Help a Mom: Creative ideas for stockings

I fielded this question from a mom the other day: Do you have any creative ideas for stocking stuffers?

Hunting for stocking stuffers is actually one of my favorite parts about holiday shopping. The stocking is the first thing my kids open on Christmas morning. My challenge: To not fill it with cheaply made toys that I know won't get more than a few minutes of play on Christmas morning.

At my house, we stick to smaller, inexpensive things for stockings - games, books, craft supplies, a little candy, some fruit and, of course, the all important toothbrush.  A favorite stocking stuffer from last year: a Jacob's ladder, those old fashioned falling wooden block toys, for each of my kids, and a harmonica. They all get regular use.

My top sources for finding it all: Gift shops at local museums and historic sites, The Teach Me Store in Raleigh (I know, I'm like a broken record, but seriously that store is amazing), and craft stores.