What do you put in Xmas stocking..?!

[RandomLetters]

We didn't have them as kids but I'd love to start the tradition for my DDs (4 & 2). Apart from chocolate (which I'd like to avoid), what sorts of things do you put in?

Looking for inspiration as I've just come up with plastic tat!

My dd3 has some hairclips/hair bands, a small soft toy and some chocolate coins.

What about some snap cards? My dd lurves hers and plays with them most days

Oh and a satsuma, there must be a satsuma in a stocking (even though she eats them most days!)

All my presents go in the stockings but smaller things: smellies, hair stuff, colouring, bath toys, socks, soft toy, new cup/plate

My DC are nearly 3 and 5 and I put in stickers a colouring book and some crayons, hair clips and other bits that will go down well such as a little book and novelty pen and always ALWAYS a stuffed animal poking out the top! My mum did this for me when I was young and I loved it!

This year my two (8 & 6) have:

Novelty Slippers
Chocolate coins
Top trumps
Toy car
Joke book
Fruit (apple for one, raisins for the other as neither like satsumas)

Basically we go for age-appropriate low value items they can play with or use without help from us so we can go back to sleep.

I appreciate that's not so easy with younger children. I still always went with simple fun stuff what takes little effort - bouncy light up balls, pull back vehicles, small picture books etc.

I've cheated a little as I was given a playmobil catalogue when I bought the actual gift, but that's going in (we always had a magazine in ours).

Playmobil also sent a free character and DVD so I'm putting those in.

After that, I've seen some small things in Tiger such as sticky men you throw at the window and they roll down and a few other little things. Plus chocolate coins and a chocolate Santa.

I wrap a few bits and leave the rest.

It's actually illegal to do a Xmas stocking without a satsuma at the bottom (see Claus vs Reindeer, 1786).

Plus little games and Knick knacks, and unusual sweets like space dust.. Tiger is quite good for Xmas stocking presents.

To make it believable I would wrap the gifts (not the satsuma!) in some secret wrapping paper that only Santa could possibly have used, and also do the carrot and milk or brandy for Father Xmas and Rudolf... you can even make them glitter footsteps! ( if you want to be OTT like I did when DS was little).

Yeah maybe not space dust for a two year old! Definitely chocolate coins though.

Typically: novelty chocolates, fancy pen/pencils/erasers, clockwork toy, small game or puzzle like top trumps or jigsaw, stickers, bubble bath/soap, christmas biscuits, socks/pants, something that only Santa would bring (i.e. some tat I have previously refused to buy or something like a whoopee cushion), lego mini figures, hair bobbles, and a magazine (although that often doesn't fit and is just next to the stocking).

Chocolate coins
Chocolate orange
Pants
Socks
Yo-yo
Slime
Small tub of pringles
One or two cans of the mini Diet Coke
Popcorn
shower gel
Deodorant
Expanding face cloth
Mini Lego
Moon ball

Depends on how big the stocking is? Tip.. Don't get a huge one.

We got one that's too big.. Satsumas, chocolate orange, tubes of sweets, wind up toys, novelty toys! Stuff you would buy with pocket money, nice pens..

Tub of play dough
Bath bomb or fun soap
Small book
Lego figure
Pencil / pen / notebook
Fun socks
Hair accessories
Gloves
Light up ball / squishy toy
Choclate coins

Mg kids are older and get fun sized cereal, mini Pringles or some sort of sweetie treat

A satsuma, new toothbrush and toothpaste, socks, a bag of gold coins, hot wheels car, bath bomb, pencils and little notebooks.

Expanding flannel
Bath toys/fizzers/bombs
Novelty torch
Character toothbrush
Small colouring set
Play doh
Christmas clockwork toy

There's also a good thread about (stopping!) stockings in AIBU just now with some ideas, if anyone wants to link to it.

I posted in the Christmas section about this and got sone great responses.

I've got (from waterstones) wooden spinning top, wind up dinosaur, felt gingerbread man tree decoration.
Also, bath bomb, chocolate santa/reindeer, light up bouncy ball. White mice. Stickers.

Always a torch. My two love getting a torch every year!
Pens
Hair clip/bobbles
Notepad
Keyrings
Bubbles
Bath bombs
Sweeties
Playing cards

Mine are having a new water bottle each, bath bombs, chocolate, orange, a small toy like a car or play doh :)
possibly a small snow globe or toothbrush too

My dc are the same age as yours, they each have:

A small book
One of those surprise egg things
Small bottle of kids body lotion
A little keyring they can attach to the zip on their coat or school bag
Some wooden food for their toy kitchen
A cardboard crown with jewels to stick on it
A few chocolate coins

I will probably add a couple of other small things nearer the time if they 'ask Santa' for something.

I use secret Santa wrapping paper so they don't guess it's from me and I use a different type of wrapping paper for each child so I don't have to label it all. Some bits I leave unwrapped too, otherwise we would be there all day waiting for them to get all the paper off!

Thanks everyone, great ideas!! I'll definitely do a satsuma then, given it's a legal requirement 😂

Keep it simple, and to a formula, otherwise you overwhelm your kids, and make a stick for your own back.

So:

Something small to read - small book or a comic.

Something small to wear - in my family it was always pants or socks, so I do the same with DS and get him eg star wars themed boxers.

Something small to eat - apple and satsuma in the toe, nuts (for us it was always walnuts in shells, now I get DS a bag of his favourites, pistachios) and some chocolate coins. Add a small selection box for that traditional "feeling sick on xmas morning" vibe.

Something small to keep - eg a nice keyring.

I think it spoils it if it's laden with tat.

We normally squeeze a small book in there. Chocolate coins and satsumas are compulsory. Managed to find sugar mice one year. Harmonica, yo-yo, finger puppets. For a good few years dc1 was really happy with stocking presents and AMAZED that there were more presents under the tree.

Awww last year my ds was 2 and didn't really get Christmas so thought his stocking was everything he was getting so was over the moon to go into the living room and see all the sacks laid out for him and his sisters and my then bf.

This year he's more aware and is very excited about Christmas. It's going to be a great one this year.

Always chocolate coins and a satsuma (as a kid my DM would sometimes bulk it up with several satsumas...). This year 4yo DD1 will be getting a couple of Playmobil figures blind bags, Playmobil animals, and Sylvanian Families babies. 2yo DD2 will be getting a Sylvanian squirrel family split up and wrapped individually, plus some hotwheels cars. I'll pick up some hair bands/clips to add in too for both DCs.
They have fairly small stockings however as DD1's is my late DGF's old socks (which were used as my stockings as a DC too), and DD2's is DH's old football socks. Having a pair for each also means I can pre-stuff one sock and lay the other out on the bed for Father Christmas, leaving only a quick switcharoo to do as we wobble up to bed

Any ideas for teenage boys? I want to keep the tradition going but am struggling for inspiration. Have got some chocs and headphones. Will also get some silly socks but after that I’m stuck. Have bought smelly gift sets for wrapped presents.