FTC Disclaimer: This post has been sponsored by The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery. All opinions and gift ideas are my own. 🙂
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that you and I have something in common. Either you procrastinate or you find it difficult to buy gifts for people. Hopefully this post will give you one or two fun, affordable, and practical last-minute stocking stuffer ideas. Each of these can be whipped together in minutes for family, friends, and Secret Santa exchanges.
When buying stocking stuffers, I try to think of things that would be both fun and practical. Maybe because those are the types of gifts that I enjoy receiving. I came up with a few ideas that I thought were cool and then headed to the store to get what I needed for each one.
Gift #1: Peppermint Hot Chocolate Kit
People love hot chocolate. People love peppermint. Coffee mugs are always good to have on hand (random tidbit: I collect cute coffee mugs). This seemed like a no-brainer! I bought some cute Christmas-themed coffee mugs, grabbed a box of hot chocolate (with marshmallows), and bought a pack of soft peppermint sticks. I put 3 of each inside a cute treat bag and then placed a bag inside each mug. Voila! Two gifts for chocolate lovers on my list.
Gift #2: The Writer’s Delight
If you have someone on your list who loves anything to do with writing, this might be something you’ll want to consider. I grabbed a 2017 planner (which is something anyone can use), a pretty journal with a motivational quote, and a few colorful pens. Then I placed everything in a festive tin box that they can use later to store things.
Gift #3: DIY Sugar Body Scrub
Who doesn’t love something that serves the duel purpose of smelling good and helping you indulge in a bit of self-care? I whipped up a huge batch of sugar body scrub and scooped some into a mason jar (decorated by yours truly with the help of some things from Oriental Trading Company) and a cute little jar I picked up from the store. The recipe is pretty simple. Just mix together brown sugar (organic is best), pure coconut oil (it smells so yummy), and several drops of your favorite essential oi(s)l. For the big jar, I blended lemon and lavender. For the other, I blended lemon and rosemary. I don’t have a recipe because I tend to just add things until the consistency and scent is just the way I like it – I encourage you to do the same.
Give Instant Joy
I am sure you noticed that I added a little something extra to each gift. I figured I’d done well with finding things that were useful. The next step was to make them fun.
I recently had the opportunity to get involved with the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery. Prior to this, I’d been to a few casinos, but wasn’t much of a gambler. However, I looked into the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery and read something really interesting:
“Since lottery sales started in 2009, the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery has helped provide nearly $700 million for scholarships to Arkansas students at 51 colleges and universities across the state. More than 235,000 students have been awarded an Academic Challenge Scholarship.”
I could get behind that! The idea that some of the money I spend buying a ticket would go to such a great cause made me feel better. Add to that the facts that they have tickets for as low as $1, that the potential prizes are pretty exciting, and that you can enter non-winning tickets online for a second chance to win, and I think it’s pretty cool.
So I decided that they would make the perfect addition to just about any stocking stuffer (for adults- kiddies don’t get to play, lol). There are options to fit every budget since the tickets are as low as $1 each. They are fun to scratch off . Plus, they could actually be winning tickets (I won on my first one!). Overall, they are a fun gift that can keep on giving.
Here are a few ideas for people in your life who may love receiving scratch-off lottery tickets as a stocking stuffer:
Your parents
Siblings
Friends
College students
People who play the lotto
People who recently turned 18 (legal age to play, so it could be a fun way to say “welcome to adulthood!”)
While you’re out shopping for gifts, don’t forget to pick up a little something for yourself. Why should everyone else have all the fun? Have fun and play responsibly! Talk to me: Have you ever received or given lottery tickets as a gift or stocking stuffer? Let me know in the comments below.
