This Christmas Shopper Complains That Stocking Stuffers Are Getting Too Dang Expensive This Year
Published Dec. 15 2023, 6:25 p.m. ET
Being someone who celebrates Christmas every year, I never actually had any stocking traditions with my family. None of us necessarily had optimally placed fireplaces that would could hang them on, and even if we did, it was just never something that was part of my family's annual celebration.
That said, I can appreciate the spirit behind it. Taking decorative stockings and putting thoughtful trinkets in there does sound adorable.
The way I understand it, though, stocking stuffer presents are supposed to be cute, small, and relatively inexpensive compared to the gifts that you'd receive from under the Christmas tree. But according to one person on TikTok, they've gotten way more expensive than that. Sophie (@sjtangy) asked her followers what kind of stocking household they lived in to compare the stuffers she shops for now.
This TikToker thinks stocking stuffers have gotten too expensive and checks in with her followers because of it.
In a TikTok video that was posted in mid-December 2023, Sophie claims that people are "getting outrageous" with stocking stuffer shopping. Folks celebrating Christmas are already spending enough as it is on gifts for their loved ones, so stocking stuffers should be easier by comparison.
Unfortunately, that hasn't been Sophie's experience. According to her, stocking stuffers have gotten way more expensive than what she's been used to.
She begins her video by offering a brief glimpse into her family's stocking stuffer traditions. In her household, she supposedly got things like oranges, toothpaste, floss, and Chapstick (weird flex, but okay). The most expensive thing she might find in her stocking would be a new iPhone charger.
But things have changed considerably in her stockings. As she puts it, her giftees are asking for things like Olaplex in their stockings, which are expensive hair care products that can run upwards of $200.
"That's damn near a whole-ass present," Sophie proclaimed in her video. And to be fair you'd probably spend closer to $200 on an actual present instead of a stocking stuffer. I can't imagine how expensive the real presents must based on these proportions.
Sophie ended her video by joking that she'd ask for expensive Van Cleef jewelry for her stocking this year.
However, her video sparked an interesting conversation. In the comments section, other folks shared their own experiences with stocking stuffers. Surprising no one, these gifts were all relatively inexpensive.
Several people referred to a Lifesaver Book as a traditional stocking stuffer, which is a package of Lifesaver hard candies that doubles as a Christmas storybook.
Other people had similar stuffers as Sophie with things like gift cards, nail polish, and other little trinkets.
From what I can guess, perhaps Sophie's circle of giftees have interpreted stocking stuffers as "gifts that can fit into a stocking." It's not their fault that some of the most expensive gifts we can think of can now fit in stockings, essentially applying economic inflation to the quality of our Christmas gifts. If anything, we can certainly blame capitalism for that.
Nevertheless, Christmas shoppers are already breaking the bank as it is during the holidays. Folks should be glad that their stockings simply have candies or trinkets or hell, even toothpaste.
