The holidays are around the corner and if you’re looking for some military stocking stuffers to fill the stockings of your favorite service member, look no further. We did it again. Our venerated veteran employees of USAMM got together and came up with our top 10 list of favorite military stocking stuffers.
This list can be used for either male or female service members and we tried to make the list appealing to military personnel of all ages. And while the holidays are nearby, these ideas might also make great gifts for birthdays.
Here’s USAMM’s list of military stocking stuffers to help you with your holiday shopping.
1. Cigars
Yes, we know that tobacco products are bad for your health, but the truth is a lot of military personnel love stogies and would welcome seeing a few maduros or torpedoes as military stocking stuffers. You can get some good quality cigars just about anywhere, just make sure that they aren’t stale and dry. Add a nice cigar cutter and some wood matches and it makes a nice kit.
2. Jerky
Snacks like gourmet jerky and trail mix are great military stocking stuffers and they make wonderful portable treats for your favorite service member. You can spice it up by selecting exotic meats like bison, elk or other wild game. Spicy trail mix can help warm up some of those cold holiday nights. Be selective, look around. There are some great trail mix and beef jerky companies out there who can provide you with some great military stocking stuffers.
3. Multitool
Multitools are popular items on just about every top 10 gift list USAMM has created in the past, so it is no surprise that it is included in our top 10 military stocking stuffers list. Portable, durable and useful, a multitool is something just about any occupational specialty can use, regardless of the profession. Naturally, jobs that are more hands on and physical will likely find the tools more useful, but even service members with administrative jobs can find these tools useful if their hobbies require regular use of a multitool. There are lots to choose from with a variety of tools.
4. Lottery Tickets/Scratch Off Tickets
For just a few bucks you can fill a service member’s stocking with these military stocking stuffers that are guaranteed to make them smile, especially if they hit the winning numbers. You can buy some lottery tickets and then make it even more fun by including some scratch off tickets. While the chances of winning the lottery are slim, at least the service member can have fun scratching off the tickets and momentarily basking in hope. Not to mention, their likelihood of winning a few bucks is higher with the scratch off tickets.
5. Gift Cards
Stockings were made for gift cards because they can carry a lot of weight (value) in a small package. Gift cards are great military stocking stuffers and just about every retailer and eatery in the country offers them. It won’t be hard to find something that your service member will appreciate. If you get gift cards for something they don’t ordinarily do, like massages or maybe nail care, then it will be money well spent.
6. Grooming Supplies
Beard balms, hair gel, nail polish, nail files, nail trimming kits, hair and beard cutting kits, shampoos, moisturizers, and other grooming supplies all make great military stocking stuffers. If your service member is female, consider items like hair ties and clips as well as higher end shampoos.
7. Personalized Coffee/Tea Mug
A personalized coffee or tea mug with a small bag of coffee or tea from a quality coffee or tea company are great military stocking stuffers. Look for brands that the service member usually doesn’t drink (just to get them to try something different) and get them a uniquely customized mug that shows off their service pride.
8. Sample Kits
These were without a doubt the most popular item that the venerated veterans of USAMM selected, but we also recognized that this one might be hard to nail down for some service members. Sample kits as military stocking stuffers are great because of the variety they offer. You can find hot sauce sample packs, beef jerky sample packs, coffee packs, small or miniaturized liquor and beer packs, and other kits can enable your service member to explore their tastes.
9. Flashlights
Like multitools, flashlights seem to make it on just about every gift list for military personnel that USAMM creates. It comes as no surprise that we think that flashlights make great military stocking stuffers. Today’s flashlights are ultralight, but super durable and many are powered by smaller batteries, but they provide intense illumination. Some still offer other features like strobe lights and mini compasses. Everyone can always use another flashlight for duty, or their home or their auto/truck.
10. Service Pride Items
A service member would likely appreciate a cap and shirt combo that you put together. These two items combined make great military stocking stuffers. In some cases, you can buy matching t-shirts with a hat, or you can mix and match your own. Either way, just buy the hat, fold or roll up the shirt so it fits into the hat and hold it together with a rubber band. Voila! Instant shirt/hat combo gift. No matter the service, your service member will be proud to wear this during their off-duty hours and show off their service pride.
There’s no need to break the bank on military stocking stuffers. In fact, you can use many of these ideas as regular holiday gifts, and then place one or some of these ideas in the service member’s stocking. Either way, we feel confident that they will love the gifts/stocking stuffers and they will have a great holiday season.