What, exactly, are the 'stockings' in your house?

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When I was a child, we had actual socks. Knee high socks that would fit a 10-12 year old. The younger children borrowed said socks from the eldest. With hindsight, no doubt they got so stretched out of shape that they weren't much good afterwards, not that we thought about it at the time.
I have seen suggestions for 'stocking-fillers' that to my mind would be way too physically big.
Do most people now use shop-bought Santa stockings that can take much bigger stuff?
I guess there are advantages and disadvantages to each approach?

We had pillowcases as children so that's what I did with my own DC. Still do, even though they are adults.

We had homemade ones when we were kids with our initials embroidered on them
Not massive but bigger than an actual sock.
I made our family ones - everyone gets a stocking not just kids and we have spares for guests who don't have their own.

We had a pillowcase for our presents and one of my dads work socks each for our stocking.

it was great.

We didn't have stocking as children, we had pillowcase sized sacks with a mixture of presents and chocolate/toiletries etc. Presents from other relatives went under the tree as we were given them.

DS has a half pillowcase sized 'stocking' but in a different shape. I put what will fit in it then if his main present is bigger then under the tree.

I had an army sock of my dad's when I was very small, then when I got bigger, my mum made me a bigger one that could fit more in that was pretty much like the one my daughter has from a Christmas shop). I it from around 6 or 7 until I was a teen 😀

We used my dads walking socks, fighting over the longest ones of course.

As a child we had an actual pair of old tights with one leg turned inside the other. Not very attractive but still exciting.

now DS has a knitted ikea one that’s seen many years of service and dd has a fleece one that I made when we needed one for her.

Shop bought chunky sewn together sock shaped thing, just like I had as a child

I always think that some stocking filler ideas are outrageous either in size or value. To me, stockings are not for proper presents, they are for little silly novelty things. Like a kind of starter to take the edge off the ravenous excitement before parents have had a chance to come to!

Pillow cases here. We had 4 the same that matched a duvet. Kids took 1 each to their rooms. We filled the other 2 and swapped them when we went to bed.

My children wouldn’t have a clue what a ‘stocking’ is either ☺️

I never had a stocking when I grew up. Never thought about about it, as I had presents under the tree. I stayed with my uncle and au tva couple of times, no stockings or presents under the tree, we all had a large sack with our presents inside.

We now have xmas themed stockings and mini sacks here.

I agree, don't understand 'stocking fillers' over £10, that's a present.

It’s so funny how different families do things.

My Dad decided he would do stockings for the grandchildren at one point. No idea why. We used to stay with my parents for Christmas with DS and we would do a stocking for DS from Santa and then Dad thought he’d do it too! The grandchildren knew those stockings were from Grandad. It was all fine the first year when there were only three grandchildren and he could hang the stockings on the fireplace. He really regretted it by the time the 10th grandchild came along! The stockings had to move from the sitting room fireplace to be hung up the bannisters one year when there were about six grandchildren. After that he put some nails in the wall and tied on a washing line in a sitting room each year.

We must win most miserable Christmas. Never done stockings, or Christmas Eve boxes with new pyjamas and hot chocolate. No Elf on the Shelf.
No Christmas bedding and no Christmas Dinner.

But we still manage to have a nice time. 😄

Pillow case

Dad's fishing socks!
Just chocolate coins, a satsuma and one small present in the stocking here, rest gets opened after church (I think this is a bit mean but dh insists)

@Sparklingbrook we are exactly the same. No stockings, elf on the shelf, Christmas eve boxes or Christmas dinner. We put our tree up on Christmas eve day. We have a lovely Christmas and my children are early teens now and love it/choose to carry on the way we are.

No Christmas Dinner @Sparklingbrook??? The horror!

We had shop-bought knitted ones as children, my own children have just cheapy ones from the poundshop.
My mum (who still does me, aged 34, a stocking) has a rule that nothing in the stocking must cost over £2. So it's usually filled with things like a nice pen, nail file, bath bombs, lip balm, Terry's chocolate orange.

I do think you have to be careful what you start. I didn't think to start stockings having never had one as a child.

I like a low key Christmas, no massive expectations, a couple of family days and then the New Year. The DC always have always loved that it's open house at ours every Christmas Day and their friends can call round at any time as we're not tied to dinner. We just have a buffet that runs all day and anyone that calls in gets food.

Will be interesting to see what they do if they get married and have DC. If they meet someone who goes all out every Christmas they'll have to get used to it.

DD has one that is probably about the size of Santa’s boots. I had her name embroidered on it. With hindsight, I wish I’d chosen one with a wider neck, big enough to take a paperback book.

I know. I'm a monster

I think this is a non-problem. Father Christmas is more than capable of working it out and most children will be very happy with "upgrading" in the hope of bigger presents.

We have bought felt stockings. Big enough for stuff like gloves, water bottle, colouring pencils, the odd book but not too pressuring to fill. It gets harder as they outgrow toys.

As a kid I had a sack that was almost as big as me. My kids have purpose made stockings that are about the size of a pillow case