How much goes in the stockings?

[FreakoidOrganisoid]

I always go way overboard Buying all the little bits is my favourite part though.

Mine always get:
Satsuma
Choc coins
Festive friends
Bubble bath
Soap
Toothbrush
Tree decoration
A Christmassy chocolate figure

Then a few bits of tat- bouncy ball, polystyrene glider, grow your own dinosaur, fortune telling fish, disco duck, racing snails etc. (dd told me a few weeks ago these bits were her favourite part of xmas)

A small present (this year slushy cups and syrup)
A main present that's not THE main present dd- password journal, ds- Lewis Hamilton car.

They don't get books from Father Christmas as books are the one thing I will agree to buying them through the year- FC is all about giving them the stuff I say no to! Apart from toothbrushes and satsumas obviously.

Oh and this year they also have santa egg cups as dd saw them and begged me for one but I said no I'm not bloody buying an egg cup you'll use on one day of the year.

So come on, tell me it's hardly anything and my children are not spoilt brats

[youarewinning]

My DS has a 'sack'. Its not as big as it sounds but he's always had it since his first xmas and so loves it.

I put the presents from 'santa' in there.

Usually tat here too! Also chocolate, last year he had an electric toothbrush, maybe socks and boxers. Lego minifigures, annual (this years is Where's Stig wheres wally stylee!

This year he's getting some disco lights that go in the bath!

These presents are wrapped from santa and then he has a main present and maybe a few smaller things from me under the tree.

Presents from mum, dad and siblings are always at my mums and we go there for xmas dinner.

[Nerfmother]

Erm, where can I get bath disco lights...?

[Splatt34]

As I had when I was little DD has one of her dads big woolly socks on her bed and then we all have a fancy (embroidered by my mum) stocking on the fire place downstairs. I think this started when we lived in the states when I was little. open upstairs one in our room with a cup of tea.

We always got new crayons, bubble bath, colouring/puzzle books, stamps, pens, chocolate, satsuma, £1 coin. Infact my mum still makes up stockings at her house for adults and children which pretty much still ccontain the same things (including the £1 coin - I'm not sure she's heard of inflation ;-)

I also now put in new socks & knickers (she loves the aliens love panta Claus book) hair clips, various bits of pink shimery tat....

Have DD2 who will be nearly 7 months now too so sippy cup, cutlery, rice cakes, bath toys.

[Splatt34]

Also this year my ffriend is making, to sell, small cookie jars which hold all the dry ingredients to make a batch of cookies with a label saying from lapland.

[FreakoidOrganisoid]

I only used to do little cheap things in the stockings too but then year before last dd specifically asked fc for something that she hadn't asked me for so it kind of had to come from him.

Having an actual present from him also fits in better with my boyfriend's family as his nieces andnephews get stocking +main present from fc so when we spend xmas with them in future years it will be easier to get away with (I hope).

[lade]

Some great ideas on here. I particularly love the pack of tissues. Will be stealing that!

My DDs are allowed in their letters to ask FC for 3 things (guided by me of course!) usually, the letter is extracted from the envelope before it is posted and it then reappears in the bottom of the sack, with the three items ticked off.

The DDs get a sack which is made up of practical things they need / things I don't let them have / cheap stocking filler ideas and a few things I think they'd like.

So this year my DDs are getting:

Vests
Pants
Tights / socks
Big box of chocolately cereal
Bubble gum
Pillow pets
Onesie
Couple of tops / outfits
A set of new books
New DVD
Chocolate selection box
Board game
Some make up / hair clips etc...
And a few cheap stocking filler type things I see reduced on my travels.

[StarvingBookworm]

It’s just the way stockings were when we were growing up – we had v narrow stockings that felt really crammed with just a few small items. They have knitted slipper socks from Primark as their stockings! Stockings for us were/are just very small things that were enough to keep us happy for the time between waking and being allowed to be awake! A lot of the stuff that people here post as stocking gifts are things that we have as normal presents under the tree. We only have a small budget for gifts so I need as much as possible to bulk it out!

Like you I buy books throughout the year so I always feel a bit guilty that they get them as presents too!

[lucysmam]

Starving, my dd's will each get a gift from fc (I try and make this the top item on the letter so I remember what it was) and then a couple of toys from us (bean bags and dolls prams this year). A couple of outfits each as they need clothes, maybe a couple of board games and other little toys. Dp wants to get them each a surprise specifically from him too so am trying to steer him towards new dollys . that's it really, not mountains of stuff, & I am hunting down bargains so not ££££ but big enough for their faces to go

His mam is making some bits to go with the prams (knitted blanket/pillows/dolls coat).

& I have no idea what my dad will get them...it's usually random craft stuff that descends into utter chaos and the girls doing it thier own unique way

I jam the stockings full of little stuff because the little bits tend to hold their attention (dd1 was most impressed last year that Santa knew she needed a new toothbrush and thought to put it in her stocking!)

[zazzabeans]

Love filling their stockings
Dd age 5&6

Little notebook and pen
Little coin purse
Tattoos
Stickers
Choc coins
Choc lolly
Mini torch
Bouncy ball
Lip balm
Shower gel
Magic flannel
Other Xmas related choc us

Ds 11

Choc coins
Nano blocks
Choc lolly
Pen
Key ring
Mini lynx deodorant & shower gel
Micro sd card for his tablet
X box points
iTunes voucher

[jamtoast12]

Starving

I was brought up the same as you...mine get their main gift,then all the extra presents, then their stocking with about 8 small cheaper items in. For me a stocking is literally a stocking so can only fit so much in! Think of a large dads ski sock size! Mine enjoy the stocking but for me the stocking it extra to the main and under the tree presents. I wander if its a regional thing? I'm from the north and don't know anyone who calls stocking fillers anything other than what goes in a big sock? I think it confuses people on here when there are threads on stockings as other people refer to them as everything but the main.

[FreakoidOrganisoid]

I am surprised at what some people class as stocking gifts sometimes. Not on this thread but on others I've seen people sometimes have 5 or 6 items listed as stocking fillers and I think wtf, my dc would get ONE of those and it would be their main present. But then other people probably think the same about dd getting a password journal as part of her stocking

[Patsiecat]

I only did stockings for the first time last year and the kids loved them. This year they have:

DD8
Lego Mini Figure
Ear muffs
Perfume stick
Lip balm
Notebook
Hairband
Necklace (Claire's)
Earrings (Primark)
Nail varnish
Eye mask
Lego friends mini figure
Moshi mini figure thingie
Choc orange
Choc coins

DD5
Lego mini figure
Ear muffs
Perfume stick
Lip balm
Notebook
Hairband
Necklace
Choc orange
Choc coins
Lego friends mini figure
Moshi mini figure
Socks

DD3
Bracelet
Twistable crayons
Necklace & ring set
Lego mini figure
Ear muffs
Hairband
Perfume stick
Lip balm
Stickers
Necklace
Rings
Choc orange
Choc coins
Lego friends mini figure
Moshi mini figure

All items picked up cheaply throughout the year from Claire's, Primark, H&M etc. Will prob get them all a Christmassy magazine and some smellies and a couple more bits for middle dd as she seems to have less than the other 2.

[BreakOutTheKaraoke]

I personally fill the stocking with smaller gifts/chocolate/possibly a DVD, but I would still call some of DDs other presents stocking fillers, so probably confusing to others! I call some smaller presents- £10-15 items- stocking fillers, no matter how big they are.

[Katnisscupcake]

I clearly go waaaaaay overboard... I've been doing the stocking thing wrong for for DD I think... But I never had one so didn't really know. We would have a pile of presents outside our bedroom door, usually just two (a selection box and a book) to keep us quiet until everyone else got up in the morning. But then my parents didn't really do the Santa thing either.

Xmas is my favourite time of year however so I really make the most of it with DD (4).

I tend to put various chocolate treats and then any of the other presents that I've bought that are small enough to fit in it... But not main presents. So this year probably the following (from what I can remember about what I've bought and stashed away through the year)

Doc McStuffins DVD
Doc McStuffins CD
Milkybar Snowman
Dairymilk Mousse Snowman
Milkybar Selection Box
Minnie Mouse PJs
Coloured Beads (for Jewellery making)
Pants (Doc McStuffins if I can get them)
Socks (as above...)
24 Pencil Crayons with her name on (£1.99 from Studio!) in a pencil case from Asda!

I think that'll be it. I've gone way overboard with the presents though and will no doubt have to keep some bits back for her birthday in June - then I'll do the same with her birthday - etc etc...

[FreakoidOrganisoid]

I don't think there is a right or wrong way katniss

[NannyPlumForPM]

Katniss - DMil bought DD Doc Mcstuffins pants from B and M/Home Bargains (so must have been bargainous) and she didn't know what it was!

DD was delighted - but just letting you know they exist :)

[BeaWheesht]

Ds will be 7 and dd 3 by Xmas. In their stockings will be;

Satsuma
Apple
Sweets
Toothbrush - batman for ds and peppa for dd
Nice socks
Nice pants
Hair stuff for dd
Nail varnish for dd
Lego mini fig each
Mini water pistol
Wind up animal
Craft kit
Small book - probably a thumb doodles one
Maybe a cheap hex bug
Cheap DVD

[cartoontrickster]

me and dh do stockings for eachother also his mum does us one each. I'm currently pregnant with our first so not done a kids stocking before but it seems pretty similar! I'm loving this thread for inspiration (even though its for your dcs )
so far dh has
baby on board sign for the car
Tottenham socks
nose and ear hair trimmer v cheap from b&m in the shape of a man with a big afro.
I'm also thinking of some cans of g&t.
its so hard I filled his stocking with some tat last yr that he never touched eg mini table football and also his mum gets bits like that too.
some times ill put dvds, tshirts, aftershave in just to fill it up that are presents he was getting anyway. but I do get told off to dh aftershave is too expensive to be a stocking present, I don't think he realises that I just needed to fill the bloody thing up!

[Nerfmother]

Mine get two or three from the list, and then a range of 50p things (those snaps from Hawkins for example) and other things they have admired or we think they'd like ranging up to about 12 pounds. Dd has a disposable camera that prints random phrases on the photos - almost got one that added random cats for ds!

[RhondaJean]

Ive just looked through the cupboard so here is everything for our stockings...

Dd2 age 9

2 packs of trash pack stickers
A set of Moshi monster badges
2 soccer suckers
A little pack of glitter pencils
Pink clover crystal necklace
Scented pen
Grow your own sunflower
Animal pen
Notebook
Magic slate
Sew your own ponytail holders
Heart stickers
Bunny facecloth
Tinker ell perfume
Little money poy
Cat rubbers
MH temporary tattoos
Multicoloured pen
Donut lip gloss
Memory stick for school
Bath bomb from lush
Choc coins
Choc snowman

Dd1 age 14 (less 2 days at Xmas)

Memory stick for school
Caffe Nero £5 voucher
Eyeliner pencil
So lip glosses
Bath bomb from lush
Black rose ring
Pearl drops
choc coins
Choc snowman
Scented pen
Notebook
Skull stickers
Skull facecloth
Skittles candle
Opi shatter polish
Grow your own Venus flytrap
Umbrella
Virgin makeup eyeshadow set
Incense and tiny burner
Green clover necklace
Cat pen
Cat pencil
Cat rubbers

I still need to get a marshmallow lollipop and an Avon Xmas bubble bath each.

So lots of tiny little things but stuff that mostly will get used (and a couple of cheap frivolous bits each as well)

[lucysmam]

cartoon hunt for mini aftershave? fave chocolate or treaty snack? fave coffee? tottenham toothbrush? fancier than usual shower gel? nice pen rather than a bic for work? gloves? scarf or beanie hat? aftershave balm? (poundworld had gillette stuff in the other week). phone case? mini alcohol (mine gets a little bottle of bacardi). erm....I'm.all out but will keep thinking, I usually do a stocking for my dp.

oh, socks as in everyday ones, undies, thermal vest for when it gets cold.

ok, definitely all out for now

[lucysmam]

I'm back, how about a book cartoon?

[cartoontrickster]

thanks lucysmam you've got some excellent ideas. pretty much everything you've listed is perfect! thank you.

[lucysmam]

Something relating to any hobbies too. mine cycles and plays footy so I usually look for something cycling related in poundshops or amazon & maybe new footy socks or shin pads

Most of it tends to be useful stuff or fancier than we would otherwise have.

[cartoontrickster]

exactly I'd like it to be mostly things that he will use. you mentioning coffee has made me think of the pods of our machine he likes all the fancy ones but since theres been cut backs recently for us we haven't been buying the tassimo pods so much. im so glad I posted here!