Christmas Day highlights: launching yourself at a pile of gifts under the tree, demolishing a festive lunch, and waking up to find a stocking straining with gifts at the foot of your bed - not in that order.
Christmas stockings may have originally been designed to delight kids (and keep them in bed for a bit longer on such an exciting day), but along with advent calendars, they’re a tradition many big kids - aka grown-ups - have refused to leave behind.
After all, starting the day with wrapping paper trailing in your wake is how Christmas mornings should be. If you think about it logically, unwrapping small gifts is like stretching before a marathon.
Besides, there’s something about opening lots of tiny treats that builds up a crescendo of excitement that’s bound to set the big day on a steady course of joy.
But what exactly to stuff your stockings with? I like to include three or four truly squeal-worthy pieces - tailored to the recipient’s taste or a small but expensive trinket they’ve been hinting about - before filling the rest of the space with inexpensive classics: chocolate coins, candy canes, cosy socks and the like.
If you’re looking for great ideas to stuff into the stockings of adult friends and family, I’ve gathered a selection of the best below. From little luxuries to seasonal novelties that will have you (and them) chortling merrily all day, you will find the finest small present ideas at every price point.
And if you’re hoping to find something in my edit at the bottom of your own stocking, I suggest leaving this page open where your S.O or family can easily see it. After al, if you’re banking on guaranteed happiness come Christmas, it’s best to leave subtlety at the door.
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Gobi Unisex Cashmere Rib Knit Bed Socks
Who couldn't use another layer of warmth in darkest winter? Cashmere versions feel the most luxe against bare skin and Gobi has them covered with a selection of colours that will go with any loungey outfit or pair of festive PJs.
Buy now £69.00, Gobi
Marshall Willen II Portable Bluetooth Speaker
A baby speaker with big boy sound, Marshall has somehow managed to squeeze the best of its audio wizardry into this tiny speaker which can be clipped onto bags or objects for 17+ hours of playback. It’s waterproof, it’s dustproof - heck, it’s lifeproof.
Buy now £99.99, John Lewis
MAISON FRANCIS KURKDJIAN Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau De Parfum 70ml
If you're game for giving them a proper spoiling, slip Maison Francis Kurdiskan's classic Baracat Rouge into their stocking. An exciting nugget to find amongst all those gold chocolate coins.
Buy now £225.00, Selfridges
Prada Beauty Banana Balm
Packed with nourishing bifidus extract and jojoba oil, Prada's banana-themed lip balm promises hours of hydration while reinforcing the skin barrier, a much-needed remedy when the weather's playing up.
The formula melts onto the skin, encasing lips in moisture and a faintly golden glow that looks like you've just returned from holiday. The scent, while not overwhelmingly banana, is warm and faintly tropical.
As for the sheen, well, it looks great layered over colour, but you can just as easily glide over bare lips on pared-back days - Abha Shah
Buy now £40.00, Selfridges
SUNDAE Candy Cane Shower Foam 265ml
If the packaging alone won’t sell you, the heavenly scent certainly will. This shower foam comes out like whipped cream, making December and January showers infinitely more fun.
Buy now £13.00, Cult Beauty
The Diamond Store Lab Diamond Stud Earrings 0.15ct H/Si Quality in 925 Silver - 2.7mm
A little ice on your earlobes will go down a storm with fans of quiet luxury. These studs are ethically made from lab-grown diamonds.
Buy now £109.00, The Diamond Store
Hey Harper Daphne Chunky ring
We've had compliments and enquiries about Hey Harper’s ever since we added it to our finger stack. Beautifully engraved, the piece hasn’t lost its colour or become tarnished - even after a dip in the sea. A lovely choice for your human magpie.
Buy now £60.00, Hey Harper
GANNI Core Future logo-embroidered wool-blend balaclava
GANNI's wool-blend, removable hoodie (also known as a balaclava) is perfect for fashion enthusiasts. It comes in this rich burgundy hue with little ties to keep it secure on your head.
Buy now £165.00, Harvey Nichols
Oliver Bonas Cherry Reusable Glass Straws
Cute and sustainable? Start the new year sippin’ pretty with these glass straws from Oliver Bonas and take your cherry obsession well into 2026.
Buy now £12.00, Oliver Bonas
Floral Street The Discovery Set
Intended as a taster session for Floral Street’s bestselling blends, there’s no reason why you can’t slip a few of the 1.5ml vials into your hand luggage for streamlined spritzing while you’re away. There are eight scents to try including Wonderland Peony and Sunflower Pop, a warming combination of bergamot, mandarin and honey that smells of sweet sunshine.
Buy now £18.00, Floral Street
Acqua Di Parma Holiday 2025 Selection Set
For a chic fragrance treat that won't break the bank, this set of ten testers from Acqua Di Parma will jingle anyone's bells. The 1.5ml vials are enough to help you find your new favourite, so you know what full-size version to ask for next year. Great for stashing in bags and pockets, too.
Buy now £38.00, Space NK
Orelia Statement Ribbon Bow Earrings
So darn cute, and currently on sale too. The sculptural statement earrings are plated in 18K gold.
Buy now £16.00, Orelia
Jo Malone London Red & Blue Cracker Gift Set
Jo Malone London's Christmas collection includes elite crackers packed with some of the fragrance house's bestsellers, all in handy mini size.
Buy now £38.00, Harrods
Tracklements 9 Mini Jar Gift Pack
They say good things come in small packages, and that’s proved right by Tracklements’ mini jar gift pack. The set of nine 25g jars includes the brand’s best and most brilliant relishes, preserves and spreads to give bland meals and snacks a leg up. Buy for the condiment fiend in your family or break up the pack and distribute into different stockings to spread the love.
Buy now £9.99, Amazon
Merit Flush Balm
A severe lack of vitamin D makes anyone look washed out. Rebuff well-meaning (but annoying) looks of concern with Merit's Flush Balm.
The small pot, perfect for slipping into a crossbody, contains a creamy, easy-blend formula that floods cheeks with lively colour and as a bonus, it can be daubed across lips and eyelids too. Postmodern, a deep pink brown, gives sailing on a Caribbean yacht all Christmas, adding a sunkissed flush to my Indian skin tone.
Lighter and darker complexions may find more joy in the 12 other hues, helpfully split into three sections: The Pops, The Neutrals and The Classic Pinks.
Buy now £26.00, Merit
Professional Fine Cooking Tweezers
Found in rodizos and seafood restaurants, not to mention Michelin-starred kitchens, cooking tweezers are the bouji utensil you never knew you needed. Perfect for cheffy types, use them to place precise herbs and edible flowers on finished dishes or to pick morsels off the Christmas lunch table delicately. Monocle and tiara not provided.
Buy now £12.99, Amazon
New York City Ballet Nutcracker Bottle Opener
The iconic nutcracker gets a side-hustle cracking open bottles. Get the matching cocktail shaker (£68) and make a set of it.
Buy now £24.00, Anthropologie
ANNA + NINA Magic Potion ceramic mug
For the one who is forever making a brew, give their next cuppa a whimsical spin with Anna + Nina's ceramic mug.
Buy now £20.00, Selfridges
CHARLOTTE TILBURY Airbrush Flawless setting spray 100ml
From the queen of glow herself comes this makeup setting spray. It offers an airbrushed-style finish and helps your look last for hours. The 34ml mini size is perfect for travel.
Buy now £20.00, Sephora
Smythson x Thomas Lélu Luggage Tag in Panama
For the wanderer comes this whimsical luggage tag, part of Smythson's collab with Paris-based artist Thomas Lélu. The luggage accessory comes in Smythson's full suite of colours and patterns and can be personalised to help your bag stand out in the arrivals carousel.
Buy now £120.00, Smythson
Ortigia Macchiamare Oro Scented Candle 80g
A fancy candle always goes down a treat, and Ortigia make some of the best. This one comes in a gorgeous keepsake tin and offers 25 hours of burn time. Merry and bright.
Buy now £24.00, Liberty
Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Party of Two
It may be winter outside, but it's a Brazilian fiesta inside any Christmas stocking you slip this Sol De Janeiro set into. The mini beauty duo includes the brand's cult Bum Bum Cream and a bottle of fragrance mist.
Buy now £25.00, Space NK
Addison Ross Leaf Green Mini Bob Salt or Pepper Mill
‘Tis the season for, er, seasoning! But honestly, when isn’t it? Brighten up your table with Addison Ross’s darling mini salt or pepper mill.
Buy now £38.00, Addison Ross
Aspinal of London 6oz Hunter Leather Flask Deep Shine Amazon Brown Croc
Warm your cockles on Christmas Day walks by decanting your favourite spirits into this sophisticated flask from Aspinal. The stainless steel design comes wrapped in a handsome holder crafted from full-grain leather, and there is an option to personalise it.
Buy now £59.00, Aspinal of London
Oliver Bonas Olive Handle Gold Bottle Opener
There is a time and place for cocktail kitsch, and you’d better believe your drinks collection at happy hour is it.
Buy now £14.50, Oliver Bonas
