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

Holidays with the Family

With the holidays just around the corner all I can think about is the grueling preparations that need to be made. Much to my dismay my house has become the family venue for all of the major Holidays ie, Thanksgiving and Christmas. As much as I love having my family get together in the comfort of my own home, the preparation can be unnerving. Yes the cleaning can be rather tedious especially when you are making sure not to leave anything for the newest additions to our family to stick in their mouths. For me however, the next step is even worse; the food preparation and service. Make no mistake about it, my family is rather glutenous on the holidays which means lots and lots of food and drink.

Waiting for all of the dinner food to cook normally seems to last for eternity. Thus making my family's favorite part of the meal (beside the wine)the "pickies". Whether it be chips and dip, veggies, or cheese you can bet the my family will be wolfing it down until the minute we sit down at the dinner table - enter a necessity to our holiday celebration this Cheese Cutting Mariposa Bamboo Board w/ stored Wine and Cheese Tools This set is perfect for our family being that it combines two of our favorite things. It saves me a lot of stress on the holidays knowing that I already have the appropriate tools for my family's favorite "meal".

For those of you that enjoy your sit down meal more, we also offer many cooking aides to make your time in the kitchen as painless as possible. This Kitchen Meat Thermometer Digital Speed Read Instant Read ,for example, will ensure that your Thanksgiving necessity , the turkey, is cooked just right. Without this product my family has set may turkeys afire (one of the reasons why we have learned to love the pre-meal goodies so much). Along with the burnt turkey my family's Thanksgiving meals have suffered many casualties over the years including lumpy mashed potatoes, watery salad, and bland vegetables. As much as I love my family, none of us were blessed with the ability to cook. Luckily companies like Polder and MIU France have come to our rescue over the past couple of years by making products like this Potato Ricer which has saved my family from swallowing whole potatoes. We offer many products by MIU France and Polder for those of you who like to make your cooking experience a lot easier (or for families like mine make cooking possible).

...cheers to a stress free Thanksgiving and Christmas- well, maybe I wouldn't go that far

She Said YES!

Boy did we run into a snag with Ed's order and had to jump into action to make a marriage happen! (Bet you did not know we offered those services?) The cheese board that he ordered was out of stock. He had this romantic proposal dinner planned and we just had to get him a cheese board. Without a thought, we upgraded him to the gorgeous Mariposa Cheese Board from Picnic Time and made sure it arrived before the weekend. And guess what?

"I just wanted to let you know that it is official! I proposed and she accepted! We had a very nice picnic at the beach in Los Angeles, and she loved the the NEW cheese board. As I went to "pull" the wine out of the basket, I gave her the ring and proposed. Thank You So Much for sending me that new board."