Start with the CATAN card game for a strategy fan on your list, and the Bluey building set suits a preschooler who loves the show.
*Paid link
Games and puzzles
A brain teaser puzzle where the player works out how everything fits for each challenge, reasoning through placements before picking another.
Why we like it
SmartGames IQ Puzzler Pro is a logic puzzle for any puzzle-minded player from age six to adult.
Since it runs to adult, a parent and child can trade turns on the same challenge. Once stockings are emptied, the puzzle can pass back and forth on the couch all afternoon.
Games and puzzles
A CATAN deck game that players shuffle, deal and play in turns around a table, at home or while away on a trip.
Why we like it
CATAN On The Road is a card game for a household that never tires of CATAN.
Regular players get a fresh way to play CATAN, with only a deck to pack. On a holiday road trip, the cards can come out on a motel table between drives.
Games and puzzles
A Monopoly-themed card game that players deal out and play around a table, trying to outwit each other turn by turn.
Why we like it
Monopoly Deal brings the property rivalry of Monopoly to a card game, a handy stocking stuffer for game-night families.
Nobody has to set up a board, so a round can start right after Christmas dinner. Relatives keen on striking deals in the classic game get that same back-and-forth with cards in hand.
VehiclesAges 3+
A multipack of assorted Hot Wheels toy cars to line up, race across the floor, swap with friends or start a collection with.
Why we like it
This Hot Wheels car pack is an easy stocking stuffer for car-crazy kids from age three up.
Since the cars come assorted, there is always a new favorite to race across the kitchen floor. Some can also be swapped with a sibling for cars from an older collection.
Arts and craftsAges 3+
A sticker stamper paired with an activity pad, used to press stickers onto the pages and build scenes around a unicorn theme.
Why we like it
This Melissa & Doug Sticker Wow! stamper with a unicorn theme suits a three-year-old who loves decorating pages.
The child picks a spot on the page, then presses the stamper down to add a sticker there. After breakfast on Christmas morning, the pad can come straight out at the kitchen table.
Building setsAges 4+
A LEGO Bluey building set of the Grannies scene featuring Bingo and Bluey, put together by hand and then used to act out stories.
80 pieces · set 11216
Why we like it
This LEGO Bluey set gives a preschool fan Bingo and Bluey plus a Grannies scene to build.
Its 80 pieces make a build to finish at the kitchen table with you nearby. Then the finished scene becomes a stage for the sisters, so a favorite show turns into pretend play.
Electronics
A streaming stick that connects to a television so shows, movies and apps can be browsed and watched right on that screen.
Why we like it
This Fire TV Stick HD lets a movie lover with an older television stream shows on it.
It works with the set they already own, so there is no new screen to buy. On a lazy Sunday, they can browse apps from the couch and settle on a movie.
Science and discovery
Large tweezers for picking up, moving and sorting small objects such as counters, beads or pompoms during hands-on classroom activities.
Why we like it
Learning Resources Jumbo Tweezers hand a sorting-mad child aged five and up a tool for pompoms and beads.
They drop each bead into a muffin tin cup by color, running the game themselves. Then the pompoms can move between bowls in a quick race against you.
A set of paper notebooks in the Gemma design for jotting notes, keeping lists, journaling or sketching ideas by hand.
Why we like it
Rifle Paper Co.'s Gemma notebook set hands a habitual list-maker fresh pages for the stocking.
Because it comes as a set, they can keep errand lists apart from journal entries or sketches. On the commute, a notebook rides along in a bag, ready for ideas before they slip away.
*Paid link
Ages 7+
A Minecraft-themed edition of the UNO card game, with a deck that gets dealt out and played in rounds around a table.
Why we like it
Any Minecraft fan aged seven or older can find this UNO Minecraft deck waiting in their stocking.
Since it plays like regular UNO, they can bring Minecraft to a game the family already knows. On Christmas afternoon, the deck can come out for a round with visiting cousins.
A Christmas-themed party game in a travel pack, brought out at holiday gatherings so a group can play quick rounds together at the table.
Why we like it
The Holiday Family Edition of What Do You Meme? suits a household that swaps funny memes all year.
Here that meme humor becomes a game, with kids and grown-ups taking turns in the same round. Once the stockings are emptied, the pack can come out on the coffee table before Christmas dinner.
A card game version of classic Spoons, dealt around a table in fast rounds of passing cards and racing to snatch a spoon.
Why we like it
PlayMonster Spoons is a stocking stuffer card game for a household that already plays cards after dinner.
Grandparents and younger cousins can pick up the pass-and-grab play by watching a deal, so nobody sits out for long.
A logic puzzle from the Kanoodle line, built around working out each solution step by step through careful reasoning and spotting patterns.
Why we like it
The Kanoodle SudoQube from Educational Insights gives the family's keenest brain-teaser fan a logic puzzle of their own.
Their daily sudoku habit carries right over, so cracking this puzzle is a natural next step. It can come out on the couch on Christmas afternoon, once the wrapping paper is cleared away.
A card game from Bicycle with a cat theme, dealt out on a table so several players can take turns and play rounds together.
Why we like it
Bicycle's Cats in the Corner gives a cat-loving family a card game built around their favorite animal.
Kids can take over the shuffling and dealing, while parents and grandparents join in. The deck can come out on Christmas morning, right after the stockings are emptied.
A Star Wars-themed rummy card game in which players draw and discard, collecting matching sets and runs around the table.
Why we like it
This Star Wars edition of Five Crowns hands a family of movie fans a proper rummy game.
Anyone who already knows rummy can sit right down, while the Star Wars theme gives younger fans a reason to join. The deck can come out on Christmas afternoon, once the wrapping paper is cleared away.
Ages 2+
A construction-themed puzzle where vehicle-shaped pieces come out of a board and go back into place, a hands-on way to match and name trucks.
Why we like it
Melissa & Doug's construction truck puzzle gives a digger-mad two-year-old a stocking stuffer built around big machines.
Every piece is a truck to lift out, name and slot back into its own spot. On Christmas morning, you can sit together on the rug and take turns with each one.
A picture pairs game where players take turns revealing hidden baby animal images and searching for matches, suited to young children playing with family.
Why we like it
This Chuckle & Roar memory game hands a young animal lover baby animal pairs to hunt down.
A grown-up can take turns, or the child can play alone until every pair is found. The day after Christmas, the game can come out on the living room rug.
A magnetic take on the Rubik's Cube twisting puzzle, built for speed solving: turn the layers until each face shows a single color.
Why we like it
This magnetic Rubik's Cube makes a stocking stuffer for a cube fan chasing faster solve times.
It is built for speed solving, so practice can center on beating a personal record. Over winter break, the cube can sit on the desk for a quick scramble between other plans.
A social card game built around hypothetical questions about how someone would act, sparking guesses and conversation at a table.
Why we like it
This guessing card game makes a stocking stuffer for a talkative family that likes knowing each other well.
Players guess how someone at the table would act, so knowing the people matters more than trivia. After Christmas dinner, the cards can come out while everyone lingers over dessert.
A detective-themed game from the Cranium line, where players work through clues to solve a mystery around the table.
Why we like it
Funko's Cranium detective game makes a stocking gift for a puzzle-minded family that enjoys a good whodunit.
Everyone at the table sorts through clues to work out the mystery, so a fan of detective stories gets to play sleuth. Over winter break, it can come out on the coffee table for a quiet evening round.
*Paid link
Dinosaur-themed pull-back toy cars that roll forward when drawn backwards and released, suiting young children who enjoy quick floor races with friends.
Why we like it
These dinosaur pull-back cars turn a dino fan's favorite creatures into racers for the stocking.
Their dinosaur play gets wheels, since each car rolls off once it is pulled back and released. On Christmas morning, the cars can line up along the hallway for a race toward the kitchen.
A model of a Porsche sports car to display on a shelf or desk, or push along the floor in pretend play.
Why we like it
This Porsche model car makes a stocking stuffer for a sports car fan loyal to one make.
Rather than a generic toy car, it gives them a Porsche to roll across the desk. Afterward, it can line up beside the other sports cars already in their collection.
*Paid link
An activity book with sticker pages to peel and place, part of a line centered on early learning.
Why we like it
The Start Little Learn Big sticker book from Cottage Door Press gives a sticker-loving toddler pages to fill.
On a car ride, the toddler peels stickers and presses them down until the page fills up. Then you can talk through each finished page from the seat beside them.
A pack of colored markers for drawing, coloring in, doodling and hand lettering on paper, from sketchbook pages to coloring books.
Why we like it
Crayola Super Tips markers make a stocking stuffer for a steady doodler with a sketchbook always open.
Their drawing habit gets a set of markers kept just for their own pages and projects. After dinner, the pack can sit open beside the sketchbook for an hour of comics or lettering.
A Spider-Man coloring kit in the Crayola Color Wonder line, used for filling in superhero pictures with color at a table or on the go.
Why we like it
This Crayola Color Wonder Spider-Man kit makes a stocking stuffer for a young Spider-Man fan.
Rather than another figure, the fan gets hero pictures to fill in with colors of their choosing. On Christmas morning, the kit can come out at the kitchen table while breakfast cooks.
A pack of markers for drawing, shading and lettering, ready to fill sketchbook pages, coloring books and handmade greeting cards.
Why we like it
Cra-Z-Art markers make a simple stocking stuffer for a keen doodler always reaching for more colors.
A fresh pack lets them keep drawing comics without hunting for a marker that still works. On Christmas morning, the pack can open straight onto the kitchen table.
A set of scented crayons from the Crayola Silly Scents Twistables line, used for drawing, sketching and filling in coloring book pages.
Why we like it
Crayola Silly Scents Twistables crayons give a devoted coloring fan a scented set for the stocking.
They keep filling coloring book pages as usual, now with crayons to sniff between pictures. On Christmas morning, the set can come out at the kitchen table beside a fresh coloring book.
*Paid link
Stoppers that press into the neck of an opened wine or beverage bottle to close it so the rest can be saved for later.
Why we like it
Wine bottle stoppers are a handy stocking stuffer for someone who pours a glass with dinner.
The open bottle gets closed and slides into the fridge door, so nobody has to finish it that night.
A jar candle to set on a mantel, shelf or side table and light on a chilly fall evening for soft candlelight in the room.
Why we like it
This jar candle makes a simple stocking stuffer for a friend still settling into a new apartment.
They can light it on the windowsill after work, long before every box is unpacked. Unlike wall art, it needs no nail or hook, just a clear spot on a shelf.
*Paid link
Ages 4+
A LEGO Friends brick kit that snaps together into a dog park, then becomes a stage for invented pet stories.
66 pieces · set 42665
Why we like it
A dog-crazy kid still waiting on a real puppy can build and run this LEGO Friends Puppy Playground.
With 66 pieces, the build stays small enough to finish in a single sitting. From there, the young owner decides what every pup does at the park each time it comes out.
Drew someone you barely know? Try the Secret Santa gift finder
Yes. The Bluey grannies building set goes to a Bluey fan who likes building the show's characters and playing out scenes from the episodes.
Pick by how they play: the Monopoly Deal card game is for someone who likes collecting and trading property sets across the table, while the Star Wars rummy game is for a Star Wars fan who prefers rummy-style matching of sets and runs.
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Chosen by our team from store data and what readers pick, not hands-on tests. Nothing is paid to be on this list. Recall notices checked . How we pick
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
