How to do Christmas Stockings?

A tip, if you have more than 1 DC wrap each DC's gifts in a different colour. My eldest DS has blue, my youngest DS has red and my DD has gold. That way if any gifts fall out or get mixed up you know who they belong to.

We hang up stockings at bottom of our beds. Overnight Santa fills them. Only smaller gifts, books, sweets, puzzles and games. They are wrapped up though in Xmas paper. The big gift comes from us to DC under the tree. Stockings are opened after breakfast and tree gifts opened after Xmas lunch in our house. Everyone in the house on Xmas Eve gets a stocking. There is always a satsuma in the stocking.

i didn’t grow up with stockings either, though we are an English/Irish family. I think it might have been an affordability issue! And people do it loads of different ways.
For my kids my MIL made ridiculously huge stockings (I mean the kids could have used them as sleeping bags), and worse they were not the same size! So we put presents from outside the family in them, from the GPs, a couple friends etc. Then under the tree was one big present from us and a few little ones from Santa, Mrs Santa, Rudolf, Frosty etc. The stockings were hung in the family room and opened first. As they aged the stockings got smaller and I put what I think of as traditional little things: a harmonica, deck of cards, chocolate coins and so on. But I didn’t bother after they turned 12/13.
A friend stuffed pillow cases and hung them at the base of her kids beds. They would grab them run in to their parents room to open. I don’t think they had anything else under the tree, maybe from outside the family.

We leave them on bedroom doors. Then when DDs are awake, they bring the stockings into our bed (via the kitchen now to make tea for us, when they were younger one of us popped down for them) and we all opened then together.

I loved finding odd bits of wrapping paper in our bed that night.

You get to set the tradition OP! As you can see there are lots of different ways of doing stockings.

It's nice I think to have some traditional items each year (e.g. satsume in the toe of the stocking that NEVER gets eaten, selection box or chocolate coins, new colouring pens and colouring book) obviously some of these will age out but you get the idea. I knew someone who always got a particular brand of mascara for her teen's stockings. Then some unexpected fripperies too.

Personally I think it's nice to have an overabundant stocking full of smallish things. But I'm from an era when Christmas presents were not so over the top so the stocking felt like a massive treat. If you are more spendy on the main presents the stocking can understandably be more modest.

Yes they could be expensive if you filled them with things like that. But saying "they become ruinously expensive" implies we have no control over that.

I've seen people suggest Costa gift cards and the like - that's quite a lot of £ in a very small space!

Me neither. They seem to be filled with boring stuff - new toothbrush! - or lots of tat. Just gimme the big present!

Growing up (and with my DC), Father Christmas delivered the gifts that mum and dad have bought - bit like an Amazon delivery driver.

Why do they become ruinously expensive? Surely they're as expensive as you make them?

DS 17 Still uses the same stocking he got when he was a baby, I regret that we didn’t get him a smaller one, they’re easier and cheaper to fill for young children!

For a long time stockings were left on the end of the bed to be filled, but it was always a bit nerve wracking trying to get it to fill it, so eventually we switched to leaving it by the bedroom door.

We didn’t have a fireplace growing up so we would safety pin our stockings to our couch or pillow on Christmas Eve and they’d be filled by Santa on Christmas morning! We also didn’t have any fancy stockings and used one of our own socks 😂 we would always try to use the biggest socks we had so that we would get more presents!

They were my favourite part of Christmas going up and my mum still gives me a gift bag of stocking fillers each year. When I was younger it was things like a satsuma, a chocolate Santa, bubble bath, chocolate coins, some pens, underwear and some novelty bits! When we got older mum would add makeup bits, a lottery ticket. Such a lovely tradition to start with your DCs

We didn’t have a fireplace growing up so we would safety pin our stockings to our couch or pillow on Christmas Eve and they’d be filled by Santa on Christmas morning! We also didn’t have any fancy stockings and used one of our own socks 😂 we would always try to use the biggest socks we had so that we would get more presents!

They were my favourite part of Christmas going up and my mum still gives me a gift bag of stocking fillers each year. When I was younger it was things like a satsuma, a chocolate Santa, bubble bath, chocolate coins, some pens, underwear and some novelty bits! When we got older mum would add makeup bits, a lottery ticket. Such a lovely tradition to start with your DCs

We do main presents later so the stocking includes things to keep dd busy earlier in the day. Dd puts hers at the end of her bed empty and then we sneak in and take it out to fill it. This year she has something along the lines of: mini chelsea doll and clothes, notebook, reading book, activity book, marbles, maileg mouse, cuddly cat, top trumps, mini slime kit, bath bomb, bracelet craft kit, squishmallow clip alongs.
The stocking gifts are all from FC along with the main gifts that she gets later under the tree - usually 2-3 but this year a couple more as none are really very main.

We have always said that stockings are from Santa and tree presents are from us/family
So, stockings hang on the mantlepiece as soon as tree goes up and then on xmas eve when the kids have gone to bed "Santa" fills them in with little unwrapped gifts and puts them in the Dc's bedrooms at the foot of their beds - although DS went through a phase of not wanting Santa to sneak into his room when he was around 6-8 so I communicated this to Santa and he left it outside his door
When they wake up on xmas day the DC bring the stockings into our room and look at the santa gifts before we all go downstairs to open the other pressies
Now the DC are 16 and 20 we still do it like that - although Santa has to get up at 2am to do it!!!

Iv always loved stockings although it took some pleading with my dmum when I was a kid to actually start the tradition.
The presents change over the years of course.
This year's stocking fillers for my 2 DDS (who are 45 and 50 ).--fluffy bed socks. Packet of seeds for the garden..face packs .a diary..tea light holder...Lip scrub..hand cream..midget gems..plus plus.
One year it was a tiny jar of mint sauce for one DD who was mad about it.
Christmas magazines always give suggestions for stocking fillers...but do they realise how big/small stockings actually are..?
Ever tried to fit a cushion or a sewing basket in a stocking..

If you’re going to do end of the bed then get duplicate stockings and then just switch in the filled
one.

just remember what you do this year will have to be matched next

This is an excellent point!
I can remember that one year Santa brought me loads of great little novelty toys and the following year was a bit disappointing because it was lots of socks and bubble bath (supermarket stuff!). It was the year mum went back to work so no doubt was a bit stressed and had less time for perusing stocking fillers! I cringe now as I remember innocently telling my parents I was a bit disappointed in Santa that year 🥲

Be very careful what traditions you establish and what size of stocking you buy. Your future self will thank you for deciding that they go in the living room rather that the bedroom.
I always put a toothbrush in ours and usually a pair of pants, so I start out with it half full. And there’s something they can eat for breakfast like a waffle or some pancake mix. In our house only the stockings are from Father Christmas, the other presents are from us or other relatives.

In our house the empty stockings get put on the end of the bed at bedtime, on Christmas Eve. Then I sneak in after they are asleep to taje, fill and rerun them to the bed of the bed - they are filled with little gifts, chocolate coins and a nice juicy satsuma.

the kids wake up on Christmas morning and see the once empty stocking full! They always eat the satsuma and coins before getting out of bed and opening their presents downstairs.

I really like this tradition, as do my kids.Mine are older teens and I still do it. And still use the stockings I made for them when they were babies on their first Christmas 🎄

It’s very exiting.

Stocking are great, santa puts them on the foot of the bed so you wake up to instant excitement of knowing he's been, everyone piles into parents bed to open, and that gets you half an hour to wake up properly before going down to main presents.

Ours have small toys, fidgets, stickers, sparkley hair clips for DD & fluffy socks. One of the big tubes of smarties up the leg and a chocolate orange on the foot.

HRTFT but this is how we do it, why and lessons learnt:

Stocking: I have 2 beautiful fabric stocking and sacks that DC still have and love and will take with them when they leave home. I wouldn’t do the sack again as too big and expectations raised as regards number of gifts.

Stockings are always hung on the fireplace (or no fireplace then in the living room) as then it’s easier to fill them without having to wait until/worry about they’ve gone to sleep. Also we put out milk/brandy and mince pie for Santa too.

Gifts: always different wrapping paper to main gifts and never any plastic tat. So things like colouring books, books, new toothbrush etc but always some chicolate and a satsuma, also nuts. Gifts always from Santa, always included an item from their Santa letter/list.

Important to us that they knew that Santa doesn’t bring everything they want and list/letter must include ‘cheaper’ items.

Stockings opened at breakfast, tree gifts after lunch or spread throughout the day (depends on number of guests etc). Sounds regimented but it never has been as when you factor in food etc it spreads through the day nicely 🙂 🎄🤶

We always had stockings from Santa but my DH didn’t. I’ve always done them for my children- they are now late 20’s early 30’s and they still have them so there’s no age limit. Saying that my DH never got a selection box ! So I’ve bought him one for the last 36 years we’ve married - again no age limited

be careful buying a sack they are big and children expect them to be full - I follow the tradition my mum started, we were each given a nice sized box and we decorated however we liked, cut up old magazines used wrapping paper draw on them anything we wanted really. The box is useful to keep their presents tidy for the first few days as well.

leave the box outside the bedroom door or downstairs so Father Christmas doesn’t have to go into the bedroom

think of something that can become a tradition- one DD has to have fruit pastels in hers DS must have a tube of smarties. They always have some kind of bath stuff, these things are a set every year

other than that colouring books, pens/pencils, socks, pjs anything really to your budget, just remember what you do this year will have to be matched next

also a little something extra, we went to a antique shop and bought a big old style key a nice fancy one. DH cleaned to shine and we tied it one a big red ribbon. This magically appeared on the door step with a note saying as you don’t have a chimney please leave this key on the door step Christmas Eve. When they come down in the morning it’s been left next to his plate and glass and a chewed carrot for the reindeers.

happy memories 🥹

remember above all else that’s what you’re making - happy memories

Hang up the stockings empty Xmas Eve Santa fills it for the morning.

Santa always brings an orange, chocolate coins and a toothbrush! 1 small present from the list as well no electronics or big items.
All other presents are from mummy and daddy.

Found this is a good way to manage and keep magic alive rather then why didn't Santa bring me a Xbox!

It's making me feel so Christmassy reading all these!

I'm surprised by how similar they are tbh! All very much following the same theme.

Our stockings are mostly edible with one or two small gifts in. I usually put a lindt reindeer or similar poking out at the top.