Stocking Stuffers

Shopping for stocking stuffers has always been one of my favorite parts of Christmas. But I will admit that it has gotten much harder since my children have become teens. However, there are still lots of interesting and unusual small gifts that nearly everyone will enjoy. Here is a list of 20 items costing $10 or less and 12 more that are still $20 or less that you might enjoy finding in your stocking, or buying for someone else, especially the picky teenager in your life!

Note: Some prices are Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals and may be higher as the holiday nears. 

$10 and Under

World's Smallest Slinky, $6 at Kohl's
A miniature version of the classic toy, this purse-sized plastic slinky makes a great fidget toy for your desk or to keep in your pocket. It can also be attached to a keychain so it's always in reach. 

Photo Mug, $2-$8 at Snapfish
Print any photo on a microwave- and dishwasher-safe coffee mug. Styles include an 11-, 15-, or 20-oz coffee mug in white or with a variety of accent colors on the interior and handle, an 11-oz "magic mug" where the photo appears as a hot beverage is poured into the mug, a 16-oz grande mug with lid, or a 25-oz wide and shallow latte mug. It's a great way to memorialize one of the highlights of your year. 

Cinch-a-Lot Adjustable Silicon Key Strap, $9 at Lowe's
Attach your keys to the carabiner-closure ring then use the sliding cinch to attach firmly to your wrist or water bottle, hang it from hooks at home, or attach a trackable tile or other item to keep keys visible and easy to keep track of (and find at the bottom of your purse or backpack). 

Knitted Cup Cozy, $6 at Solmate

This stretchy cozy is available in multiple color combinations, and stretches to fit nearly any travel or standard mug. Keep your drink warm and your fingers cool. 

Moisturizing Coconut Bar Soap, $7 at Dr. Squatch
This moisturizing soap smells lightly of toasted coconut and has just a hint of exfoliating grit from shredded coconut and sea salt. It's indulgent enough for a woman but still manly enough for any man in your life. 

Mini Lotion Bars, $8 at Zerra & Co. 

These mini lotion bars come in a lidded tin that's more convenient to throw in your bag than a tube of hand cream that could leak, and they come in exotic scents like orange bergamot, grapefruit ginger, cedar eucalyptus, sandalwood jasmine, and more. 

Rainbow Mochi Rice Cakes, $9 at Nuts.com. 

For someone who likes trying exotic snacks, one pound of these colorful treats is sure to be a big hit! They can be refrigerated or frozen for up to a year. 

Rainbow Pencils, Set of 12, $6 at Amazon.com

Artists and non-artists alike will enjoy writing in a multitude of bright colors with these swirled rainbow pencils. 

Shower Steamers, $7 at Amazon.com

This set of shower steamers includes eight tablets in an assortment of scents like mint, citrus, watermelon, bergamot, and more, or get all 8 in a single favorite scent like rose or lavender. Enjoy the spa experience in your shower at home.  

Car Cleaning Gel, $7 at Amazon.com

Get rid of that hard-to-reach dust and lint in your car's heating vents, or in your computer keyboard, or in any hard-to-reach space that collects grit and crumbs. Simply push putty into any surface then peel off and dirt and dust comes with it! Can be reused multiple times. 

Touchscreen Gloves, $7 at Amazon

You can keep their hands warm but still text and use your apps with these knit winter gloves that have not just one but three conductive fingertips on each hand. Available in more than 20 colors and in sizes extra-small through 2XL. 

PBJ Microfiber Glasses Cleaning Cloths, $10 at Nerdwax

Put them both in someone's stocking, or keep one and give the other to whoever is the peanut butter to your jelly. These whimsical cloths are great, lint-free ways to clean your glasses, phone, and all kinds of screens. About 6 inches square. 

Travel Defogger, $10 at Eddie Bauer
This compact defogging sponge is great on everything from the windshield of your rental car to the mirror in your hotel bathroom. Or keep it in your own bathroom or the glove compartment of your own car to prevent foggy glass and mirrors. 

Gooseneck Phone Clamp, $10 at Amazon

This phone holder clamps firmly onto a desk or table up to 2-1/2 inches thick, and its flexible 21.5-inch neck can be bent into the best angle and location for FaceTiming, taking selfies, making videos, reading in bed, or any other hands-free use you can think of. Fits any phone with a 4-7" screen.

Unscented Flushable Wipes, $9 at Target

Not just for bathroom use, this 30-pack of individually-wrapped wipes is great for freshening up after a sweaty workout or a trip to the gym or any time you don't have time for or access to a shower. Great for high school students to use after gym class or team practice so Mom's minivan doesn't smell like a locker room.  

Rechargeable Electric Lighter, $9 at Amazon
No more throwing away used-up butane lighters - this lighter uses a windproof electrical spark to light candles or kindling, and recharges quickly and easily with a standard USB-C charging cord. Available in multiple colors (some for a slightly higher price). 

Cactus Dryer Balls, $8 at Amazon

This pair of whimsical dryer balls will help dry your clothes faster and keep them lint- and static-free without the chemicals or odor of traditional dryer sheets. 

Everything But the Bagel Seasoning Blend, $7 at Amazon

This seasoning blend can be added to or sprinkled on top of many foods, from bagels and cream cheese, to avocado toast, to scrambled eggs, to mashed potatoes, to rice, to chicken, to popcorn, to anything else you can think of that needs a pop of extra flavor. 

Adjustable Jersey Sleep Mask, $7 at Amazon

The soft, breathable fabric of the mask, as well as the adjustable straps and shapable nose wire allow for perfect comfort while completely blocking out light for relaxing sleep. Comes with a travel bag with a small carabiner so it's always handy on the plane or at a hotel. Available in multiple colors.

Shoe Deodorizer Inserts, $9 at Amazon

Tuck these little sachets of activated charcoal into stinky shoes overnight and odors are eliminated like magic. You can also tuck them into gym bags, backpacks, sports gear like helmets and boxing gloves, or any space spaces that get stinky. 

$10 to $20

Touchland Power Mist Hand Sanitizer, $12 at Sephora or Ulta

Available scents include seasonal options like Cinnamon Ginger, Spiced Pumpkin-Tini, Peppermint Mocha, Salted Caramel, as well as Beach Coco, Vanilla Blossom, Wild Watermelon, Pure Lavender, and many more. My 14-year-old daughter loves to carry these in her purse!

LED Flashlight gloves, $14 at Walmart

Great for night activities like camping, hiking, and jogging, as well as for repairs in dark spaces like basements, attics, and garages. The gloves come with a set of batteries installed plus an extra set and a screwdriver for easy replacement. 

Bloody Knuckles Hand Cream, $12 at Sally Beauty

This heavy-duty, unscented, lanolin-based hand cream will help prevent and repair dry, cracked hands without a greasy feel or overly-flowery scents. Great for any man - or woman - who works with their hands. Plus a portion of the proceeds goes to support veterans' organizations!

Bonsai Starter Kit, $16 at Hobby Lobby

This kit includes pots and seeds for 3 types of bonsai trees, as well as soil, pruning shears, and an instruction guide. With time and a little patience, you'll be growing a beautiful bonsai garden in no time!

Bluetooth Shower Speaker, $19 at Amazon.com

Compact, powerful, and water-resistant, bring your tunes into the shower with this suction-cup-mounted, lightweight speaker, and connect it to your phone or Alexa playlist with Bluetooth. 

Toilet Bowl Night Light, $12 at Amazon.com

This hilarious yet practical night light features a color-changing LED light with dimmer and motion sensor. No more fumbling in the bathroom in the dark, or having to turn on a blindingly-bright overhead light!

Electric Mug Warmer, $20 at Bed Bath & Beyond
This warmer fits most mugs and keeps beverages hot all day. Can also be used with candles, to release a pleasant scent for hours. You can even just keep a mug of water hot to warm your hands with. 

Booze-Infused Jerky Sampler, $20 at Jerky.com

The over-21 adult on your list may appreciate this liquor-infused sampler pack of beef jerky, including chipotle bourbon, red wine, honey bourbon, and whiskey barbecue flavors. 

Soothing Pillow Spray, $11 at Amazon

A light mist of this lavender and chamomile essential oil spray on your pillow right before bed will help you relax and fall asleep more quickly. You can also spray it directly on your face for a calming effect. Safe for fabric, pets, and people. 

Glow-in-the-Dark Plant Buddies, $12 at Amazon

Designed to look like kodama, the tree spirits from Studio Ghibli animation, these little figurines will happily guard your houseplants or simply march around your desk looking adorable. Set includes 12 blue kodama, 12 green kodama, and 8 mushrooms.

RFID-Blocking Travel Wallet, $12 at Amazon
This trifold wallet holds all your essential travel documents, including passport, boarding pass, license, credit and debit cards, cash (including larger foreign bills), receipts, and more, and still folds flat and compact. And the RFID blocking keeps your documents and identity safe. Available in dozens of colors.  

Rechargeable Handheld Frother, $15 at Amazon

This compact tool serves as a milk frother for all kinds of hot and cold drinks, but is also a whiz at quickly blending dressings, vinaigrettes, and marinades. Charge for 3 hours using a standard USB-C cable and you'll get 1 to 3 MONTHS of use. Easy to clean - just run for a few seconds in soapy water and rinse. 

Happy shopping!

I'm Still Thankful

It's hard to be thankful when Thanksgiving falls while you're still mourning. But there are so many things in my life that I am thankful for, and I need to remind myself of them. 

I'm thankful for all the family and friends, both mine and Herb's, who have gone so far above and beyond in their efforts to support me and my family over the past months. 

I'm thankful that I have a financial cushion that has allowed me to take the time to manage my grief and do all the practical tasks that need to be done on my own schedule without having to try to find or manage a job yet. 

I'm thankful for my wonderful children (biological and otherwise), who have borne up with such strength and courage and resilience in the most difficult time of their lives. My love of and pride in them has buoyed me up through many a dark moment. 

I'm thankful for all the people who have stepped in when I was unable to manage, whether it was covering my volunteer responsibilities, feeding my family, helping with transportation, assisting in cutting through red tape, advising me when my brain was too foggy to figure things out, and simply showing up at my house with coffee, food, wine, flowers, helpful books, their children, a hug, or an entire Scout troop. Words cannot even express how much those visits and that assistance meant to me. 

I am thankful for our Scouting family, both the Scouts who spent time with my kids to let them feel normal, and the parents who offered rides and meals and support and advice and sympathy and listening ears. 

I am thankful for our church family, who not only fed us, but prayed with and for us, let me cry when I needed to without judgment, and checked on us regularly to make we were okay physically, emotionally, financially, and spiritually.

I'm thankful for the many compassionate professionals who have helped me manage removing and adapting the many accounts in Herb's name so that I can handle them directly. And the many more who helped with insurance claims, medical and financial planning, estate untangling, home and yard care, and technology problems.

I'm thankful that my family will be able to stay in our beloved home, with all its cherished memories, until we are ready to let it go and move on. I am thankful for the memories of this place that will come with us when we do. 

I'm thankful for the 17 years of love and joy and adventure that Herb and I had together. I wish we'd gotten 100 more, but I cherish every moment together and I wouldn't trade a single moment for the world. 

Music That Brings Me Joy

One of the most important things I have learned during my journey of grief has been the need to actively seek out sources of joy. For me, that joy has come from everything from coffee or cocktails with friends, to watching the birds in my backyard, to spending time with my children, to baking, to music. Music is especially precious, as I went through a long period when music did not bring me joy; a long period, in fact, when I couldn't even bear to listen to music at all. But now the music is back, and I am able to find joy in many different genres of music. 

If you need some joy in your life, try experimenting with these wildly varying pieces of music, each of which brings me joy. 

Song of the Blacksmith, from Holst's Second Suite in F
Genre: Classical (Instrumental)
Why I love it: As a French horn player who performed with various wind ensembles and bands over the years, this is one of my favorite pieces both to play and to listen to. From the crisp opening chords emphasized by the snare drum to the delicious horn lick (at about 0:14 in this recording) to the sound of the blacksmith's hammer (starting at 0:40) to the little hesitation after the "contrapuntal" section (at 0:50) to the chillbump-inducing resolution of the final chord, this piece is sheer musical brilliance. 

Sucker, by the Jonas Brothers
Genre: Pop
Why I love it: In a word, boomwhackers. In a few more words, a catchy melody, an irresistible beat, tight harmonies used sparingly, fun accents like clapping and a whistle break (and, you know, boomwhackers), and an actual ending instead of the typical fade out. Plus bonus points because I can understand all the lyrics without having to look them up. 

Uptown Funk, by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars
Genre: Funk? Dance? R&B? Jazz Fusion? I have no idea. 
Why I love it: I cannot physically sit still while listening to this song - I have to dance and sing along. The lyrics are great statements of confidence, including gems like "Gotta kiss myself, I'm so pretty," "I'm too hot...Make a dragon wanna retire, man," and my favorite, "Smoother than a fresh jar of Skippy." That's smooth. And it's another song that ends instead of fading out. Nice. 

Alleluia, by Randall Thompson
Genre: Classical (Vocal)
Why I love it: With no lyrics other than the word "Alleluia" plus a final "Amen," this piece focuses on beautiful melody and harmonies. I love the sustained notes in the upper voices contrasting with the moving notes underneath, I love the passing dissonances, I love the expressive dynamics, especially the soaring dynamics and acceleration of the end section (starting at about 4:04 in this recording), I love the reverent hush of the final bars, and I love the way the closing "Amen" simply hangs in the air for a moment before evaporating like a wisp of smoke. 

You'll Be Back, from Hamilton 
Genre: Broadway
Why I love it: I am not a fan of Hamilton - it's simply not my style. But this song? I hit repeat every single time it comes up on my car playlist. The catchy tune, the harpsichord accompaniment, Groff's delightful received pronunciation and shameless pops from legit voice into falsetto in "you cahn't go ooooonnnn," and the final "Everybody! -- dah dah dah" section are all brilliant. I dare you to not sing along to this one. 

From the Start, by Laufey
Genre: Jazz
Why I love it: My daughter introduced me to this delightful Icelandic singer. Her smoky voice and mellow style is a throwback to jazz singers of the 1940s like Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald. Her singing is so effortless and smooth that just hearing it relaxes me, body and soul. (Also, her name is pronounced something like "Leh-vay." You're welcome.)

Dance of the Hours, from La Gioconda
Genre: Opera (instrumental)
Why I love it: It stands on its own as a fun listen, but once you've seen Fantasia, you can't help but picture smarmy dancing crocodiles, hippos in tutus dancing en pointe, an ostrich kickline, and a recalcitrant elephant thrown in for good measure. If you can listen to this without smiling, you have a cold, cold heart. 

All Falls Down, by Kanye West ft. Sylveena Johnson (no, really)
Genre: Rap/Hip-Hop
Why I love it: "Love" might not be the right word for this one, but it does bring me joy, because I added this song to my playlist after my kids had a very serious discussion about "which of our songs Mom would like - or at least be willing to listen to." Yeah, I find it a little repetitive, and I'd like more of a melody, but I will admit to the cleverness (or at least hilarity) of blatantly forced rhymes like (just assume everything is [sic]) "Now tell me that ain't insecurr, the concept of school seems so securr, Sophomore, three yurrs, ain't picked a carurr, she like, 'I'll just stay down hurr...'" Bonus points for the bathroom acoustics change at 1:44 in the video. 

Higher, by Michael Buble
Genre: Jazz
Why I love it: The pulsing rhythms, the pounding timpani, the intense vocals, the Latin feel, it all pulls you in. And it tickles me to know how creatively the video was choreographed and directed by Derek Hough to hide the fact that Buble is a terrible dancer (check out this fun "making of" video). It's just plain fun, from the opening whoosh and string tremolos to the ending crashing chords. 

You're Welcome, from Moana
Genre: Broadway/rap
Why I love it: It's funny, it's witty, it's charming, and it combines a catchy tune with spoken word in a way that's closer to a musical theatre patter song than true rap. And the percussion underneath has a great island feel that's both in keeping with the setting and gives it a unique feel. Also, the Rock, well, rocks. 

Queen of the Night, from The Magic Flute
Genre: Opera (vocals)
Why I love it: Anyone who can sing this aria, I am convinced, is superhuman. These vocals come closest to the limit of what a human voice can do of any piece I've ever heard. In addition to the sheer technicality of the music, the overblown drama of the whole opera, and this piece in particular, is just scrumptious. Can't you just imagine yourself sweeping around a stage screeching out this number? Okay, maybe that's just me. 

Hey-Ya, by OutKast
Genre: Funk
Why I love it: The nasal falsetto in the repeated "Hey-yaaaa" refrain is fun, as is the marching band feel of the "boopy" little counterpoint going on under it, and the pulsing rhythm makes you bop your head to the beat. I can't understand most of the lyrics, but I did catch, "Y'all don't wanna hear me, you just wanna dance," and that about sums it up. 

Into the Unknown from Frozen, performed by Panic at the Disco
Genre: Broadway/Pop
Why I love it: The original version from the film, sung by Idina Menzel and Aurora, is great, but this cover featuring Brendan Urie's brilliant and powerful vocals gives the song even more impact. I can't belt like Urie, but I can't help but sing along anyway every time this comes up in my playlist. 

Mambo Number 5, by Lou Bega
Genre: Jazz
Why I love it: Rap has its roots in this style of jazz, with its mix of talk-singing, not-quite-monotone melody, and a rhythmic backup with multiple percussion instruments and a pulsing bass line. It even includes a little record scratch effect! Not only is it a fun listen, but it also reminds me of the musical connection between generations. What we love isn't really that different, after all. 

Walking on Sunshine, by Katrina and the Waves
Genre: '80s Pop
Why I love it: It's the sound of my teenage years, it's the sound of first love, and it's the sound of sheer happiness, the kind you only experience during the purity and innocence of your youth. How on earth can a monotone guitar break (2:16-2:28) be so much fun? I dunno, but it sure is. 

Lassus Trombone, by Henry Fillmore
Genre: Brass band/March
Why I love it: Trombones are innately funny, and this classic Fillmore march makes the most of their comedic swoopy abilities. If it's half as fun to play as it is to listen to, I might resurrect my short-lived career as a trombone player. 

Happy, by Pharrell Williams
Genre: Pop
Why I love it: The title says it all. It just makes me feel happy!

Find the music that makes you happy.