Best stocking fillers 2021: The finest presents for both kids and adults this Christmas season
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Looking for last-minute Christmas gifts? We’ve picked out our favourites for men and women of all ages and even the tightest of budgets
The tree is decorated, the stockings are hung and the turkey is reserved – all that remains is buying the presents. Don’t fret if you’ve left it to the last minute, as we’ve found the best stocking fillers for all your friends and family so they can enjoy that little extra something on Christmas morning.
Below you’ll find gifts for a range of age groups, including kids from toddlers to teens, as well as presents for your chocolate-obsessed friends, those who love (or need) grooming products or family members who need to relax after a tumultuous year. In short, there’s something for everyone. Scroll on for our top picks.
READ NEXT: Our favourite Christmas stockings for all your presents this year
The best stocking fillers you can buy for children
1. Lego Duplo My First Car Creations Building Set: Best stocking filler for toddlers
Price: £13 | Buy now from Argos 
During their toddler years (1-4 years old), children are highly receptive to learning new things and often have a fascination with the world around them. This means they develop their imaginations further, and will often thrive with open-ended play. That’s why we’ve picked this Lego Duplo My First Car Creations Building Set as the perfect stocking filler to get the mind of a toddler racing this Christmas.
Suitable for ages 18 months and over, it comes with four Duplo vehicles, traffic lights and character decorations to help inspire playtime. And don’t let gender stereotypes put you off buying this car creation set – every child loves playing with Lego.
2. Divine Chocolate Minis: Best chocolate stocking filler
Price: £16 | Buy now from Ethical Superstore 
Christmas is a time of indulgence and chocolate is often not far away. This year, why not opt for a sweet treat that will satisfy the taste buds as much as it soothes your conscience. Divine’s luscious dark chocolate is not only their most delicious treat but also one from a company founded on ethical principles befitting the holiday season.
The good shopping guide has rated Divine Chocolate, which is co-owned by Kuapa Kokoo – a Ghanain cocoa farmers’ cooperative made up of over 85,000 farmers – as the most ethical chocolate company out there, meaning you can provide a little goodwill this holiday season and get 100 bite-sized treats to pop in some children’s stockings (and your own mouth).
Buy now from Ethical Superstore
3. Rubik’s Original Cube: Best stocking filler for kids
Price: £12 | Buy now from Argos 
With six coloured sides and 54 outer surfaces making 43 quintillion moves possible, the Rubik’s cube is one of the world’s most fascinating toys – and one that will fit snugly in a Christmas stocking. Not only is it good sensory play for younger kids, but it also teaches older ones all about problem-solving and competition (especially if you mention the world record for a single solve being just 3.47 seconds).
Over 450 million units have been sold since Ernő Rubik created his cube in 1974. As the best-selling toy worldwide, rest assured this is a quality and durable gift – so long as you buy the original.
4. FabLab Glitter Tattoos: Best stocking filler for tweens
Price: £10 | Buy now from Amazon 
For more craft-loving kids, the fun of applying a tattoo – without the permanence of a real one – may be a great present for them and their friends this Christmas. Inside you’ll find 27 tattoo stencils from stars to unicorns and four sparkling glitter colours. All you need to do is press a stencil sticker onto your skin, apply the cosmetic glue and let it dry for 30 seconds. Once you’ve brushed on the supplied glitter, peel the stencil away and you’ve got an eye-catching tattoo. Suitable for ages eight years and over, it’s perfect fun for any sleepovers or birthday parties coming up, and the kit uses environmentally and human safe materials so the tattoos are completely risk-free.
5. LED string lights: Best stocking filler for teens
Price: £7 | Buy now from Amazon 
When reaching their teenage years, kids tend to want to make a mark on their personal space as they develop their identities and who they are. While you can leave them to put up posters of their favourite bands, something to add a little cosiness to their room this winter are LED lights.
With 100 LED bulbs set on 10m (33ft) of copper wire, these lights from KooPower can easily twist and bend to fit your desired ambience. All it requires is three AA batteries and you’re good to go, giving you the flexibility of displaying them away from plug sockets. For £13 you can get two packs for double the fun.
![Image of KooPower 100 LEDs Battery Operated Fairy Lights, [IP65 Waterproof, 8 Dimmable Modes and Timer] 10M Silver Wire Outdoor String Lights for Christmas Xmas Wedding Home Garden - Warm White](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51VDx9Y822L._SL160_.jpg "Image of KooPower 100 LEDs Battery Operated Fairy Lights, [IP65 Waterproof, 8 Dimmable Modes and Timer] 10M Silver Wire Outdoor String Lights for Christmas Xmas Wedding Home Garden - Warm White")
6. ADEPTNA Wooden Insect Hotel: Best stocking filler for animal lovers
Price: £10 | Buy now from Amazon 
With many of today’s children caring more about environmental causes than any generation before them, encouraging your own kids’ fascination with the natural world can only be a good thing. This natural pinewood hotel comes assembled and ready to be used by insects as a safe space from predators, like bats, all year round. It has numerous nooks and crannies to set distinctive rooms for different insects according to their needs, with wild bees, ladybirds and other bugs known to inhabit it. By letting them have a little responsibility for their insect house, your children can learn all about empathy and selflessness in a tranquil, slow-paced environment.
The best stocking fillers you can buy for adults
7. Neom Organics London Perfect Night’s Sleep Standard Scented Candle: Best stocking filler for unwinding
Price: £26 | Buy now from Look Fantastic 
While Britain’s dark, cold winters can be the source of upset for many of us, a proven tool to help relax in winter are aromatherapy candles like Neom Organics’ popular Perfect Night’s Sleep scent. A mixture of lavender, jasmine and basil, the recipe helps you doze off by setting the blend alight for an hour before bed. Lavender is clinically proven to reduce your body’s main stress hormone, cortisol, as well as improve mood and have a mild sedative effect, so if you are giving to someone who’s had a stressful or tiring year, this may be the perfect stocking filler for them.
8. Philips 11-in-1 Trimmer: Best grooming product stocking filler
Price: £28 | Buy now from Amazon 
Sometimes the best present is the most practical one, so why not gift this multipurpose trimmer designed to deal with any variety of hair? The Philips 11-in-1 Trimmer has a range of guards between one and 16mm, a body comb and even ear and nose attachments to get the cleanest shave possible, whatever the hair type. It’s also waterproof and cordless (with an 80-minute charge life) so rinsing hair away poses no mechanical problems – and all for less than £30.
9. Delgado Amontillado Goyesco sherry: Best alcoholic stocking filler
Price: £14 | Buy now from Spanish Wines Direct 
What is Christmas without sherry? It's hard to pick out a favourite amongst so many options, but the versatility of the Amontillado sherry stuck out as our favourite for this year’s Christmas stocking. In particular, we went for the Delgado Amontillado Goyesco which we rated as the best Amontillado sherry in our best sherries roundup.
With delicate notes of fig, nuts and even a little oak, the Goyesco has a smooth and dry taste for an Amontillado (due to a longer ageing process) that would pair well with any meal this Christmas – particularly any salty meats or snacks.
Buy now from Spanish Wines Direct
10. LifeStraw Personal Water Filter: Best stocking filler for outdoor adventurers
Price: £27 | Buy now from Amazon 
If you’re buying for someone who is always travelling off the beaten track, this could be the most useful water bottle they ever use. The LifeStraw Personal Water Filter may be small, but its long-lasting membrane microfilter means that size isn’t an issue. Incredibly, it filters 99.999999% of bacteria, 99.999% of parasites and even 99.999% of microplastics, silt, sand and cloudiness, meaning you can drink straight from the nearest stream, pond or puddle. It’s a pretty neat invention that’s as cool to show off as it is a potential life-saver.
11. Sept Filles Christmas Socks: Best classic stocking filler
Price: £12 | Buy now from Amazon 
Socks may have been a disappointing Christmas gift as a child, but any adult knows the true value of a comfy pair of fluffy feet warmers, like these ones from Sept Filles. They have five design groups to choose from for each six-pack of seasonal socks, ranging from Santa Claus patterns to more restrained Christmas-coloured stripes, that will suit a whole host of recipients. As they have anti-slip bottoms, you won’t be slipping and sliding your way around the house either.
