It’s not a fucking stocking filler!

[YesJs]

I’m getting sick of gift guides with ‘stocking fillers’ that are around £15-20.

‘Perfect stocking filler for a teen’ says Glamour of a £25 lip balm kit. GQ, recommends a Stockings contain at least 10 presents - more likely about 15-20. Therefore (unless you’re super rich) they need, by nature, to be much cheaper than this.

I earn good money, I wouldn’t spend upwards of £250 on a stocking BEFORE the main presents. AIBU

Advanced night repair

What the hell will teen skin be needing as they age if they are already on the repair creams 😆

Absolutely this! Tend to be consumables/nicer versions of everyday things, so hot chocolate stirrers, m&s chocolate etc but also cheap bits from home bargains like a Santa showers loofah, a Christmas shower gel.

My stocking fillers are the stuff they haven't asked for. Something to eat, something to read, something to wear, something they need.

But agreed yes, stonkingly large real presents are shown and normal presents are described as stocking fillers. Ah, capitalism and over consumption!.

Agreed, sensible but useful stuff and not too pricey either

I used to have that trouble with my DS and DD. That's when I started with snacks, Hot Wheels, Pokeman cards, little cans of Pringles, small boxes/bowl containers (individual serving size) of cereal, punch balls, etc.

My DD, from a young age, loved Lip Smackers, hair do-dads, socks, bracelets, etc. When she fot to tween/teen, it was makeup, toiletries and my son's (10 years younger) would look just sad. It was good though, because it made me think of things that were not girly, because that was hard for me to do for some reason. They are grown and I still have a harder time with the guys, except for the food.

My Dc are late teens and love their stocking. I don’t like buying for the sake of buying so use their stocking for things like socks, deodorant, hair gel, stationary, charging cables, costa or pret cards. Plus the obligatory choc orange and coins.

Yes cans of Pringles are my takeaway from this thread. It's a brilliant thought - and the long ones are just the right shape to stop it flopping.

My two sons (29 and 17)insist on a Lynx Gift Set as a stocking filler.

Have you ever tried shoving a LGS into the top of a stocking that's too small for it? Father Christmas turns a bit potty-mouthed during the process, especially if she's had a little drink beforehand.

Thank God for chocolate coins and satsumas. I don't think they'd be too keen on mascaras and lippies tbh.

😂

let me win the lottery quickly and I get back to you on that one!

We always include a bit of 'tat' the wind up/pull back toys for instance.. they last a while and they get loads of fun out of them. The lego figures are kept as we're a lego family and they are on display around the house.

Mostly its stuff like Stationary, pens, pencils, erasers, bit of chocolate, a gift card. It's not 'tat' in the sense its useless and will just go in the bin 2 days later... it's 'tat' in the sense its inexpensive.

Totally agree. My stockings are £20 max(5 or 6 small items including chocolate or sweets) If something costs £25, it gets wrapped as a main present.

If it fits it’s a stocking filler. My girls aren’t teens yet, the most expensive item any of mine (they all get the same for stockings) are getting this year is £8ish for some fancy colouring pencils. Followed by fluffy socks which I just ordered for £3. Everything else is 50p-£2. I don’t think there’s an issue with having one more pricey item in the stocking? Personally I wouldn’t do more than 1 due to finances but I couldn’t waste energy getting upset at people who do. For all you know it’s a more expensive stocking filler but less expensive under tree.

we are only 9 days into October and yes I do appreciate that many people want and need to get an early start but I am already sick of the following:

Boo Baskets for Halloween, what the actual fuck is this latest US import other than yet more pressure to buy tat

Trimming up the whole house for Halloween, more tat destined for landfill, what is wrong with a pumpkin light and a few fairy lights?

Beaury Advent calendars for well over £100

Matching family pyjamas for Christmas

Christmas Eve boxes another what the actual fuck

And we have the "premiers" of M and S, Sainsburys, Asda and John Lewis Christmas ads to go as well.

I appreciate that I sound full on Scrooge but I have had three bereavements this year and to say I am dreading Christmas is an understatement, all the jollity will make our pain more intense, all I want to do is take to my bed and wake up when it is over. At the moment I feel haunted by Christmases past and the people I have lost

Anything small enough to fit into a stocking is a stocking filler!

A lot of those lists are (poorly) disguised ads or affiliate links now, so if some people who weren't aware of the product or wouldn't have thought to buy it to put in a stocking do, that's a win for the author/publisher. Other readers might use the list for ideas and inspiration - for example, this thread has reminded me that I have a 10-pack of assorted flavoured Peeps lip balms I got on clearance at TK Maxx for £2 (packaging was ripped, but not opened - blister part still intact) that can get split up and go in stockings. Now I just have to decide who gets stuck with the "Grape Marshmallow Cream"! 😈

I know someone who did that - a friend of my parents. Only they hung the key on the Christmas tree and no-one could find it. They had to wait till the needles were dropping before they found it and there had been a lot of cursing and stress by that point.

That is what my mum used to do for me, I loved it, the best part of Christmas as far as I was concerned, she used to put them all in a Christmas gift bag and add things like tights and a glossy mag when I got into my teens.

My friend's MIL brought them all matching family pjs when she came to stay for Christmas. Unfortunately they were the figure-hugging stretch design that looks cute on dc - not so much on friend and her DH! She said they were stretched over her bust with a big Rudolf eye on each breast.

When I was a teen my mum did stocking fillers of all the stuff I needed but did not necessarily ask for. So I would get supermarket or boots branded nail varnish remover, makeup pads, eye makeup remover, shower gel, facewipes, socks, wooly gloves, deodorant, cotton buds, foundation pads etc.
Anything branded or gift sets were main presents like if it was a perfume gift set or branded nailvarnish or expensive mascara that would be for main presents.
I liked it as I still got a big pile of stuff to open that would last me a few months and a few special bits a really wanted.

Yes I’m the same, I just can’t justify buying cheap tat. I buy things that are wanted or needed. I don’t do stockings though. I just do 2 big gifts and the several medium and small sized gifts

We do cheap stockings so chocolate, socks, lip balm, shower gel, pens/pencils, book . We do a Xmas eve box which has a family game, small Lego/gingerbread house popcorn, hot chocolate, marshmallows and pjs. It used to include a dvd but now we just steam a film :)

In our house that could just about be. Dd from Father Christmas (but us obviously) gets her stocking and 2 or 3 main presents under the tree. Her stocking has smaller gifts from her list in.

Despite the name it’s not really got any particularly potent ingredients - lots of hyaluronic acid and emollients and no alcohol/acids/fragrance so has been really great for her sensitive skin and one of the few things that seems to stop her getting blotchy / a rash.

so I treat her to it in her stocking 🤷‍♀️

IMO the stocking is what they're allowed to have in their bedrooms, to open at soft o'clock when they wake up, to hopefully buy parents a bit of time. So you want it to be something like chocolate coins, a book, a puzzle book and pen, or similar. Anything that will keep them occupied for a bit! Not full on, expensive presents.

I once gave my (adult) nephew loo rolls as a daft gift, the rolls had the poo emoji all over them. He was thrilled with them. I did give him a proper present as well.

When my daughter lived at home her stocking was stickers, pretty pen, pony book or comic and chocolate coins, contents changed slightly when in her teens to body spray, diary, chocolate coins and a pony book.

The skincare company I use frequently send me sample size items so I usually bundle those up for my daughter along with a couple of good hand creams and chocolate coins.
Daughter now has her own real life ponies 🤪