Forget the Fruit... Here are Unique Stocking Stuffers to Delight Young and Old

We admit it.... we used to stuff grapefruit and oranges in the bottom of our family's Christmas stockings. We had to do this, because there never seemed to be enough little presents to make the stocking look like the ones pictured on Christmas cards. This continues to be a problem every year, we get so caught up in the big gifts, that we forget about those little ones to fill that stocking. So we have come up with a list of unique ideas for practical items to stuff into those stockings that will delight all the good gals and guys....and will make your Christmas stockings look picture perfect!

Although more expensive than a grapefruit, one of Jonathan's Wild Cherry Spoons would be a memorable gift for any age. Some suggestions for the kids would be kid-sized cheaters chopsticks, a Spiral Sugar Spoon, or his famous Lazy Spoon for Kids. For the adults, there are so many choices - toaster tongs, Spootles, Lazy Ladles, folding salad servers, coffee scoops, chopsticks, and of course, his famous Original Lazy Spoon.

Wooden spoon wax is not something people pick up for themselves. This little tin of first aid for your wooden spoons and utensils would make a welcome gift for any cook. The coconut oil and beeswax concoction that Jonathan's Spoons offers not only protects and enhances the beauty of any woodenware, but it smells so good - similar to a pina colada!

Everyone should get a new toothbrush at least once a year, so why not at Christmas? An eco-friendly toothbrush by Radius is perfect for the kids, adults, and seniors, even those with dentures. The Original design toothbrush comes in adult and kid-sized versions, with an ergonomic handle that makes it easy to grasp for comfortable brushing. Plus, these are eco-friendly as the cellulose handles are made from trees and processed from sustainable yield forests. Their Intelligent Toothbrush has a built in timer and wear meter, with an easy to grip and grasp handle.

D-Fuzz It Sweater and Fabric Combs have been around forever, but not everyone has one or even knows about them. These little combs are ideal for making your pilled sweaters look like new. I have had mine for over 40 years and it still works like it did when it was new. Absolutely simple, no motors, and no batteries required!

Kitchen Timers sound boring, but are so useful that you should rethink this gift idea. The portable digital timers allow you to walk anywhere around your house, while you are baking, and still be able to hear the timer and get to the oven before your brownies burn!. I don't know about you, but the volume on my oven timer is too low to be heard when I am multi-tasking in the laundry room or vacuuming the rug in an upstairs bedroom. There are also some very cute, upscale, wind up timers in the shape of a chicken - they too are portable and a great conversation piece.

Some greatly appreciated items for stocking stuffers (at least for the ladies) are any of the products from Hollywood Fashion Tape and Foot Petals. The Red Carpet collection of double-sided clothing tape comes in a cute little purse-like box and can be used for a variety of fashion issues. A Take Along Tin of double-sided clothing tape strips fit nicely in any size purse, and has more uses than just for gapping blouses and loose hems. Their Tag Tamers are for both young and old, who can't stand those itchy and scratchy clothing tags found in the neckline of tops. The full line of Foot Petals cushions for shoes will fit in one Christmas stocking. With wild animal prints, pink hearts, soft butter cream - to name a few colors - these cushions for your toes, heels, and arches will be a welcome addition to any shoe wardrobe.

Now, for the men - how about an instant read BBQ thermometer? These are compact, reliable, easy to read and they fit nicely into a Christmas stocking. Of course, these can be used in the kitchen, too - lucky you if you have a man-chef. Thinking of food, naturally brings wine to mind, so a gift boxed waiter-style corkscrew by Picnic Time will certainly be a welcome gift. We do not recommend stuffing a bottle of wine in the stocking (too heavy), but a gift certificate to a local winery would tuck nicely into it.

Here's a idea for everyone in the family - a sheepskin seat belt cover! Put one of these in each stocking and you can keep those oranges in the fruit bowl. This thick and soft cover makes the shoulder strap on a seat belt more tolerable for adults and kids. They easily and securely attach with a Velcro closure to prevent the seat belt strap from digging into the shoulder and irritating the skin.

Then again, if you don't have enough to fill up the stockings....get out the oranges and grapefruit and maybe an apple or two.

Find all of these and much more in our ShopAtClares e-commerce store:
Jonathan's Spoons
Radius Toothbrushes
D Fuzz It Sweater Combs
Kitchen Timers
Foot Petals
Hollywood Fashion Tape
BBQ Thermometers
Corkscrews
Sheepskin Seat Belt Covers

Holiday GiftsThat Senior Citizens Will Not Forget

What gift to give grandma and grandpa is a dilemma that faces all families at the holidays. They have everything, need nothing, have limited space, but love to feel that someone cares enough to take time to find the perfect gift for them. We have some suggestions for practical gifts for the elderly that will not be forgotten after the holidays.

PikStiks are one of the handiest tools ever invented, for both old and young. These enable you to retrieve items from the top shelf of a cupboard or closet, without standing on a chair and pick up items that are on the floor or out of reach, without having to get up from the sofa. Our dad lives at Masonic Village in Elizabethtown and suggests these to his friends and neighbors as a must have for every household.

Tag Tamers by Hollywood Fashion Tape are a wonderful gift for all senior citizens because they keep scratchy clothing tags from irritating their sensitive skin. Yes - you could cut out the tags, but there is always a little left at the seam and even that can be more irritating than the whole tag itself.

Sheepskin seat belt covers are usually not something you think of as a gift, but these are so comfortable that they will thank you over and over for these covers. While on sheepskin ideas, a sheepskin wheelchair pad is perfect for someone who is wheelchair bound. However, these can also be used on a living room chair for extra comfort and warmth and make great gifts for pets to take a cat nap or use as a dog bed.

Wall mounted ironing boards by Better LifeStyle are not only a space saver, but a labor saver for the older generation. As we get older and wiser there seems to be less and less items that we feel we need to iron. We get tired of putting up and taking down those clumsy ironing boards just to iron a shirt!

Fleece blanket throws by Room It Up are always an appreciated gift, especially when paired with a book or movie. A fleece blanket is lightweight, easy to fold, easy to wash, and keeps you warm and comfy on those long, lonely winter nights.

Sliding cabinet organizers are such a great addition to any kitchen, that we feel compelled to mention them as a holiday gift idea. We know this may seem like a weird idea, but think about it for a while. The variety of Glidz cabinet organizers would help all older people with storing and retrieving cooking pots and cleaning supplies, without having to get on their hands and knees to try to find something in the back of the cabinet. Of course, someone would have to help with the installation of these, but think how wonderful it would be for them to find and reach everything.

Shopping cart trolleys were originally designed for people who walk to the corner grocery store or frequent farmer's markets - like city folks and many Europeans. But they are not just for hauling groceries, they are perfect for transporting laundry to the laundry room or outdoors to the clothesline, for hauling groceries from the car to the house, and for moving a pile of stuff from one room to another.

All of these suggestions are for gifts that will surely be appreciated by senior citizens, however, they should also be considered as practical gift ideas for anyone on your holiday list. Make this holiday gift giving season one that your family and friends will thank you for all through the year.

Shop for all of these gift ideas and many more at our Shop At Clares e-commerce store.

Practical Holiday Gifts for Children is Not an Oxymoron!

When we were kids, every year we got a new pair of pajamas for Christmas, practical, yes - appreciated, no - at least not back then! ShopAtClares.com has unique practical gift ideas that your kids will love, maybe not right away, but certainly after they have played with those "As Seen on TV" toys for a couple of minutes.

Lap Desks by Room It Up are not only practical for sitting on the floor or couch and doing homework, but are sanity savers in the car. The built in cup holder can be used for snacks, a drink, or crayons so that the kids can entertain themselves on those long boring trips. They are kid safe and lightweight enough for even a toddler to carry it around.

A Folding Step Stool by Whitney Design - yes we said step stool. Barb's grandchildren have found so many uses for this stool that she had to buy a set for her house and a set for them to use at home. Lightweight and easy to fold, they carry these around the house to reach the bathroom sink to brush their teeth or the kitchen sink to help with dishes. But the best is when they use their imagination and the stool becomes a table for a dolly tea party, with an old dish towel as a tablecloth, a garage for a toy fire truck and a place for action figures to crawl in, out, and on top of! Then when it is quiet time, they make great little seats for watching their favorite Disney Shows.

Cheaters Chopsticks for Kids by Jonathan's Wild Cherry Spoons do not seem like something a kid would want for Christmas, but what an accomplishment when they have finally managed to pick up a piece of hotdog or macaroni. Even picky eaters we have fun and forget the purpose of the meal, to eat food! One day Barb's granddaughter, Grace, wanted to pull the weeds out of her patio planters, so to keep her busy and develop her fine motor skills, she gave her a set of chopsticks and told her to start picking out the weeds. She had so much fun and was very disappointed that there was no more weeds to pull. Jonathan has also designed a kid-sized Lazy Spoon for kids who love to help with cooking and baking, even if it is just pretend - they have a spoon just like mommy and grandma (or daddy & grandpa).

Pop-up Spring Form Laundry Hampers are not just for laundry! These easy to open hampers can be used for storing toys, stuffed animals, balls or just about anything that you need to put out of sight. Empty one out and it makes a great cave to crawl into and read a book or just to hide away for a quiet moment or too. Dollies love to sleep in there and action figures can plan their next set of maneuvers. Warning: adults should not try this - the hampers aren't big enough and the kids always find you anyway.

Hanging Jewelry / Crafts Pocket Organizer has so many uses for kids toys that we are only going to mention a few and your imagination can do the rest! Keep in mind that not only does it teach kids how to organize, but lets them have fun while picking up the play room. Easy to hang on a wall or in the closet to keep them out of sight and out of mind from little hands that should "not touch my toys"! Here's our short list: Hot Wheels, Polly Pockets, miniature farm animals and dinosaurs, Star Wars and Playmobil Figures, Disney Fairies, magnetic letters and numbers, Legos, sports cards and .... the rest is up to you.

Wall Hooks and Hanging Racks by Regal Art & Gift, though not something to play with, these are so cute and colorful that kids will want to hang up their clothes and toys. With pets, bugs, birds, reptiles and fish there has to be one that will delight your young ones. Think bedroom, bathroom, hallway, even on the inside of a door or closet. Just be sure to hang them kid height so they can reach them all by themselves

The Collapsible Market Baskets by Room It Up are lightweight, easy to carry, and hold lots of anything. Put in a blanket to make a dolly bed, pack up some toys to take along to grandma's house, stash some snacks for the playground, take to the grocery store to let them help with the shopping, or find some bean bags to toss into them. And of course, you can use the market baskets for a picnic at the park or beach - which is way more fun than playing with toys.

A Fluffly Fleece Throw by Room It Up is a great gift for those little nappers - young and old. But is even a better gift when paired with a book - the older kids can snuggle up in a chair and read, while the younger ones can snuggle up on grandma's lap and listen to their favorite storybooks - over and over again!

See all of these practical gift suggestions in
ShopAtClares e-Commerce store.