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

We use stockings to buy us more time on Christmas morning.

We put snacks like a clementine, nuts, chocolate and dried fruit in there along with a magazine, sometimes a book, and crafty bits- for SD we put little craft kits she can do independently, DD is a bit young for that yet.

When they wake up at some ungodly hour they can sit in bed reading the magazine and doing the craft activities, eating the snacks for breakfast, until everyone else is ready to get up and go downstairs for the "big presents".

These TISSUES are adorable and I am definitely getting some to go in the stockings.

(I was supposed to quote a post about advent calendars but I lost it)

I was about to rant about how it’s just cardboard and tiny bits of chocolate but I guess it makes “sense” as all chocolate has doubled or tripled in price.

Chocolate prices soar as UK inflation stays at highest in over a year

It all depends on who the stocking is for, doesn't it?

Have you tried the M and S ones? Not the liqueur ones (also good) but ones in a sealed bag.

They are great.

At first I thought the shelf below was Hello Kitty sanitary pads. I guess why not ...

I think they're wipes (like baby or make-up remover).
But if Hello Kitty sanitary pads existed I'd be tempted to buy them 😂😂

If I had young children now, or even teens; I think I'd buy an Advent calendar that can be used year to year and fill it myself. Then you could do chocolates, gum, a small toy, perfume samples (teen girl or boy) and different things of your own imagination.

I looked at advent calendars for S&G and the prices were "whoa Nelly!".

Wow. I thought our stockings were extravagant! Most things cost circa £1 each in the stockings and I have always felt that was expensive. I have a 3 year old DS and a 13 year old DSD. I’m going to stop feeling guilty now. They always get some sweets. A few fun things like bubbles for the little one. Some novelty pens. Silly things.

We have painted a wooden one from hobbycraft for our toddler and we put in little cards with activities we will do on the day as well as a little chocolate or toy car. They are amazing.

No.1 buy smaller stockings for those over 14
No 2 I try and make some presents more "useful" so fav body wash and shampoo, socks, maybe paid of gloves/hat/scarf, a book to read - ie novel, then smaller things maybe stationery of some sort, if they have a car something for that that is small, but yes for the most part its smaller things = I tend to buy over the months running up to Christmas mostly in the supermarket shop so I can spread the costs

YANBU. I can’t understand people moaning about the cost of Christmas when they openly admit to spending £100s on the blooming stockings! Admittedly we are relatively low key with gift giving as our children get a lot throughout the year in the way of expensive sports kit and school trips etc, and even though we could afford more, I personally don’t like to make Christmas all about the presents and materialism. In our house only children get stockings, and they contain about 10 small gifts, one of which is a satsuma, another is something chocolatey ( a 99p bag of chocolate coins for example). They also often get a toothbrush (and some deodorant now they are pre teens!), and then a few tiny things like a secondhand book, a fun pen, some Christmassy socks / boxers, a pack of Pokemon cards etc.

Each to their own - I probably spend more on my DCs stockings than the presents under the tree. I'd say £100 - £150 on each stocking (DC are now adults) and then about the same under the tree.

This is a stupid example that actually disproves your point.

The title of the link is Luxury.

Then the title of the page is:

The best stocking fillers for those with exceptional taste

and it goes on to mention:

The little luxuries that prove bigger doesn’t always mean better at Christmas

So it’s specifically small but luxury items ie high end, expensive, premium, £££. do you know what luxury means and what luxury suggests about the demographic?

Off topic, but this is the first year I have felt it hasn't started earlier. I start to stock up the (shelf stable) Christmas stash around this time usually, and it feels like there are fewer options out in the shops than previous years as the aisles are so full of Halloween stuff.

YANBU OP

Years ago I had a fried from work, I was renting and she still lived at her parents. She bought a book, new release so hard back, and when I said “that’s a nice present” she said - oh no, it’s just something for a stocking - I nearly chocked on my wine.

My children are adults and they still get the same stuff as when they were younger. So it’s chocolates, a pair of festive socks and maybe a puzzle or something small to put together like Lego. Whenever I suggest that they’re too old for them they keep at me until I promise to do them. They seem to really like them and their partners do, too. Any expensive ‘stocking fillers’ are wrapped as gifts and under the tree with the rest. You don’t have to cave in to pressure if you establish what you do as your family’s tradition for stockings, presents etc. It is easier if you do this when they’re younger but it’s never too late to set the rules.

Too right! "People go along with it."

Idiots go along with it.

The new pandemic in the UK is stupidity. Phones at £1500. Internet and TV at £90/month.

What can we get for the kids this year? Ha ha ha!

I don’t necessarily think the look of the book is a great indicator of cost/disposable income. Some hardcover books do cost like £80-100. But most are in the £30 range, even brand new and gorgeous ones. It’s not necessarily budget friendly for everyone but I think the average person could probably stretch to giving one as a stocking gift.

This is all relative isn’t it. What is a fortune to one family is small change to the more wealthy. There are no rules. Children know only too well what is likely to be affordable in their family. Chosen with care and thought is the answer. (But to me the stocking is just fun, silly things…)

"Hello Kitty!" sanitary pads sound quite appropriate really...

IPMSL !

Good for you. Or not, if you really couldn’t afford £30 for a gift at Christmas. That’s pretty sad, actually.

We live on a budget and i don’t like to buy just for sake of it. Stockings for my older 2 are usually deodorant, shower gel, pack of pens, tube of sweets, hot chocolate packets. Will usually get them a book, box of nice chocolates, something that’s useful liek last year they got ninja drink bottle and then money but they prefer transferred int account so started getting nice card and writing enjoy £X amount. Or they might ask for some shoes/trainers and il let them order and then wrap box up. I put some money away each pay day towards christmas

I just put sweets in the stocking - bag of chocolate coins in the toe, tube of their favourites in the leg and a few Christmas themed sweets to pad it out - but they don't get to open them until after dinner.