Stockings - when do you stop ?

[didireallysaythat]

DS1 is 9 but I suspect has sussed out father Christmas. DS2 is 5 and is still bought in. When do you stop ?

I don't remember stockings by the time I was at secondary school. My brother is 4 years younger so I think he got stockings when I didn't.

What's the norm ? Not that it really matters what anyone else does, but it's useful to know what DS1's mates might be going through

[WeAllHaveWings]

still do a stocking for DS(11), its mainly stuff like

pjs
pants
socks
books
iTunes
wallet
wash bag
Lindt santa

[blibblibs]

I mostly do my own stocking! I usually buy myself something from Boots on the half price offer and take it out of the packaging and put it in the stocking. This year I'm going for Sanctionary stuff. If DH has bought something small enough then it will go in but usually for some reason the things he buys are too big to go in. DM might see something to go in it too, but I think in our house the stockings are really for the benifit of the DC as we open them together and they always want to see what we have too.

[d270r0]

My hushand is rubbish at doing stockings, my sister is doing mine this year for me.

[d270r0]

Yep still do them. Its fun for everyone to open a little stocking with wrapped gifts. Just put in stuff you know they'll like. The type of stuff you put in it will change as they get older. When I was young I got silly, fun things or little easy craft activities to keep us occupied until a reasonable time. Now I get a lush bath bomb or fun socks. I am doing my husband one this year and am giving him some chocolate stuff, CDs, little flaviar tasting bottles of whiskey and the fun stuff- a tiny chima crocodile lego set which matches the lion chima lego set I'm giving my 4 year old ds. They play lego together so they can do this on christmas morning before the tree presents. And also a tiny marvel top trumps set (again to play with ds)

[Haffdonga]

I got one until I moved in with dp (at 27).

By that age Father Christmas tended to sneak the stocking under the end of my duvet well before my bedtime while I was at the pub on Christmas Eve. I would pretend I hadn't noticed it til the morning.

[Buttercup27]

I'm 29 and dsis is 25, my parents still do us stockings, but now also have to do them for dh too !

[didireallysaythat]

Do you do your own or do you get your partner (substitute appropriate person here) to do yours ? I found sunflowers seeds.... I'd be happy if my stocking had seeds in it all with some chocolate.

[JimmyGreavesMoustache]

my lovely mum carried on until she died when I was 19. even though I was clearly past the age of believing she'd still set an alarm and sneak in into my room in the wee small hours. it was my favourite bit of Christmas.

she'd put in mascara, booze miniatures, little shower gels, socks, stationery, and gift vouchers.

[pandaskitchen]

Phew.... was worried I was going to be the only mid 30's recipient, I know my DM loves doing them, and as DP 's have joined the family they get one too, as well as DSC. Even the Dogs gets something!

Christmas socks, santa pens, festive soap, seasonal sweeties, winter hats, she somtimes gets us matching things as well which will be worn later in the day when we are pissed as farts slightly squiffy!

[EvansOvalPiesYumYum]

I still do them for DC and nephew and their partners (if they have them at the time )- they're all in their 20s. And now DD does one for us too!

It's their favourite part of the gift-giving. I also still do advent calendars, hand sewn ones they've have had since they were little where you fill the pockets with foil-wrapped Christmas character chocolates. And they still diligently eat just the one chocolate each day, just before breakfast.

Tradition!

[educatingarti]

We have a general "adults'" stocking where all adults put in a selection of bits for other adults (names on wrappings) but that are officially from Santa. Children/teens get their own individual stockings. As people start to have jobs and earn their own money, they tend to "graduate" to the adult's stocking but put things in for other s too!

[Chottie]

We still have stocking and my DD is 37 and DS is 32 :)

[Timeandtune]

I asked the DSs ( 23 and 16) if they still wanted a stocking and they were both astonished that I even needed to ask. DS1 doesn't live at home now but will be back on Christmas Day to the monogrammed stocking I bought in Jenners in Edinburgh in December 1992. DS2's was bought in 1999 and is a family heirloom.

[INeedACheeseSlicer]

Our last year was when the youngest of my siblings reached 18 - I was 5 years older, so benefited for even longer.

The next year it happened that my nephew had just been born, and only he got a stocking, (made by my elder sister, my mum didn't do it but they were staying at my parents house for Christmas.)

I think I would be a bit sad to be in a house where nobody got a stocking and Father Christmas just passed by without calling at all. So I will carry on doing them for the DC as long as I can.

[SideOrderofChips]

mine will get a stocking till they leave home

[Artandco]

Stockings are forever here

For £10 stocking

• clementine ( free ish from fruit bowl )
  

-chocolate coins -£1

• books x2 -£2 ( £10 for 10 from book people. Give children 2 in stocking each and keep the rest for birthday gifts of friends later in year)
  
• funky shampoo/ soap -£1 ( saves you buying after Xmas anyway)
  
• mini toy ( dominos/ pick up sticks) £1 ( currently £1.99 buy one get one half price on ocado)
  
• top trumps £2.50
  
• small notebook and pens (£2)
  

Ocado is a good place to get everything if you want it ordered online and delivered

[didireallysaythat]

Ok. Maybe if I say £10 a stocking (a chocolate orange and a magazine) that would work. And perhaps I should do one for DH as well ? I don't always get him a present - don't think I did last year as there was nothing he really needed. Do I make a stocking for myself as well ? Can't quite get my head around this !!

[Shantotto]

Never! My parents still do one for me, and now my DP and I'm 35! Now I me and DP do one for each other and I do one for my parents so we get two stockings each. It's my favourite part of Christmas.

If I don't go there for Christmas we just post a few items to each other.

Have to be wrapped job tissue paper and curling ribbon. It's Christmas law!

[yomellamoHelly]

Stopped receiving one when I stopped going there for Christmas. (So 19 / 20 ish.)
With our dc it's how they get something to keep them happy / occupied on Christmas Day as we don't tend to open presents until 3-3:30ish. (Means they only get one present from us under the tree.)

[mysteryfairy]

I'm still doing them for three teens and just realised the eldest will be twenty by Xmas.

I've never bought party bag tat though and I think there are ways of filling a stocking as pp have said that are fun but full of consumables/useful items.

So some big but cheap items are:
Buy jars of Nutella now with the codes to get free personalised labels and the labels should arrive in time for Xmas
Mini box of cereal each - probably works better if you don't do coco pops etc all the time!
Fancy drink each
I used to buy some absolutely junky sweets that were totally off my radar for the rest of the year
A magazine appropriate to the age of the recipient. If you are very small this may actually have party bag style tat affixed
We usually have some fancy but useable stationery to top up pencil cases
Novelty but wearable underwear e.g. Boxers printed with fast food, penguin socks
Headphones as they seem to be disposable in this house
If you can go early on a weekday have a scan of a big primark and you may see items that grab you e.g. Cute woolly hats for a couple of pounds
Home bargains or similar is good for things like American sweets, character toothbrushes, very cheap cadburys tree decorations etc
Any character things or crazes at their school - don't know what is current with little children but things like Pokemon cards, blott stationery etc

[PepperPotts]

Never! I am 37 and my mum and dad still do me a stocking!

[JasperDamerel]

And chocolate coins and a candy cane sticking out.

[JasperDamerel]

I have a 6 and a nine year old. Their stockings will have a couple of things from each of these categories:

Food: clementine, chocolate orange, chocolate reindeer, chocolate Father Christmas, babybel, mini cheddars, carton of juice.

Practical stuff: fancy toothbrush, bath bomb, maybe toothpaste, hat/socks/pants/gloves as needed. Hair bands.

Stationery: felt tips/crayons/colouring pencils, writing pencil, notebook.

Stuff we reuse from previous years because it's tradition:
Kazoo, Swanee whistle, finger puppets, fortune telling fish.

A couple of small/cheap toys ( those eggs you can excavate to find crystals/bones, stick on earrings or tattoos, a pack of cards, marbles, dice).

A magazine or comic.

[Helenluvsrob]

NEVER! Stockings go on as long as you are in the same house as your mum and dad on Xmas eve , and Santa might leave you one even if you are away :)

Xmas seems v hard this year but I'm focussing on the kids and that we will have the elder 2s partners staying hopefully. There will be stockings and they may all be invited to open them sat on out bed - as long as the kids aren't too embarrassed by it !

[steppemum]

go onto sites where they have loads of little stuff and ideas (the Christmas threads have lots of suggestions)

But lots of mine are picked up in the supermarket eg

chocolate coins
chocolate santa
terry orange
new toothbrushes (funky ones instead of supermarket own brand)
flannel with disney princess on
pack of cards
new felt tips/glitter pens
cute stationary (notepad with frozen on front etc)
sticker packets
character socks/knickers
mini lego bags (£2ish)
football pump
something silly - like the reindeer who poos chocolate raisins
small books



Asda and Tescos both have a pocket money place in their big stores, which have about 30 items under £2, things like tiny soft toys or water pistols. There is lots of variety, when dd2 was younger she loved getting the farm animals from here.

The secret, I think, is to have smallish stockings!