Stocking stuffers: Sock away these great ideas

Have you ever wondered why socks are the receptacle for those little gifts called stuffers?

One theory is that long ago, when passing through a small village, St. Nicholas heard about three kind, beautiful and eligible women whose father could not afford their dowries. Wanting to remain anonymous, St. Nick threw three gold coins down the chimney of this poor family. The precious loot happened to land in some socks that were drying on the mantelpiece. Word spread, and you know the rest of the story — ever since, in celebration of Christmas, socks worldwide have been stuffed with small treasures.

Coins still make good stuffers, especially gold coins, but there are a lot of other options these days. Here are some gift ideas for less than $25. Remember, stuffers sans the stockings make great Hanukkah and Kwanzaa gifts too.

The idea behind the Japanese puzzle game Sudoku is supposedly simple — every row, column and 3-by-3 box in the grid must contain all of the digits from one to nine. Actual play is not so easy. And with any trend these days, there are hand-held electronic versions. One compact model is Techno Source’s Touch Screen edition.

The lightweight device contains more than 1 million puzzles. Players use a plastic stylus to punch in the numbers on the LCD display. The illuminated screen makes the gadget look cool, but it can be hard to read the screen at certain angles.

The price is right, but shop around. The Monday after Cyber Monday, the gadget was selling for $14.99 at Target, $17.99 at Amazon.com and $19.95 at The Discovery Store. It requires two AAA batteries, which are included.

The buzz this season, at least in Brooklyn, N.Y., is not at Starbucks but at the fair-trade cafes. And we all know, Brooklyn is now the center of the universe (formerly the honor went to Manhattan.) The hottest spot is the Gorilla Coffee cafe, which brews and pours pounds of the politically correct coffee each day. The fair-trade seal of approval means “farmers and workers were paid fair, above-market prices and fair wages,” says TransFair USA, a nonprofit organization that certifies fair-trade goods.

You don’t have to travel to Brooklyn (although it is worth a trip) for the tasty roast. Gorilla brew is available at the company’s Web site. Sumatra Gayoland, Nicaraguan Segovia and decaf Mexican Chiapas are just a few of the blends, which sell for $11.99 plus shipping.

Not all cool tools have to be electronic. Take this simple saw from Buck Knives. It’s designed for hard-core backcountry enthusiasts who actually cut down trees, branches and other debris. The extremely lightweight saw, however, has many other practical uses. A few that come to mind include cutting down the family Christmas tree, cutting up potato latkes, carving a Thanksgiving turkey and opening presents of any sort.

The folding saw, which comes in red, yellow and black, costs $24 at Buckknives.com. Also check the online store listing for retailers near you.

And then there are the animal-lovers on your list. A friend of mine — who between her and her husband have six kids and two grandchildren — just visited, yet all she brought were photos of her dog. Not just a picture, a whole album.

A great gift for the dog-lover in your life is anything from the gift shop at NEADS, a nonprofit organization that trains dogs for deaf and disabled Americans. A package of eight puppy-love postcards costs $7.99; wall calendars are now $15.99, reduced from $19.99; and a bright yellow messenger bag sells for $24.99. Find them at Cafepress.com.

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