To be a bit sad I’ve never received a Christmas stocking?

@PermanentTemporary
Yes, that’s what we didn’t have, and I don’t think I realised the difference between a stocking and our presents downstairs until quite recently on MN. As we got plenty of presents, I always imagined a stocking was an old fashioned thing people did years ago when they couldn’t afford dolls houses or other large presents. We opened presents together at home and it’s what DH and I did for our DS. If DH had different traditions, he never said. I must admit, I still don’t get it really.

My family didn’t do stockings growing up – it just want a thing, we weren’t frugal or anything. My DH, who came from a stocking heavy family, found this abysmal and has organised my stocking every year since we first met.

I appreciate the gesture but have to say I still find stockings a bit superfluous!

Ask your partner if you’d like one. It’s hardly a big ask

For me the point of it was waking up to the weight and shape of the stocking at the end of the bed, and a little solo present joy all by myself - they weren’t part of the main day IYSWIM and I’m a lot younger than my siblings, we didn’t open them together. Present opening was quite a big deal in my family and done later and later in the day as we got older. That was fine, but the stocking was all about stupid pure fun stuff.

I guess every family has its own traditions, and we didn’t have actual stockings as such, but plenty of presents wrapped up in a sack which was what we carried through for DS. I guess in my case it’s just semantics as Christmas was/is always a joyful experience which it sounds like yours hasn’t been, and as an adult your DH doesn’t seem to be understanding your needs being emotional rather than practical.

As your DC are adults, could you ask them to put together a stocking for you for Christmas ? Presumably they buy you a present? So between them they could put together some little things in a stocking for you .

@PermanentTemporary what a beautiful soul! I hope you have been able to buy yourself some nice things now and then as an adult.

I was a bit down on stockings this year. My 16 &18 year old have so much already. But this thread has handed my mojo right back to me!

Ask the children.

Give them some money and take them to the shops if young!

Me and DH do each others bit the kids can add to them.

DD and BF have moved into their own property and I’ve just brought them some stockings to hang up

We do little things, lip balm, socks, sweets, chocolate, phone wires, nothing huge or expensive.

Everyone deserves a stocking

Do you receive any nice gifts at all? Your husband sounds just like your parents.

Buy yourself a lovely stocking and fill it. It won't be a surprise but at least it will set an example for your family that you deserve treats, as well.

On another thread, I and several others mentioned that we buy ourselves gifts all year round and set them aside for Christmas Day. by then it's easy to forget what they are, so the element of surprise is somewhat there.

Do yourself a stocking this year, and then starting in January, create your own surprise basket for Christmas gifts 2026.

Definitely ask the kids and let husband know. It doesn't have to be important to him but he needs to see it's important to you.

I never had a new bike as a kid - always from the tip shop or my brother's hand-me-downs. Didn't really bother me that much, I was just wistful about it.
That Christmas, my husband and son carried the bike they'd be secretly building in the cellar, up the stairs and placed it in front of the tree. It had a ribbon on it and everything. I still well up when I think of how thoughtful it was. And I still ride it!

Apologies.
I miss read what you said.
🙂

Oh I feel for you. A stocking is wonderful. I had them until I was 11 and they were the loveliest part of Christmas. My mum and dad had some quite austere views on Christmas which were more common then - we weren’t allowed to watch TV at all during Christmas until I was about 6, the whole festival involved a lot of church visiting and Father Christmas wasn’t really mentioned, but we still had stockings and a wonderful time with lots of games, music and laughs.

We got much more penniless by the time I was 10 and my mum said it was time for me to stop having them. I asked if it was the work involved or the money that made it difficult, and my mum said the money. So I asked her if I could have one more stocking that year, but made up of things from round the house wrapped up. So that’s what she did. It meant I still had the magical start to Christmas Day that I wanted. I wonder if your Dh, or a friend, would do that for you? Just to show you that you are loved and valued and that your wishes are legitimate 💐

"I'm still not entirely sure what the point of them is and they seem to be mostly filled with pointless cheap tat."

Not because. I don't see the point of putting tat or non-tat in a stocking instead of under a tree, to be clear.

OP can I make a suggestion that my single friend does that I think is genius?
In the sales, or up until March, she buys herself little gifts, wraps them in christmas paper and puts them in her velvet stocking. By the time it gets to Christmas, she's forgotten everything she bought herself. She really treats herself ( she does set a budget but it's a healthy one) close to Christmas, she buys herself her favourite posh chocs from an indeoendent chocolate shop in our town.
I think this is absolutely brilliant and our friends in partners all want to start doing it as none of their partners are good at presents!

Sorry but unless I've muddled you up with someone else on the thread you said you "didn't see the point because they're just full of pointless cheap tat".
But they'll only be full of that if you (or your partner if you have one) put it there.
Apologies if that wasn't you.

What are you talking about? Try reading my post again.

Well if your stockings are full of "pointless cheap tat" and you're not the one putting it there....who is?

Gosh, I feel you, I love a stocking as do my DCs and we actually make them very personal and funny. When the kids were really little (they’re teens now) I think my DH thought I’d lost the plot with them, now he’s very onboard! To be honest I do pop things to one side for mine if I see something I like, ie special chocolate bars from M&S, jewellery from Oliver Bonas in the summer sale and I’ve usually forgotten about what I’ve stashed away!
Please ask your DCs to put you one together, I think they’d love it!

Wow, this is brand new information.

I think that might have been a typo and should have said "don't" 🤔
Edit: just saw the correction 🙂

I'm sorry. Also never had a stocking, annual etc. and mostly very useful presents, but we did have a selection box each and there was always a (homemade from wire and tinsel) Christmas tree. But our parents were hard up and I think we have forgotten how very much closer to post war conditions 60s childhoods were. Houses were single glazed, cold, and people owned much less 'stuff' altogether.

@ShodAndShadySenators it should have been do not need tat!!!!! Sorry butterfingers here!

Those items aren't tat though, they're decent stuff!

I think it would be ok to ask your partner to do you one, even if you don't think he would enjoy it. I'm sure he loves you, he wants to make you happy, and it is not a big ask. If he wants to make it tat-free then he's giving himself an extra challenge but it's not impossible.

I get the impression you are one of those people who is comfortable helping others but terrible at asking for help. It's ok to ask for a favour, even something that you don't think the person will enjoy doing. I think you should ask him to do it, and maybe let your adult children know that he might call them in to consult! If they end up running it, so be it.

I do one for my sister and she does one for me, because for years we'd done them for our dc but not had one ourselves. We put decent stuff in though, not tat!

I feel for you @Jumpeduppantry, we had fairly miserable Christmases as kids so our response has been to make it really nice and fun-filled for our own children. I do get joy from making it a happy occasion for them, because we know how rubbish it can be if the feeling just isn't there. Even if there's presents, without the attempt to be jolly and cheerful it's just not special or magical...

Bless you OP, I hope you get your stocking this year ❤

I live alone so bought my own stocking with my name on and fill it myself but sounds to me like you want the thoughtfulness of someone putting you one together. Definitely mention to your kids!

In 2020 because the year had been so naff I put my Mum together a Christmas Eve Box which has since become a tradition. I'm sure your own kids would be happy to put you a stocking together! Hope you have a lovely Christmas.

@Jumpeduppantry you are not even a tiny bit unreasonable. I sort of do my own stocking now, since dh’s idea of going to the pound shop on Christmas Eve, didn’t really cut my mustard.
I’ve already started and I honestly can’t remember what I’ve got! Get one of your children to wrap it for you, I use tissue paper, and don’t bother with sellotape. And maybe next year tell them that’s what you would like.
And give child you a really big cuddle and tell her it all worked out in the end.