Stocking fillers - what does Santa put in your DC's stockings?

[IamFartacus]

I'm desperately looking for inspiration for Santa. He is on a budget this year, so wants stuff that's relatively cheap, but fills up a stocking. Any help much appreciated!

Hawkins bazaar is brilliant for things like this, as is primark for socks/pants/purse/jewellery/general tat that kids seem to love ;)

Plus if you leave it till the week before xmas everything is reduced and you can pick up some bargains that way- I managed to get some brilliant things in Argos last year for a few pounds- how old are your dc?

They are 11,9, and 7. 2ds's and 1dd. Would like to have the nerve to leave it to the last week, but I don't think I have. Primark sounds good, think we have a Hawkins nearby. Will check them out. Thanks.

I love Hawkins for stocking fillers, I also like BHS too they do some good little bits n bobs.

I try and get stuff that would have been replaced anyway, then just a few silly bits -

toothbrush and paste
new flannel
knickers
socks
hair brush or bobbles etc
bubble bath or bath bombs
fortune telling fish
chocolate coins and choc orange
bag of dried fruit
mini boxes of cereal
a jar of Nutella and/or Marmite
baby pots of jam, honey etc
those sets that make a tree grow out of crystal fluffy stuff
sponge

chocolate coins
tooth brush
bubbles
Socks
Hair bands
candy canes

I get useful bits plus a few other things, this year will roughly be;

Toothbrush-novelty type that they wouldn't normally get
Bubble bath-as above
Knickers/Socks or vests
Book-bought at Bootfair in the summer
Chocolate something or other
Game-my mum always put a little game in, something to keep us busy when we woke at stupid o'clock. My dc are little(6 and 3) so haven't done this before but will see what I can find this year
Sparkly stone-someone on here suggested it,dd has a little collection now and loves them

Last year I collected little bits for dd from bootfairs(dd's are much easier to buy little bits for) and I had too much I still have some bits in boxes and might use them this year

Oh and ds loves Ben 10 and I've picked up the aliens on ebay so might put one or two in his stocking

DS is a bit younger, but last year we did:

Pencils, crayons
Toothbrush
Chocolate coins
Juggling balls (these were a specific request)
Woolly hat and gloves
Cars
Satsuma

pencils/crayons/rubbers/rulers/pens etc
little notebooks
chocolate and sweets
magazine
DH work freebies last year: slinkies, stress balls, pink and yellow post it note pads, detachable cube thing ( all have his company name on, DC aren't bothered/interested )
Stitch toy ( from Lilo and Stitch - tradition here - buy cheap on eBay prior to Nov )
GoGos/Match Attax
Stickers
Flannels
Little tins/containers

Candy canes
Jelly beans (ds1)
Chocolate anything christmassy (ds2....would live on exclusively choc diet if allowed!)
Chocolate coins
Top trumps
Lollipops
Book
Toy figures (will be mini Lego this year)
CDs
DVD

Most things aren't wrapped but I always try to find some very old-fashioned/traditional paper to wrap up some items - any design I think looks like it may have come from Santa's workshop :)

Thought of a few more - probably more for teenage girls (since this is what I have!)

Cinema voucher

Muji sell gorgeous little keyrings with tiny notebooks on them - dd1 uses them for revision and they are less than a pound

new Berol felt tips and new sketching pencils/pastels

eyemake up remover and cotton wool

shampoo and conditioner - slightly better quality than the normal stuff!

lip balm

for littlies

bubbles

those drawing things that you write on with a plastic stick and then pull across to delete

a balloon (blown up) with something inside eg a pound coin, a tiny plastic animal, a hair slide

pipe cleaners and googly eyes for crafting

origami paper (Muji again)

In fact Muji have lots of tiny, cheap stationery stuff

Mini cans of fizzy drink, where these are treats
packs of mini jaffa cakes, choc chip cookies etc
instant hot choc sachets
magic expanding facecloth
novelty pens, pencils, erasers and sharpeners
stickers
badges
comic

socks
pants
gloves
toothbrush
toothpaste
jar of chocolate spread
felt tip pens
notebook
chocolate coins

anything else I have found in the reduced section of shops throughout the year and kept to put in the stockings

I am loving some of these ideas. My boys are 7 and 3, so far from here I have added to my list:

pants
toothbursh
choc coins
mini cereal - they will love that
small car
expanding facecloth

One I have thought I may do is a mini torch, as they love that kind of thing too

Torch is a brilliant idea for little ones.

Little bags of marbles
A giant dice
Tiddly winks
Pick up sticks game
Gel pens always go down well with girls of about 3 to 17 (just that the quality needs to get better the older they get)
Paperchase always have lovely, quite cheap, book marks, tiny highlighters etc

Don't your DC scoff all the chocolate spread in milliseconds, spoiling chances of eating anything decent quality the rest of the day? And don't fizzy drinks get spilled everywhere? Don't the bubble bath/pots of jam/honey get fiercely fought over between siblings?

DD will get a cheap charm bracelet in her stocking this year, that's as far as I've got for figuring out the 4 of them .

m and s had 25% off toys and stuff, they had some other cool things too like make your own planes for £1 but couldn't find them on the website.

Also they have 3 for 2 on stuff lots of stocking fillers that might be worth it if on offer?

So far I have:

DS1 (4)

A disney music cd I got second hand this morning for £1
A Ladybird book on castles £1.99

DS2 (2 the week before Christmas)

A couple of pontipines (also second hand and immaculate)
A mini set of books about Christmas £1 from TK Maxx

I will also be getting:

Scented playdough
A flannel, novelty toothbrush, bubble bath etc
Pencils/felts
Shrinkies (you know, those things you colour in and put in the oven)
A magazine
Tricks/games from local toyshop

My dds have never scoffed all of their chocolate spread/coins etc before dinner - but they always (even now as teens) ask before they eat anything anyway.

Love the idea of mini jam pots being fought over - so far they haven't been! :)

How big are your kids' stockings?

DS gets nothing. He doesn't have a stocking.

We use a pillowcase

apple and satsuma, obviously!
chocolate coins
card games
books
underwear (this seems a popular choice
gloves/mittens
bubble bath
jewellery
magic tricks
purse/wallet
twirly drinking straws
mugs
whatever they have asked Father Christmas for, and they are only allowed to ask him for something small - last year a Hello Kitty soft toy (DD) and a couple of lego figures (DS)

Not all of that - a selection!

I made the DC's stockings when DD was born. They are about 60cm long I suppose. And stocking shaped. Not big enough for a plate, as was discovered one year...

DS aged 7 never spilt his fizzy drink because he used to save it for later. But he was always a late riser, so he used to bring his stocking to our room. Obviously, you judge whether your DC will fight over or make a mess, but you warn them in advance that all the stuff will be taken away and that will be the end of stockings for Christmas evermore if they do!

I gather you don't entirely trust your DC with a lot of edibles in their stockings ragged! Well don't include them, or do include them and supervise stocking opening.

I had a boyfriend whose family didn't do stockings. He said they used to have a 'bed present' instead, basically just a present at the end of the bed, and all the others downstairs under the tree. My first husbands family used to have a 'Christmas tree' present each on Boxing Day in addition to stockings and presents on Christmas Day. I guess if stockings are getting to be a pain and expensive, you might just as well get one good present for the price of all those stocking fillers. I suppose it depends what you're used to.

Mine get between 10 and 15 presents in their stockings, I guess - but that does include separating the mini cereals out etc na dthen cheapo stuff like the cotton wool, nail varnish remover etc! And as I said, it's either stuff they need anyway or stuff that we'd probably buy as a treat at Christmas anyway (eg it's the only time I ever buy Nutella), so it's not quite as mad/extravagent as it may have sounded.

My parents still did stockings for me ( and I for them ) until DS was 2! [hblush]

My Dad is exceptional at buying tat. He loves it. I get him to get some for the DC now.

My DC (4 and 7 tomorrow...sob)always ask before they scoff the choc. They both understand the concept of feeling sick from eating too much and also once its gone its gone. They do that sibling thing like me and my sister used to do, make it last and then goad the one thats finished with your secret stash.....

They have biggish stockings that must be crammed full with gifts poking out the top - to me Christmas is about excess and abundance. Numbver of gifts depends on size of gifts but probably about 15 or so each.