2018 Holiday Gift Guide: Stocking Stuffers that Are Fun, Festive, and Functional

2018 Holiday Gift Guide: Fill Your Stockings at London Drugs

Christmas isn’t just about what’s under the tree. One of the most fun parts of Christmas is digging into your stocking on Christmas morning before anybody else gets up. Stockings are perfect for small gifts that are fun, festive, and functional. They’re opportunities to get your friends and family things that are totally silly but cute, or super practical small items that everyone appreciates. Here are a few of our favourite stocking stuffers this holiday season.

Fun and Functional Gadgets

2018 Holiday Gift Guide: Furo Neon USB Light Cactus 2018 Holiday Gift Guide: ReTrak Portable PowerPack

This Furo Neon USB Cactus Light is fully on the “fun” end of the stocking stuffer spectrum. Powered either by USB or wirelessly by batteries, it brings a bit of sunshine and vacation spirit to any desk. If the cactus isn’t their style, we’ve also got a palm tree, pineapple, or unicorn.

Everyone with a cell phone can benefit from a portable battery, like this one from ReTrak. It can charge a phone, tablet, or any other portable device. It can provide two full charges to most smartphones and can easily fit into a purse or a pocket.

Skincare Essentials

2018 Holiday Gift Guide: Burt's Bees Hand Salve2018 Holiday Gift Guide: Weleda Skin Food

Cold winters mean there’s more need for moisture, and Burt’s Bee Hand Salve or Weleda’s Skin Food Original Ultra Rich Cream will keep those hands from cracking.

A Timely Green Gift

2018 Holiday Gift Guide: Joie Stainless Steal Straws

Stainless steel straws are all the rage, and make for great stocking stuffers that allow everyone on your list to sip their smoothie or soda with a clear conscience.

Lovely Lip Embellishers

Holiday Gift Guide 2018: Shiseido ModernMatte Powder Lipstick2018 Holiday Gift Guide: NYX Whipped Wonderland Powder Puff Lippie2018 Holiday Gift Guide: NYX Lip Oil

An ultra-glam stocking option is the Shiseido ModernMatte Powder Lipstick Expressive Deluxe Mini Set, featuring five shades in a beautiful keepsake box. The lipstick features 8 hours of wear in a lightweight powder matte finish.

A more affordable option, still with a powdery-soft finish, is the limited-edition Whipped Wonderland Powder Puff Lippie from NYX. Got a gloss lover on your list? Give them the NYX Paradise Fluff Lip Oil. It’s got a soft, silky texture due to a blend of several beneficial oils and provides just a hint of colour.

Bling and Bobbles

2018 Holiday Gift Guide: Eliot Danori Legacy Pave Necklace2018 Holiday Gift Guide: Charisma Stainless Steel Fan Earrings

Jewellery is small enough to fit in a stocking — you could even put several matching pieces in there! There are tons of great options for earrings, necklaces, and bracelets from Eliot Danori and Charisma.

2018 Holiday Gift Guide: Invisibobble

Anyone with long hair will be interested in the Invisibobble. Its unique spiral shape is gentle on hair and won’t leave a kink. We’ve got a variety of colours to choose from!

Socks for Every Stocking

2018 Holiday Gift Guide: Secret Crew Socks2018 Holiday Gift Guide: Florsheim Men's Crew Socks

Socks are secretly what everyone wants to receive at Christmas. Secret makes beautiful textured crew socks for women. Florsheim has men’s crew socks in several different colours and patterns. You can never go wrong with socks!

We’ve got all kinds of gifts for all kinds of gifters. Need more holiday gift help? Check out londondrugs.com for more great gift ideas.

2017 Holiday Gift Guide for Technology Buffs

It’s almost December! Have you started your holiday shopping yet?

Starting with last week’s gift guide for the home cook and continuing this week with our gift guide for kids (and parents), London Drugs is setting you up for success this holiday season with gift guides for everyone on your list. Today we’ve got a great list of gifts for technology buffs. Know a techie who’s always got the latest gadget? We’ll help you pick out the perfect gift!

Here’s our guide to help you buy a gift for the techie on your list that you know they’ll love.

1. Tech Tools for Tracking Health

Wearable technology is all the rage, and nobody’s doing it better than health and fitness companies. You can track your heart rate, steps, activity level, sleep, body fat… we even have portable machines for tracking blood pressure and glucose levels. It’s finally cool to want to be healthy!

gifts for technology buffs

Give the techie in your life the Fitbit Ionic, which has all the functionality of the previous Fitbit watches plus is water resistant up to 50 metres–perfect for tracking one’s swims. This version of the Fitbit also includes an NFC chip so you can pay at a contactless terminal with your credit card, from your wrist! If your techie friend is really adventurous, they may prefer the functionality of a Garmin smart watch, great for multisport tracking with GPS and full colour maps. Pair a smart watch with the Fitbit Aria or another smart scale, which track body fat percentage and wirelessly sync stats so they can track progress over time.

2. Make Mornings Bright with the All the Right Gear

gifts for technology buffs

Looking for something to help you start your day right? Try this gentle alarm clock that mimics the sunrise. A great gift to help them wake up in a more gentle way for those early morning workouts. Need more motivation to get out of bed? This running alarm clock literally runs away from you, forcing you to face the day. Like to listen to music or podcasts before drifting off to sleep? This eye mask has built in wireless headphones and full button controls. 

3. Outfit Your Home with Smart Technology

Smart home devices have come a long way in the last few years. Nest is leading the way, having developed a thermostat, smoke detector, and security camera you can control with your smartphone. Other companies have taken their lead, creating water sensors to detect leaks, smart locks for the front door, and smart outlets that allow you to turn on and off anything you have plugged in from your phone. Techies can set timers for the outlets their lights are plugged into, or just reduce their energy footprint by turning outlets off. Upgrade your techie friend’s home with technology and give the gift of peace of mind!

gifts for technology buffs

If they truly love using technology to make their life easier, or if they’ve always dreamed of having a robot butler, then get the techie in your life Google Home, the voice-activated speaker with built in Google Assistant.  With an “OK, Google,” they can ask it questions (Math! Definitions! Sports scores!) or tell it to play a song or movie on their Chromecast. It also connects with Nest and other smart devices. “OK, Google. What’s the perfect gift?”

gifts for technology buffs

 

4. Get the Perfect Shot

 

Technology keeps getting better and better, especially when it comes to photography. No techie should be without a good quality digital SLR camera like the Canon Rebel T6i pictured below. They have all the functionality of an analog camera with manual control, but with amazing features you can only get in a digital camera: snap amazing high-definition shots, view and edit using a touchscreen LED, and even take 4K video.

gifts for technology buffs

 

For the adventurous techie, the GoPro is the way to go. Waterproof up to 30 metres and able to go up to 120 frames per second, GoPro cameras take incredibly smooth videos in difficult conditions. Perfect for exploring the beauty of Canada! Or try a drone with a built in HD camera for gorgeous aerial shots.gifts for technology buffsIf they already have the latest in digital photography equipment, a lightweight tripod or an external hard drive to back up their photos will always be welcome.

 

5. Small Stocking Stuffers

One of the best things about technology is all the accessories. Perfect to supplement a larger gift, or pop them in a stocking for extra Christmas cheer. Things like batteries (never included, why?) and battery chargers. Or AV cables and adaptors.

gifts for technology buffs

 

For someone travelling during the holiday season, nothing is more useful than a soft electronics accessory bag for all the cables and accoutrements of laptops, phones, and other devices–except maybe this all-in-one plug adaptor good for more than 150 countries. 

6. Fashion Accessories for the Tech-inclined

In cold December weather, these texting gloves for men and women allow for uninterrupted texting. Or bring a pop of pattern to your friend’s phone with a fun new phone case. If they take work with them on the go, these beautiful laptop totes are a stylish answer to the messenger bag. 

gifts for technology buffs

For more gift-giving advice for the kids (and parents) on your list, speak to an LD Expert today. To make a purchase, visit London Drugs in-store and online.

We’ll be back next week with a top gift guide for DIYers. See you then!

See all of our 2017 Holiday Gift Guides here:

2017 Holiday Gift Guide for Kids (and Parents)

2017 Holiday Gift Guide for the DIYer

2017 Holiday Gift Guide for Music Lovers

2017 Holiday Gift Guide for the Home Cook