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?

Pillow case growing up and following the tradition with my children growing up.

Although we used a pillow case it didn't have masses of stuff. There would always be chocolate money (because that was the first present DS1 remembered, fancy socks (because Thomas the Tank socks were the first present DS2 remembered), a selection box, new PJs, a book and something small and silly. It was just easier to swap matching pillow cases than faff with a stocking.

Swapping for ready stuffed ones is inspired!

This is why I loved having my dad's old football socks. The weird shapes were so much fun to wake up to.

We had my dad’s old stockings - no longer in use. I discovered when I was older that there was actually a pair of each so that we could put one at the end of ours beds and DM & DD could stuff the other in peace and the swap then round.

This is why we were always guided to choose a pillowcase from a double bed set, my parents used to say they were bigger but really it's so they could an easy switcheroo with the pillowcase twin!

As mentioned upthread, we do the 'stockings come in pairs swaparoo' too - it's so simple but so few seem to do it. I still remember the day approaching DD1's first Xmas when my DM handed over my stocking bundled up and asked if I knew how I never caught her filling it - "Stockings come in pairs 😉" I was 30, had had a stocking every year up to that point and had never twigged!
There needs to be a manual given to all new parents with these sorts of tips, because often by the time you hear about it, it's too late to implement. See also: buying a duplicate the moment your child chooses a favourite cuddly, and then rotating them for equal wear and... erm... bouquet 😬

We had a pillowcase and one of dad's socks. Did the same for my children until my Nan knitted a sock in Xmas colours for each of them. Still use them now and my kids are in their 30's. Beauty of them and dad's socks were they didn't hold much. Like others, a satsuma, chocolate coins, tube of sweets and a very small toy. The pillowcase held all their presents. There usually was one 'big' (main) present under the tree.

We had pillowcases as children and my children have pillow case sized hessian sacks. My DH's Mum similarly uses his old pillowcase for the Grandchildrens presents, could it be regional? We call them santa sacks and did as kids too.

We had a pair of my mums old tights each. Each leg ended up about 6ft long😂 They were filled with a satsuma in each toe and then comics, little toys like snap cards and bouncy balls and then chocolate and sweets. Kept us busy upstairs from about 3am until a more adult friendly time of 5.30am to go downstairs and see the big santa presents🎄🎅😄

@Peridot1 Does anyone as old as me remember vintage christmas stockings these?. We had these a few times. They were full of little cheap toys etc.

I don't remember these but my mum used to tell me about having a net stocking (in the 20's) and one of the gifts inside was a miniature filled net stocking. I always wanted to see one of these.

When I was little we had pillowcases at the end of the bed - these were for all presents except the ones from immediate family, which were under the Christmas tree.
When we were all very small the pillowcase presents had to be opened in bed with daddy and mummy, somthat they could note whomhad given us what for thank you letter purposes. As we got older we were allowed to open on our own, but HAD to remeber who had given us what - for thank you letters!

A few years ago I crotched the stockings but the heels went weird. Then I bought some but they were incredibly large. Finally I have some that look normal and are not too big. Initials on them for each child. I have kept the previous ones. I should crochet the youngest one and just use those. Slightly odd looking socks, but made by mum

We had my mum's tights one leg each. Always a satsuma at the toe, chocolate, bubble bath and little other items only costing £1 or £2 each. The tights always stretched and laddered but loved opening them sitting on mum and dad's bed and then trying to put everything back in ready to drag down the stairs. My two have shop bought lovely identical stocking that's don't fit as much in but always contain a satsuma and choc.

These are ours. Children did start off with tights but we decided on these so we can add less but items that cost a little bit more so less things that just get left.

I was scrolling down a bit too fast and misread this as “we had a thimble for our presents” 😆

As children we had the half a leg of tights each. My children have ones like these (jellycat bunny for scale)

Dad's socks.

These days we have shop bought ones.

I had an actual Christmas stocking - ie something with Santa etc on it. Made out of cotton not wool. Wasn't huge but I loved finding it on my bed in the morning.

Made my own for DS. Cotton stocking in Christmas fabric.l with elves on. Bigger than a sock but smaller than a pillowcase.

Extortionate personalised Etsy numbers which are hand knitted and I didn't notice came from the US until I'd ordered them 😱. The faff and even MORE expense to get them through customs was crazy. I was sleep deprived and manic with DD's first Christmas fast approaching!!

They are, however, one of my favourite ever things and will hopefully be family heirlooms.

We had pillowcases, a different one for each sibling. It wasn't until I was an adult that it dawned on me that pillowcases come in pairs so it made it much easier for Santa to pre-fill the matching case and swap it over quickly.

Our children have personalised drawstring bags which hold about as much as a pillowcase. Sadly they do not come in matching pairs so Santa has to work more quickly!

I made some, when my children were young, out of felt. Cross stitched their names on. We still use those. Same with jute sacks.

I never had a stocking as a child, just a sack.