Socks, bubble gum and a deck of cards. Cool gifts inside your Christmas stocking or just fillers? That depends on your perspective. But one thing's for sure - a well-stuffed Christmas stocking is a great thing to give, as well as receive.

Stuffing stockings is often a balance of budget, practicality and size. After all, gifts need to be small to fit in the stocking but also useful and somewhat significant, even if they're not pricey.

"When I was growing up, stockings were a big deal in my house - they were what I looked forward to most on Christmas morning, and my mom went all out," says Kendal Perez, savings expert with Coupon Sherpa.

Since stockings are a fun add-on to traditional gift giving, there's often an expectation that they'll be something special, like dessert after a nice meal.

Blogger Tanja Crouch loves stocking stuffers, too, a tradition she inherited from her mother.

"Our son loves finding clothing gift cards and chocolate-covered cherries in his, and my husband is happy with new bow ties," Crouch says, noting that her favorite stocking surprises were theater tickets one year and black and white striped mittens another.

Plan Ahead

Felicia Ramos-Peters of GetHoliday Happy.com likes to put five preplanned items in each stocking.

"Far too often we save the stocking stuffers for last and usually throw in meaningless small items," she says. "To avoid that, put aside a budget and write down on your Christmas list specific small gifts for your loved one."

Ramos-Peters suggests pricier items for adults like earrings or a watch, while kids will enjoy budget-friendly items like toys and candy.

Need ideas? Coffee lovers might enjoy a bag of their favorite blend; chocolate enthusiasts would like a bar of gourmet dark chocolate; and music fans would appreciate a gift card to download new songs. Toiletries like nail polish, hand cream and lip balm are practical small gifts, too.

"We believe that good stocking stuffers should be fun little trinkets that are lightweight, and perfectly sized and weighted for stockings," says Michelle McKool, owner of online gift boutique Premier Home & Gifts, who recommends monogrammed scarves, jewelry or a small wristlet for women; cufflinks, a money clip or a wallet for men; and a personalized mouse pad or personalized harmonica for kids.

Set a Budget

Expect to spend $40 to $80 on stocking stuffers for teens and adults, and $20 to $40 on kids' stockings, suggests McKool, who recommends three to four items per stocking.

While how much you want to spend on stocking stuffers can vary, it's essential to set a budget and stick to it.

"I recommend shoppers set a budget beforehand because it can get out of hand quickly," says Perez. "It's deceiving, since you may spend $5 to $10 on each item, but when you have ten items, that could be $100 just on the stocking!"

Perez advises having a few physically larger items to fill some space in the stocking.

"My mom always put an orange at the toe of the sock to fill that space," she says, noting that citrus is cheap during the winter months.

Other big items can include a pair of pajama pants or an e-reader case.

While you don't want to overspend on stuffers, that doesn't mean you should buy impractical or cheap items. Avoid dollar store toys, says Perez, who explains on her blog, "It may add quite a bit to occupy space, but (kids) won't play with it."