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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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Original poster

Am I the only person who doesn't do stockings?

72 replies

Whatthequack · 10/12/2014 23:33

As a child I've never had a stocking and Santa always delivered my presents unwrapped on the sofa. Presents from family members were always under the tree. So for Ds 1 & 2, their presents from Santa are wrapped and laid out on a sofa each. I thought this was perfectly normal until I read Mumsnet. Am I the only one who does this?

OP posts:

unclerory · 10/12/2014 23:35

Did you read no books, watch no films and sing no christmas songs as a child?

Original poster

Whatthequack · 10/12/2014 23:49

I did read books and watch films yes. As for singing Christmas songs... Not so much. Care to elaborate?

OP posts:

SquidgyMaltLoaf · 11/12/2014 00:00

I never had a stocking. DH and I started our own tradition filling each other's our first Christmas.

SavoyCabbage · 11/12/2014 00:05

You could just start. If you want to. It's a really fun tradition. I use stockings that stretch so I can put things in that I already have bought. Rather than having to think of different things especially for the stockings I mean.

IgnoreMeEveryOtherReindeerDoes · 11/12/2014 00:08

No I didn't have a stocking as a kid and probably done DD a stocking once (she 17) they more a decoration purpose. Presents are all from santa whilst they young enough to believe

AdoraBell · 11/12/2014 00:18

We had pillow cases rather than stockings. We do stockings for our DDs. Nothing wrong with the way do it though.

SoonToBeSix · 11/12/2014 00:21

I didn't have a stocking , however I had a sack from Santa. My dc have both - a stocking on their beds and a sack downstairs.

radiobedhead · 11/12/2014 01:18

Yes always had stockings. Ex dp's mum used to do us stockings and current DP is mad on them! We have no DC

Did you never notice stockings and presents going under the tree OP? No one, real or fictional, puts presents on the sofa

Littlemeg37 · 11/12/2014 01:43

My DCs presents go on sofa/chairs, have always done this and that's the way my parents did also and everyone I know does this. They do have a stocking as well plus they wouldn't all fit under the tree.

SageSeymour · 11/12/2014 04:10

Never had a stocking as a child as it just wasn't what my parents did. Just a large pile of presents by the tree

So I've always struggled with the concept but kind of do it and just place it with the pile of presents for my dc to open as and when

People tend to do what they were brought up with don't they ? I don't feel that I suffered

CariadsDarling · 11/12/2014 04:19

We do stocking but they have all the small and wrapped presents in them rather than stocking fillers because I just don't know how to do a good stocking. I look at things in shops and things jeez thats just a load of shite - Im not buying it. I could be persuaded otherwise if people want to give me a clue :)

Presents are always under the tree but I grew up with the tree in the corner and a few things under it and all my other presents draped on the sofa and chairs. We would have half the sofa and a chair each. Not everything was wrapped and it was magical - way better in my opinion than the way we do it now.

CariadsDarling · 11/12/2014 04:20

OH and yes - we also had pillow cases with things in them.

mathanxiety · 11/12/2014 04:32

The gifts from family and friends are opened on Christmas Eve after a festive dinner. They are kept under the tree until then, wrapped and never touched.

The DCs have a tiny stocking each, with their names embroidered on each one. The stockings hang on the Christmas tree until Christmas Eve, when we thumbtack them to the mantelpiece, and Santa puts chocolate coins and chocolate Santas into them overnight.

Santa Claus gifts are placed unwrapped under the tree or close to the tree (there are five DCs and space under the tree is tight) and discovered on Christmas morning.

The reason not to wrap is that I can't be arsed. Also, I never had wrapped Christmas gifts as a child. I never had a Christmas stocking as a child either.

Thewrongmans · 11/12/2014 04:41

Your presents were unwrapped? That kind of gets rid of those delicious feelings of anticipation. I like stockings, but doubt anyone in your family will miss what they never had though.

sleepywombat · 11/12/2014 05:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WhereHas1999DissappearedToo · 11/12/2014 05:22

I have always just put a pack of lollies/chocolate in DD's stocking and thats if I remember! Most of DD's presents just go under the tree.

mathanxiety · 11/12/2014 07:12

They start anticipating Christmas in the last week of August, right after the last of their birthdays. I fear the hurdle of wrapping paper at the last minute would tip them over into insanity.

CariadsDarling · 11/12/2014 07:49

Thewringmans you said - "Your presents were unwrapped? That kind of gets rid of those delicious feelings of anticipation. "

It really wasnt the case. It was in actual fact magical. My eyes just couldn't take it in and just as you thought you could see everything there was something else to see. I much prefer it to wrapped present and I find the parcel opening part of Christmas day quite frustrating because your dying to know whats inside it and you hampered by paper and sellotape.

MissLurkalot · 11/12/2014 07:54

The main thing I love about the stockings is putting it at the end of their beds the night before and then them waking up and coming to join us in our bed to open them.
It's never to late to start a new tradition OP.
You don't have to go crazy.. It can be a small one with a few things in it. I love buying for their stocking.. The stockings the best bit for me.

Original poster

Whatthequack · 11/12/2014 09:46

To be honest I never even knew who the stocking was meant to be from (Santa or the parents). Like I said before, the presents under the tree were just from family members. This is the first year I'm actually wrapping the presents, and only because Ds1 nearly caught glimpse of a present in my wardrobe. Ds1 is 7, while Ds2 is only 2 months. If I started to give Ds1 a stocking would it not confuse him? As he never had one before.

OP posts:

Original poster

Whatthequack · 11/12/2014 09:53

Also do people purposely purchase small items for the stocking? As I doubt any of Ds1 presents would fit in one. All my Ds presents are from Santa, he believes that me and Dp give Santa money for materials etc to make the toys. I thought this was also the 'norm', as that's what I was brought up to believe. I didn't realise parents gave presents and not just Santa.

OP posts:

girlywhirly · 11/12/2014 10:08

I only started doing a stocking when DS was two. He was able to understand it then because they'd talked about it at nursery as well.

Having said that, a boyfriend of mine said that he and his brothers didn't have stockings, they had a 'bed present'; one present at the foot of their beds from Santa that they could play with straight away, and the rest were under the tree downstairs. In a way it was probably a good idea, in that for the cost of the stocking presents they got a decent toy, and less tat.

I had a stocking as a child.

SageSeymour · 11/12/2014 10:16

I can't quite get my head around presents not being wrapped

InfinitySeven · 11/12/2014 10:19

I had my first stocking at 19, made by my DP. It was lovely. It's a tradition that you can start at any point, and I'd thoroughly recommend it.

hopefulpuffin · 11/12/2014 10:19

This is the first year we're not spending Christmas with DH's family since DS was born. And it's the first year I don't have the hassle of stockings.

I loathe stockings. They're always filled with virtually useless stuff or chocolate and meant that I had to buy 9 of whatever so every family member in attendance has something in the stocking. I'd rather not have cheap chocolate or plastic that gets thrown away/forgotten about. One year a DSIL bought us all personalized stockings. Which meant that I had to remember where I put them and pack them for the holidays (inevitably we have to fly somewhere to meet the family).

Luckily, DH doesn't care about them and DS really hasn't noticed. And for the first time in 7 years, I do not have to "do" stockings as we now live on the opposite side of the world. Honestly. That's what it took to get out of Christmas stockings. Moving to the other side of the world.

Do I sound somewhat bitter and hateful towards the stockings. Yes. Yes, I do.

Oh. And no. I never had a stocking as a child. That may have colored my views somewhat.

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