How many times have we seen ads with a $200 cell phone, a $500 necklace, a $600 GPS, or a $800 wrist watch being touted as "the perfect stocking stuffer"? It's ridiculous-- as if the definition of "stocking stuffer" is "small and expensive."

To these, I declare NO! Unless your holiday tradition dictates that the "main" or "big" gift for the season is located inside the Christmas stocking, it is absurd to think an expensive electronic or piece of jewelry is going to be the "perfect" stuffer.

In my family's tradition, the Christmas stocking is hung, empty, on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning, it's full and sitting on the foot of the bed, or, sometimes, in front of the bedroom door. In any case, it's what the kid has as an activity, something to do before they go wake up and harass Mom and Dad.

With that in mind, I have provided here a list of what I think should go into a Christmas stocking for kids.

Christmas is going to be overwhelming for the kid, and the stocking can be the first instance of that. However, this is a perfect time to include those things that the kid needs, but doesn't want to get for Christmas, like underpants and toothbrushes.

For this list, we'll assume the kid is somewhere between age 6 and 12. They're young enough to still enjoy toys, but old enough not to hurt themselves if left alone to unwrap them.

• 1 orange or tangerine. This goes in the bottom of the stocking to fill out the "toe."
• Candy candy candy -- this is a great time to start the sugar-frenzy with some chocolate-covered marshmallow santas, peppermint sticks, and one or two large-sized bars of their favorite candy, whatever that might be. A bag of Hershey's kisses can be opened and dumped into the stocking as "filler."
• A small stuffed animal, like a teddy bear. SMALL-- about the size of a deck of playing cards.
• A deck of playing cards
• A book of word searches, sudoku, mazes, or other pen-and-paper puzzles
• A coloring book or sketchpad
• A box of crayons or markers
• A package of cotton socks, unpacked and each pair individually wrapped. 
• A package of underwear, each pair individually wrapped.
• A toothbrush and toothpaste (again, individually wrapped).
• Festive Christmas-decorated pencils ($.25 each)
• Travel-sized shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and soap, each wrapped individually.

Now, I have some suggestions for what to get the kids based on gender, but of course, you shouldn't feel compelled to limit yourself to these gifts just because they're listed as "boy" or "girl." Most boys like stickers or sewing, too, just as most girls would love to have Lego or comic books.

In each of these lists, pick 3 items per child. They don't have to match or be a theme.

For Girls:

• A pair of sparkly, inexpensive earrings.
• Some hair ties or scrunchies or barrettes, depending on hair length
• Bangled bracelets
• Nail polish.
• A small bottle of nail polish remover (get the non-acetone kind)
• Nail decoration decals
• Wet n' Wild eyeshadow (comes in bright colors and is very inexpensive)
• Stickers.
• Fashion magazines (look for ones featuring favorite idols, like Hannah Montana, or High School Musical)
• A sewing kit
• A mix CD of favorite classical music tunes for playing dress-up.
• Body glitter and/or sequins

For Boys:

• A hard rubber bouncing ball
• An inexpensive wrist watch
• A small Lego kit
• A small tool kit, such as an interchangeable screwdriver kit.
• A whoopee cushion or other ready-made gag or trick
• Carabiners
• Favorite sports teams stickers, pennants, or collectible cards
• Baseball card sleeves
• Comic books (ask at a comic book shops for age-appropriate choices-- there are comics specifically geared towards the "7 and under" crowd, as well as ones for older kids)
• A mix CD of favorite music

Wrap everything except the pencils, the loose candy, the stuffed animal, and anything that's too odd-shaped to wrap. Stuff everything into the stocking, starting with the orange. Make sure there are things visible and sticking out of the top, including at least 1 candy cane and the stuffed animal.

Now, if you're like me, you have probably overstuffed your stocking. Anything that doesn't fit in the stocking can have a gift tag added to it and put under the tree.

Check over the stocking gifts and make sure they're appropriate. Make sure there aren't any toys or candies that are going to hurt the kids (for instance, nothing with peanuts if the kids are allergic-- but you Moms and Dads know that one already, right?)

If you're a little "off" with stocking stuffers, it's actually okay. This is a good time to try giving something inexpensive as a test. For example, if your daughter always wears barrettes, you can give her a scrunchy in her stocking. If she starts wearing it throughout the next few months, you know it's a hit. If you have a kid who always seems into science, you can give him or her a baseball card and see if they like it. If it ends up stuck in the bottom of their desk drawer, fine. But if you keep seeing it tucked into prominent places, then you know, again, that this is a direction the kid might be secretly interested in.

Every kid on your list is a little bit of naughty and a little bit of nice, which is why the list of ideas has a blend of gifts for them. You have candy, to reward their sugar-fueled little selves. You have some arts and crafts for them-- in my list, I put coloring materials, but you could easily use yarn and a tricoter tool instead. You have games-- playing cards, or you can give dice, other card games, and travel-sized games. You have a gift to challenge their minds, and things to encourage them to read. You have gifts of personal hygiene and wardrobe care-- personal development skills they need, but which aren't always a priority. You have something to comfort them. You have toys to provoke their imaginations.

Basically, the stocking stuffers can be a microcosm of enrichment for your kid. It can reward, inspire, encourage-- and yes, even teach. But also, especially if you wrap almost everything in the stocking with lots of sturdy paper and tape, the stocking stuffers can delay the inevitable pre-dawn Christmas morning by up to 15 or 20 minutes at a time!