On line at the supermarket yesterday, I was paging through a magazine and came across a feature on “building the perfect stocking.” It included things like seventy-five dollar bottle openers and cashmere socks and little ceramic cubes to keep your drink cool. It looked great. It also looked like virtually the opposite of any stocking I have ever personally built, ever.
Every year when I was a little girl, my dad would realize on the afternoon of December 24 that he’d completely forgotten to get my mom anything for her stocking, and he and I would run off to the drugstore on Ninth Avenue in search of things to fill it with. It was fun, and exciting, and always turned out way better than expected…because drugstores are absolutely full of cool things that you never really notice when you’re running in for some floss and then running straight back out again.
I’m pretty good about preparing for Christmas well in advance, but I still believe that stockings should (at least mostly) come straight from the shelves of CVS – there’s just something fun about running through the aisles on a shopping spree, picking up all those slightly odd and unexpected (but still useful) things that you always kind of want to buy but never do.
Some of my favorite off-the-shelves ideas:
Clockwise from top left:
– Vitamin C drops (Halls are especially delicious).
– Coffee. But a fun kind (think a weird flavor or an extra-caffeinated blend).
– Smith’s Rosebud Salve (or the minted version), because it’s wonderful.
– A couple of straightforward necessities, like a great razor or a sleek flashlight.
– Anything with a retro cartoon character on it (bonus points for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
– A deck of cards, for post-present-opening entertainment.
– A truly great toothbrush.
– A pretty snow globe (unless, of course, you already DIY-ed one).
– For a guy, a trio of Dove Men+Care products – they’re awesome, and your purchase supports Operation Homefront, which helps bring troops home to their families).
– An Eos lip balm; I’ve never owned one, but I stare at them every single time I’m in CVS because they’re just so cool-looking.
– A magazine gift subscription (just tuck the most recent issue into the stocking…and don’t forget to send in the subscription card).
