A cookbook stand that looks like art even when not holding your book.
Bread tag wall hook because 'your home isn't weird enough'.
Heiwa Shuzo Tsuru-ume Yuzushu is a delicious citrus infused sake liqueur. Please and thank you.
This Vevor badge maker was the best thing we bought our kids last year. It's not really a 'toy', but they had no trouble using it after some practice, and they've made so many cool badges for themselves and friends.
Ceramic light switch and socket covers on Etsy. We're trying to find some that are as nice as this but fit Australian sockets.
Blueprint desk mat by Slam&Co. It comes with a wet-erase marker for writing and erasing directly on the mat.
Bird brain bag. Also comes in Posy Cat and Joyous Whale.
A Pepet is a palm-sized, tactile Japanese paper sculpture made from more than 400 individually stacked circles of coloured paper, which moves and flexes like a living creature when you stroke it. Very expensive and sort of useless, ...but gorgeous.
Possibly we've mentioned Washi tape as a stocking stuffer for makers in a previous guide, but it's worth repeating. For someone older, this Yamato Memo Sticky Notes Dispenser is cool.
A Cyclone giant atlas colouring poster. This would be pretty fun to do as a fam. It's probably cheaper on Amazon.
Maaaaaybe an extension cord is a weird present, but for someone who likes their home office to look just so, this beaded cord in espresso brown might well be the perfect thing. There are also tutorials for making your own, if you're up to it.
Dad’s truck is a clever name for a car freshener, and might be good in a guy's stocking. Apparently it smells like worn denim holding a trace of aftershave – dry and masculine with notes of patchouli, vetiver, and bergamot.
Gorgeous handmade picture frames by Celina, a ceramic artist from Vancouver.
Garlic vase via Anthropologie.
'Notsoig' cruched ring in recycled gold vermeil by Completed Works. Pricey. Actually on the topic of expensive beautiful things by Completed Works, mark also loves these salad servers
Ransom Notes, the ridiculous word magnet game.
Buy them a course to learn something new. This year, Mark loved this animation base camp by Alex Grigg. Briohny loved a hands on glass blowing course. Julia Yas teaches an online course, Making Pop-Up Cards for Beginners which is suitably strange.
This slingshot looks plenty safe, right? Fun. And while we're shooting things, see also the Verao Archery Target Set
Big Butt Butter Dish by Second Helping. The Zero Japan butter dish in 'Carrot' is also very nice.
An infographic sports print about their favourite sport by Riley Martin. Riley does fun videos on social media. You'd print it for them on some nice thick paper at Office Works or something.
Schezwan chutney by Amma's condiments and sauces.
Eco compression packing cubes for the traveller who would like to be more organised.
Gift a wannabe vibe coder a Claude subscription.
These Cosy Sticker Scenes entertained our kids for ages, and they were proud of their results.
The Cyclone by Radio Flyer looks like good fun. See, for example, this video
A shoehorn could be a weird but useful gift for a dude. At least, it would peek pleasingly out of the top of a stocking.
Upcycle any old plastic bottle into a stylish vase with the OCTAEVO Gaia Mini Paper Vase. It's a cool idea, at least. Lots to choose from!
A postage stamp cutter. Apparently junk journalling is all the rage, and besides, helping the kids play 'post offices' is a very tolerable kind of fun.
Loops Lab is a music-making toy that lets children create their own songs by arranging collectible figurines on an electronic stage. It's a bit like a mixing desk, but instead of buttons and sliders, you use little characters to build your dj set. This video explains it.
Sparkling Aperitivo by Mischief Brew is probably the best of non-alcoholic appertivos.
Lego Retro Roller Stkate. What's not to love? The Lego Creative Dolls House also looks fun and compact.
PaperApp golf is a little two-player pocket sized golf game. For the stocking of someone who would be rather be golfing. For such a person, see also this golf dart board, and golf ball ice molds.
Mark has made great use of the little cheesecloth straining bags that were in his stocking last year. Perfect for a bouquet garni of herbs and spices.
Apparently the teenagers are loving Korean beauty products. For example, these Sheet Masks are said to be cool. You could divide them between stockings.
An electronic scoreboard, for the kids who take backyard basketball or soccer very seriously.
Huckleberry Pull Helicopter, or the make your own motor boat.
Dachshund ruler by Coucou Suzette. If they need a small ruler, this one would look very cute in a stocking.
Avacado vase in rose pink by Ilex Studio.
Sendak Nutshell artist roll by Peg and Awl.
Tech Taffy is apparently a flexible dust-devouring compound – for the stocking of someone who wants to (or really should) keep their keyboard a bit cleaner.
Dumpling bag in Bluette by Marta Studios.
Boucle bean bag in mustard from Ivory & Deene. (Or, you know — a cheaper one!)
Annotation tape set of three — hyacinth, pistachio & pimento from Cloth & Paper.
Fig Milk oil body cleanser by 39BC.
A hydration vest by Runly, for anyone else enjoying their mid-life long-run crisis.
Kids' library kit. Who doesn't love playing libraries? You can also get electronic library scanners; I think we've recomended one of those in a previous year.
Wave swing arm hook in aged brass, or any of the hardware from MG&Co.
No Knots comb by Bouf.
Fruit bowl by Falcon Enamelware. Briohny loved this (sizeable!) fruit bowl so much that she brought it back in her suitcase from the UK to Australia. (It's very nice.)
The Rose Toes foot mask is a good stocking filler. It's honestly hilarious to see someone lying about on Boxing Day with their feet in little foil booties filled with moisturiser. If you got them for everyone it would be good group bonding.
A couple of years ago Mark got really interested in a NY company, Solid Wiggles.They do fancy alcohol-based jelly cubes -- similar, but also quite unlike, the jellyshots everyone had at university. Anyway, Solid Wiggles has a book. For Australians it's avaiable via Amazon Two options: you could buy it for someone who enjoys alcohol and molecular gastronomy, or you could buy it for yourself and make little gorgeous cubes for others.
Lipstick is probably a risky gift, but hot damn does Dries Van Noten make some giftable cases.
Gardening On Country turns discarded plastic waste into practical gardening tools.