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

[JasperDamerel]

Stockings are my favourite part. My parents stopped giving stockings when we left home, so I took over and now my Christmas present for my little sister is a stocking. I collect perfume and toiletry samples and miniatures throughout the year to put in it.

[Paperblank]

I'm 41. I still have a stocking. DH does it now but DM gave him a list of absolutely-must-not-be-forgotten items!

DH also has a stocking and he's 43.

[AlohaMama]

I love doing stockings, they are the fun part of Christmas shopping when you are not constrained by peoples wish lists. I tend to get useful things, but a nicer version that what you might buy for yourself.I still do stockings for DH and for parents and inlaws if we with them on Christmas day, and they are in their 70s!

[steppemum]

our stockings are fairly small and we have always had a rule that the gifts in them should be low price (about £2 each)

ds will be 13 this year and still get one. When we got married I started exchanging one with dh too. I intend to keep going forever!

They are mostly things like chocolate orange, chocolate santa etc
small things for ds will include pack of playing cards, christmas socks, earphones, hair stuff etc.

girls are easier as we do little jewellery bits, nail varnish etc.

we have introduced a new rule though, secondary school aged kids hang their stockings downstairs by the fire. (I might take them up if they are actually asleep)

[Pengweng]

I'm 31 and my mum still does one for me even though we live in different countries. She posts it or brings it with her when she visits. I'm not sure i'm old enough to start buying my own socks am I??

[thegiddylimit]

I love stockings, I got one until I was in my 30s. Had a few years with no stockings which were rubbish and now the kids get them. I guess it works out as more expensive than a single big present under the tree (the DC get books from us for Christmas so not a big present) but it's nice to space out the present opening, stockings first thing then tree presents from family later.

Stockings here are full of fruit, chocolates, practical gifts like toothbrushes and socks and a few small gifts like a CD. No big presents from FC.

[LikeASoulWithoutAMind]

Dh and I do stockings for each other

In terms of writing to Santa, my dcs decided when very young that you only ask for one thing - who was I to discourage them?! I did add though that Santa does not look kindly on children who make greedy requests, won't deliver presents he knows your parents don't want you to have including a dog ds1 and while he might bring what you asked for, he might also have a better idea

Choosing one gift makes them think so carefully about what they'd really like.

[didireallysaythat]

So how do I make stocking present finding fun ? I don't do shopping on person, just on line. I haven't found the equivalent of window shopping. I have to search for a particular thing.... I have a 5 and 9 yr old and apart from a £2-3 lego thing (I presume these exist) and a chocolate orange I can't think of anything other than party bag stuff from eBay....

[daisydalrymple]

Ds1 is 8, dd is 6, so similar age, they are having:
Character socks / pants (Star Wars / frozen)
Playing cards (eg ds1 is having horrible histories, dd frozen/ Disney princesses and ds2 thomas the tank)
Character notebook (my dcs always love notebooks!!!)
Fancy highlighter pens
Pens
Star Wars key ring / frozen torch
Cd (Now rock / disco / Disney compilations)
Choc coins
Satsuma
Tube of sweets

Paper chase has a good stocking gifts section online, or I always look at the people also bought ... section on Amazon.

[blibblibs]

We do lots of practical things in the stocking, so things like new toothbrush and their own tube of toothpaste, face cloth, pants and socks but character ones rather than the boring ones they usually get.
Then the things they love but we don't usually buy, DD loves her can of Coca cola and DS loves his body spray, things we never buy during the year so a treat for them even if it is just bog standard supermarket stuff.
DC stocking are stupidly large, which was cute as babies but now just a pain to try and fill so this year I'm filling the toe with a big bag of popcorn for our movie nights.
The pound shop is great for craft stuff and stationery bits abd they always get a set of top trumps. Last year DM collected all the lego from The Sun which was a great filler for them too.
Then obviously the chocolate coins and satsuma need to go in.

[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!

[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 !

[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.

[JasperDamerel]

And chocolate coins and a candy cane sticking out.

[PepperPotts]

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

[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

[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.)

[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!

[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 !!

[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

[SideOrderofChips]

mine will get a stocking till they leave home

[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.

[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.

[Chottie]

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

[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!