Got a sports lover on your Christmas list? Make their holiday morning a special one by stuffing a stocking with a few small gifts focused on their favorite sport. Choose generic sports items, select team specific sports gadgets for men or personalize an item with your young sports lover’s name or jersey number. Choose one sports stocking stuffer to top off other candy and fruit fillers or fill the entire stocking with sports themed stuffers. Buy them online or use this gift guide to search for items in your local stores. Here’s my family’s top ten sports stocking stuffers under $10.
10. Sports Decals
Perfect for sliding in the odd shape of a stocking, sports decals are great for both children and adults. Choose a decal for a specific sport or team or one to add to your family vehicle.
Cost: Under $5
Where to find: Walmart.com
9. Personalized Ornament
Add your sport loving child’s name to a tree ornament. Choose a flat ornament to avoid Christmas morning disappointments over broken gifts.
Cost: Under $10
Where to Find: PersonalizationMall.com
8. Mini Hockey Stick
Catch their eye quickly on Christmas morning by adding a mini hockey stick to the stocking. Sports Unlimited’s 18-inch hockey stick will extend beyond the top of the stocking and let them know you’ve filled it with their favorite items.
Cost: Under $10
Where to find: Sport’s Unlimited
7. Wristbands or Biceps Bands
Choose a standard sweatband with a favorite color, popular brand like Nike, or one with the name of his favorite team.
Cost: Under $10
Where to find: DicksSportingGoods.com, local sports stores or mass merchandisers
6. Sports Candy
For the young sports lover, add a variety of sports related candy items like Oriental Traders’ Sport Ball Frosted Ring Suckers, less than $10 per dozen or Sports Candy Bracelets from Party City.
Cost: Around $1 per item
Where to find: Online bulk order sites (Orientaltrader.com, Partycity.com)
5. Golf Tees
For the golf lover on your shopping list, choose golf tees for the stocking. Choices range from favorite colors to team colors or personalized tees.
Cost: Under $5 and up depending on amount of personalization
Where to find: Golfsmith.com or your local sporting goods store
4. Golf Balls
Swap the typical orange in the toe of the stocking with a golf ball showing his favorite NFL team logo. Cost: Around $10
Where to find: SpecialtyGolfBalls.com
3. Key Chain
It’s easy on the wallet and perfect for small spaces. Choose a key chain with your sports lover’s favorite NBA team logo. Walmart.com offers a combination key chain and bottle opener.
Cost: Under $5
Where to find: Wal-Mart or other mass merchandisers
2. Team Pins
Pins are a simple stocking stuffer but they make a big statement when added to a sports banner, on a baseball cap, or pinned to a Christmas stocking. Search the stock at Classic Pins to find a pin from a favorite sports event of the past or one for your sports lover’s upcoming dream event. Don’t forget to search the dollar store for inexpensive stocking stuffers.
Cost: $1 and up
Where to find: Classicpins.com
1. Hand Warmers
They may not have team names on them or be shaped like a football, but hand warmers could be your sports lover’s most loved stocking stuffer. A reusable hand warmer can be stashed in a jacket pocket to warm up frozen digits at the game for years to come.
Cost: Under $5
Where to find: Amazon.com, mass merchandizers, local pharmacies
*Maggie Ray, mother of seven, has been stuffing stockings for sports lovers for more than 30 years.
