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 son is 13 and we are putting in guitar picks, a wallet, a nice pen or two, smelly stuff, hair gel, iTunes gift card, chocs etc

By law, Christmas stockings must contain:
A satsuma in the toe
Gold chocolate coins here and there down the stocking
Rolls of paper streamers here and there in the stocking
A cracker poking out of the top
A Lindt Father Christmas poking out of the top
A blown up balloon on a piece of ribbon tied around the stocking
A musical instrument of some sort eg mouth organ or bazooka

Wrap all the gifts up carefully and thoroughly with sellotape covering every join of paper. This might seem unnecessary and time consuming but you can do it whenever you've got a few spare moments. It will mean that on Christmas morning you will get a few extra precious minutes of sleep, before excited children wake you up!
Decide beforehand which socks they are going to hang up, preferably some that they have a few similar ones of, so you can take one away without them noticing. Fill the stocking when the children are out of the way, then when safely asleep, creep in and swap the filled sock for the empty one.

You will get as much fun out of it as the children do!

A can or bottle of a favourite soft drink fits nicely and ideal for teenagers.

Satsuma is the law although FC knows that DD2 doesn't like them and prefers an apple.

Chocolate orange, chocolate coins, vegetarian candy cane (those bastards mainly cochineal ), bags of mars bites, Maltesers, buttons, tube of smarties/jelly tots, maybe a nice or novelty pen, and usually a soft toy sticking out of the top. Essentially 99% edible.

I like the idea of a can of pop. I’ve also just ordered a couple of cheap phone cases off EBay.

Pyjamas/onesie
Slippers
Book
Board game/puzzle
Character shower gel (lynx for 10-year old )
Chocolate coins
Selection box
Small toy

3 and 5yos are each getting:

Chocolate freddo things
Unicorn chocolate coins
Huge butterfly wing costume
Fake beard
Reindeer wand (glow in the dark)
Sparkly playdoh
Blopens
Crown
Notebook
Toothbrush
Rubber
Keyring
Bird flier thing
Felt tips
Tangerine (obvs)

1yo has:

Wooden vehicles
Bath toy
Kaleidoscope
Dragon wings
Toothbrush
Chocolate
Tangerine

When preschoolers we always did

• bath toy
• a melmaline cup
• magic flannel
• toothbrush
• a musical toy mummy & daddy would hate (train whistle, duck noise thing, maracas)
• packs of stickers
• scheilch animals
• some craft thing
• satsuma, chocolate coins
• a cuddly toy peeking out the top

Satsuma (tried to stop it one year and got an outcry)
Pants
Pyjamas
Socks
Toothbrush
A book
A DVD (sometimes)
Chocolates (the big tubes of smarties are ideal for stockings)
Stationary for school
Nice felt tips
Dressing gown
Slippers
A game
A soft toy
Gloves/hat (if needed)
A couple of small fun things (like a craft set)

Looks a huge amount when they bring it out, but actually most of the stuff they would need to get anyway. They've even had school uniform in it when they've needed it. It's another thing to open and it gets a laugh.
I discussed a few years ago about only doing the fun things and getting them the other stuff when they needed it, and they objected fairly strongly.

I would love to see the size of some of these stockings

Book
Pinball game
Dolls Sweet shop tins
Christmas socks
Posh pens
Lip glosses
Lindt reindeer
Chocolate coins

Chocolate coins
pants and / or socks
Sometimes a hair brush and/or hair bobbles
Sometimes something like swimming goggles that they need
Something like a notebook or some gel pens tho perhaps not at 4 and 2
I've given things like a 'character' flannel, rather than the plain ones they'd have at another time of year before now too.
As they got older nice 'smellies'

Jeepers, FC would need a trailer on his sleigh for some of these. Stockings are for the little fun things here to have on waking up, and anything bigger or more expensive goes under the tree to open later on.

@SheWhoDaresGins2 me too! A onsie and slippers in a stocking??

Are people using sacks/pillowcases instead of stockings?

Underwear, stationary, bath stuff... I've done these things since the children were babies, and now they're teens, they still get them. I now chuck in things like deodorant too.

And then rubbish. I used to trawl charity shops and find soft toys for 50p or so, often with labels still attached. They filled up the pillow slip stocking effectively. Going back a few years I added videos. I also give books. Now the children are older, I tend to buy a new book, but when they were the age of your children, I'd give charity shop books (notice a theme here ) - any names written in them were the names of the elves, who'd obviously read them first.

Nice presents came from parents. I didn't see why F. Christmas should get the credit for them.

For little ones it was something like -
Chocolate coins
Satsuma
Colouring things
Book
Silly hairband or glasses etc
Matey colour change bubble bath of spray soap
Pjs
Underwear
A little polystyrene plane or bird to fly around the bedroom
Gloves
Something noisy like a kazoo.

Now they are young adults it’s -
Scent/aftershave
Underwear
Magazine
Book
Pens/stationary
Tights or socks
Cinema or restaurant vouchers
£50 note
Makeup
A piece of Jewellry or cuff links
Silly Christmas hat or boppers or glasses
Silly puzzle

A £50 note in a stocking?? Fucking hell. Do they get other presents too?

So far Ive got chocolate satsumas, chocolate coins, and a little 'scary animal in a box.

I used to put a tube of Rowntrees pastilles in as DS didnt eat chocolate

I know it sounds a lot but they’re just starting out buying houses etc and we help them anyway so might as well fill a stocking with happiness. We couldn’t afford many luxuries when they were younger so now we can it’s nice to indulge them.

Yes they get other presents too. I do stockings and their father does the main presents. Usually useful things. The first list to arrive this year is from our youngest - Duoboots (?), a black leather backpack, flights for boyfriend to visit her, a new cabin bag, a woolly hat with speakers etc so all quite sensible things.

A whole lot of sweets and chocolates with a few little presents picked up from the pound store. And a pack of underwear and socks.

• Satsuma
• Chocolate Coins
• a couple of cheap tat presents
• some bath stuff (usually purchased as a gift set, opened, and then each item painstakingly wrapped)

They’re basically something for the kids to open when they wake up at the crack of dawn so that they don’t come and wake you up quite so early, so anything that will keep them distracted 😂

Oh yes, chocolate satsumas - I'd forgotten you can get those. Where did you find them this year, Oldraver? They'd go well with our chocolate sprouts and tool kits.

Satsuma
Chocolate coins
Christmas cracker
Maybe socks or knickers
Bubbles
A book

We will be giving our was (age 7 and 5):

Choc coins
Choc orange
Little lockable notebook
Colouring pencils
Finger skateboard
Lego keyring
2 x tiny craft kits
Satsuma

@TwistedChristmas unless the people are the size of borrowers I struggle to fathom out how half if the stuff would fit in a stocking. I mean. A stocking is for little gifts or have times changed?

We have lovely felt stockings that my MIL made for the kids. They are about the size of an adult welly boot. This year:

Dd, 10
Dork diaries book (£6.99)
Scratch art (£2.50)
Fluffy bed socks (£3)
Fancy shower gel (£2)
Packet of jelly bellies (£3)
Primary tshirt (£3)

DS, 8
National geographic infopedia (£5)
Fancy shower gel (£2)
Moon ball (£5)
Captain underpants book (£5)
Packet of jelly bellies (£3)
A small squashy toy (£3)
Primark tshirt (£3)

Some of this stuff the would have possibly got anyway ( books tshirt) and some of it is what they may have got but nicer ( shower gel, sweeties)