Stocking Stuffer Ideas

According to legend, Christmas stockings honor a charitable gift of the historical Saint Nicholas, a 3rd and 4th century bishop in modern-day Turkey known for his anonymous gifts. The story tells of a poor widower with three daughters who had no chance of marriage since they could not afford a dowry. Saint Nicholas left gold coins in the girls' stockings as they hung over the chimney at night to dry. Saint Nicholas inherited significant wealth from his parents and is believed to have made many anonymous gifts to the poor throughout his career as a bishop. He was later transformed by legend into the gift-giving Santa Claus, and Christmas stockings may be an homage to the gift-giving of the real Saint Nicholas.

If you have some stockings that need to be filled, here are some handcrafted ideas from Throwing Mud Gallery:

Adults and children alike will be tempted to see how long they can keep these tops spinning.  A customer in the store of Jewish faith told me they could also be used as a dreidel.

For a little more action set these larger tops spinning with a quick pull of the string.  With some practice, the craftsperson showed me, you can even spin the top on your finger.

While we're talking about wood products, how about a wood pen?  For the Civil War buff, the fat short pen is made with remarkably detailed replicas of a Civil War cap, tip and clip.

We have soap scents that will appeal to both women and men.  Peppermint ice scent is a perfect way to end a long day or start a new one. This refreshing, cleansing bar is especially prepared with nutrients to soothe the skin.  In the kitchen, the pungent oil of peppermint is helpful in removing fish, onion and garlic odors from the skin.

For the wine lover, we have beautiful fused glass wine toppers.  These would also be a wonderful gift along with a special bottle of red wine.

This little raku puffin has a lot of character in his little face and is sure to bring a smile wherever he is placed.  We also have some flying puffins that can be hung, as well as our whimsical raku fish - each one unique with a lot of personality.

A teapot, teacup or bird house magnet will add a bit of a bright spot of color to the kitchen.

And then there's always lollipops in flavors for kids (birthday cake, root beer float...) and adults (hazelnut coffee, guava colada...).  You can give a themed collection such as "breakfast" or "fruit basket".

There are many other items in our gallery small enough to fit into a stocking - small pottery bowls or plates, fused glass sauce dishes, wooden utensils, and of course JEWELRY.

If you live too far to come into the store, we can ship.