to be dreading stocking filler junk!

[DozeyRose]

I absolutely love Christmas, and since having children, have enjoyed buying lots of gimmicky toys and bits for their stockings. This is the first year, where I am actually dreading cluttering the house with cheap plastic toys (that to be fair, they never really play with once all the 'proper' presents have been opened)

I'm dreading it because a) quite frankly it's a waste of money as it's rarely used, b) because I've just de cluttered and given those type of toys to charity and school fair and c) my eldest (9), wouldn't have a need or interest in such things.

BUT, I can't bear to disappoint - it's a tradition!. I was thinking of trading the large sacks for those stocking sock type things. I can't not do the whole Santa thing, but I need to get creative and a little practical...

What would you put in a 9 year old boys stocking?

I try to avoid junk so DS will probably get:
Toothbrush
Simpsons socks
Football magazine
Top trumps
Choc coin
Pez sweet machine
Fortune telling fish - its the law in our house!
Whoopie cushion

There are a few bits of tat but not too much!

Story CD?

Oh and a book and DVD

it's a fabric stocking - Ikea I think

What about music, books, nice pens/paints? Pad it out with sweets and chocolate. Slippers or hat/gloves/scarf?

An annual of some kind, chocolate coins, pyjamas, socks, Toblerone or chocolate orange, new felt pens (good quality that will last), poster of the world or similar. Football socks?

I am terrible with the tat. They had a mankini in Primark for a fiver and I nearly got it today for DS1 (13) as a stocking filler because it would be funny for 5 minutes. I gave myself a slap and put it back.

I buy tat too.

Lol at the mankini

Ptangyang - what is a fortune telling fish and where do you buy one??

i hate tat.. i dont have th emoney to pay out for tat that will be forgotton about in 5 minutes/will break in the next hour.

SO

we dont do stockings. they have their own christmas tree in their room. which santa leaves the presents from him under.. each with their own different wrapping paper of course.

normally they each get a dvd. chocolate. a book, teddy and then a game to share.. this year it shall be doggy doo (im a little excited about that one)

i dislike tat

We do choccies, bath foams and sponges, socks, pants, toothbrushes, teddy bears and lots more choccies!!

Doggy doo is fantastic

A calendar, so that they will know that Christmas is in December not October.

I'm with you on the tat - after 17 years and three kids, I must have bought every piece of rubbish small enough to fit in a stocking there is going. I do always resist the racing grannies though; I kind of think, the Christmas they appear at the end of a bed, that's the year I'll give up.

It's never even worked as a sleeping in ploy, either - they've always brought their stockings in to our bed (which I do like, actually).

I hate plastic tat so Dds stocking has always been full of chocolate, I usually buy various Xmas chocolates ( smarties penguin, milky bar polar bear, buttons Xmas train) she gets enough proper gifts, she doest need loads of cheap ( but works out expensive) rubbish

Santa brings pants in our house. It's become so much of a tradition that dd(7) will specify the design in her letter to him. Plus other 'useful' things like socks/slipper socks, felt tips, hair bands etc. (I used to get blank cassettes from Santa - not sure what the equivalent is now? USB sticks?)

Spinds - a fortune telling fish costs probably 50p maximum from places like Hawkins Bazaar. It's a fish shaped bit of plastic that you put on your palm. How it 'reacts' means different things. If only the tail curls you're funny, if the head and tail meet you're friendly and if it flips over you're in love! I've made most of those up but you get the idea. All 3DCs get them every year and we still have a laugh with them

wonderingsoul- Is this instead of stocking plus they get other gifts to open after, or is this their mains? Like the idea of a tree in their bedroom.

WHOOOOOS---- im hoping so.. its so utterly gross that my kids will LOVE it lol. can see plenty of giggle fits from that one.

We put all the essential clothing items in their stocking (or nearby - they don't all fit) - pants, socks, pjs along with books, art supplies for the year and other stuff that we would buy anyway through the year. No absolute tat but a couple of fun things-last year they had glide in the dark stars for their ceilings and ds had a plastic dinosaur.

DOZEY---this is instead of a stocking. the presents from me and others are kept under the tree in the living room.

I saw spreadable marshmallow fluff tonight in the supermarket... They might get some of that

Ptangyang- ooh I'm definitely getting some of those! I love tat!

Trills - I'm afraid I'm one of those annoyingly early Xmas shoppers. Can't bear the panic rush in December!!

I do a big traditional lollipop, funky pants, a book, chocolate coins, something like hex bug or whatever the latest fad is. Felt tips and colouring pencils.

The pound shop is your friend!

I can't do tat, we had just enough money to manage as children, no spare. Birthdays and Christmas were one big thing you really wanted.