Do you have a method to your stockings?

[mamabluestar]

Stockings weren't a tradition when I was younger. Last year DD started talking about getting one a day or so before Christmas, so it was a very last minute affair. I'm hoping to be more organised this year and wondered if anyone has tips for a novice or a method to what you put in your family's stockings. I may do one for me and hubby to, so any adult and children (4 and nearly 8) tips would be gratefully received. Thank you ?

Me and dp do stockings, no dx until this one arrives!

Dp normally gets some posh chocolate, socks, pants, hair wax, smelly things and a bauble that represents something from this year - last year we went ice skating in November and it was very magical and I got a pair of glass skates bauble!

We try to keep it practical to things that will actually get used rather than just a stocking 'filler'

Mine always get:

Chocolate Coins
A Chocolate Orange/Real Orange depending on what they prefer

Something to Drink- Last year I did personalised coke bottles and DH and I get mini champagnes or Prosecco

A Book or DVD

A Shower Gel or Bubble Bath

3-5 small presents, that aren't tat but aren't too expensive. Such as small Lego.

My DC's are all different ages and their stockings are huge . Father Christmas fills the stockings in our house and leaves one present under the tree for each person. Everything else is from us.

My general rule is:
Hat, scarf and gloves.
Toiletries.
Aftershave/perfume.
A book.
Accessories (topman, h&m, accessorize sale etc).
American or retro sweets and chocolate coins.
Dvd.
ITunes voucher or CD.
Cinema or Costa Voucher.
Stickers/craft stuff/stationary.

My 'always in' items are:

Satsuma
Choc coins
Sugar mouse
Musical instrument (a kazoo this year)
Bath toy (robo fish this year)
Cuddly toy

Then I add some little toys, often packs broken up and wrapped separately - playmobil or sylvanian families (secondhand generally in this house).

Last year I tried to include more practical items, so we had named swimming bags, aprons, swim toys and hair clips and bands. I've got some glittery bubble bath stashed for this year.

The stocking is just full of Christmas chocolates and a teddy, the actual presents go round the tree, I never buy fiddly bits like hair clips or pens, that is just stuff dd has anyway. Everything is from Father Christmas ( she gets a book and a pair of pjs from us on Xmas eve)

Everyone who comes here for Christmas gets a stocking - plus when ds's dp was with her family, her stocking was sent on. Stockings are from Santa, everything else from us/whoever gave it
Inside a tangerine, apple (for ds dp, apple and tangerine flavoured tea) chocolates, a cuddly something, sugar mouse, choc covered raisins (wouldn't put so much choc in a child's stocking) dvd, book, socks, crayons. I buy a few bags of choc coins, split the bags, and scatter the coins throughout the stocking, a container of drink - J2O for some, good beer for others, body spray for some, WD40 for others, chocolate santa, reindeer etc at the top. These are very good value from Aldi. DH doesn't like choc much, so I get him stupid stuff like a jar of olives - stockings here are silly

WD40 is that a typo?

I have 3 DC, all teens. Part of my method is that I have a box which I put stocking items in through the year. I acquire xmas related items in the sales e.g. Boys could get xmas themed boxers which I pick up from top man for 99p in January. I also buy small things as I see them so I went to Columbia road last week for flowers but saw nice bits and pieces in the little shops too which got added to my stash.

I review the box contents at the start of December by which time most things are surprises to me again. I then set up a spreadsheet with columns for the three DC . This is so I can make sure it's fair e.g. All three get an unusual drink, everyone needs novelty socks. This flags up what is left to buy and gives me a few weeks to do it.

Stocking presents are wrapped. Each DC has a new distinctive paper that suits them and it isn't used for anything else that year, though I may sneak using it for other stuff a couple of years later.

I know from my spreadsheets that they get 15-20 items each year.

Small enough to fit and under a £5. That said my husbands family didn't do traditional stockings, having a present sack instead, so we struggle with combining our traditions. A 'practical' or 'useless' present isn't something he gets. He is used to putting in what I'd consider to be a main present. However since I do all the shopping stockings include chocolate coins and a clementine, cheap DVD (from supermarket or pound shop), a rubber duck for the bath, pants, socks, books, craft items, mini toys (this year its cars, last year a tube of mini dinos), card set like snap or top trumps and something like a toy mask or a toy from a museum. Something that lasts just the morning! As a child we also got bubble bath and new flannels and a magazine in ours as well as tons of chocolate. My boys are still too little for that.

The only rule is that there has to be a satsuma and chocolate coins

Other than that it's fun bits that fit in

Here stockings always include:

A satsuma
Chocolate coins
Percy Pigs
A Christmas decoration
DVD

Plus probably 3 other items - usually a mix of practical and fun - such as Top Trumps or playing cards, swimming goggles, a wallet, magic trick, Lego mini figure, finger lights etc

I grew up having a soft toy on top of our family stockings, it wasn't until I was in my 20s I realised that that was a family tradition not something that happened everywhere! We all had the same plain stocking and we used to guess which stocking was for which member of the family by the toy on the top of their stocking. I still do this for mine so DS1 who is mad into minecraft would get something soft from minecraft whether it be a plush figure, or a soft cushion etc.

Ours must also include a sugar mouse and bags of gold and silver chocolate coins

we do choc coins but I love the idea of sugar mouse!! Love it!

Bubble bath ( character ) is a good filer too

I love stockings! One for my DS this year (3) will probably contain:

Chocolate coins
Satsuma
Joules animal socks
Whoppee cushion
Thomas train
Play doh
Mr men book
IKEA wind up torch
A few £1 shop bits

Another stocking lover here, for adults not just the kids.

I try to limit the cost (it can so easily rack up) and tend to focus on small relatively useful items.

For kids, things like - magic washcloth, toothbrush (character one rather than usual boring ones), hair clips, small lego figure, pants, crayons/pencils, cbeebies magazine or similar, choc coins, torch, notepad, bookmark, small toy.

Adults - for DH i usually put things like small chocs, nice chutney/small foodie items, camera magazine, socks, pants, nail file (he always nicks mine and hides them), post-its with picture on, small computer item e.g. usb-hub, earphones, etc.

Your DH should definitely do your stocking (you can't do your own!!), you can always give him guidelines - food, undies, toiletries, magazine, nail varnish, DVD etc.

Chocolate coins
3 or 4 small items such as Lego minifigure, keyring, bouncy ball, Match Attax cards etc
Small craft kit of some description or card game
Possibly socks or gloves but never pants or toothbrushes.
Gingerbread man
Shiny pound coin

No satsumas or nuts here.

I love stockings! There are certain essential things in ours -

Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Socks
Pants
Chocolate Coins
Bubble Bath
Glow Sticks
Small toy
Book

Then we add other cheap bits and bobs, mostly from pound land or tiger.

I think the WD40 was perhaps meant to be WKD?!
Well I hope so anyway

DS 8 and DD 5 get stockings from Santa and usually one big present. Rest is from us.

Usually along the lines of:
Socks / pants
Fancy toothbrush
Hair stuff for dd
Football cards for ds
Books
A cheapish dvd
Sweets
Biscuits
Magazine
Novelty gift eg putty or magnets
Monkey nuts
Stationery
Soft toy
Keyring for their school bag

I always got a sack of presents growing up, but since having my own we've started the tradition of having stockings too.
You say you've got a dd. I have boys, so used to presents for them but for a girl I'd go something like -

• hair bobbles
• bubble bath
• crayons
• drawing/activity pack of fave characters eg Frozen (can be found in Poundland)
• tube of chocolate (something like smarties, buttons, etc)
• strips of stickers
• small cuddly toys such as a teddy
• oh, and mustn't forget the all important Satsuma in there!

Gah, forgot chocolate coins! You can't have a stocking without chocolate coins, that's just WRONG, lol!

I love stockings they're my favourite part of Christmas and I spend a disproportionate amount on them - I'll post this years lists after work.

Something you want
Something you need
Something to eat
something to read

Eat: Always a fruit bowl each when we were small, and continued now in our own house. So everyone got:
A red apple, a green apple, an orange, a Satsuma, a perfect yellow banana, (and something else like a kiwi).
And also a 1lb box of sweets, like Wine Gums, something different for everyone.

Read: We always got a book. (DF still does stockings for anyone who leaves out socks on 24th - a book, fruit and sweets - youngest is now 31!!).
In our house, DD gets a book, or 2 (a reading novel and a more reference/factual book), and usually a comic as well.

Need: Something useful like socks, knickers, nice hair bobbins, new toothbrush, extra vests, etc. Small things that are wanted around Christmas/mid winter anyway.

Want: Something fun. Usually get something that "Mum" hates - so no way would I normally buy those "aliens in slime in a plastic egg" that our local toyshop sells, they're dreadful, but Santa has been known to leave them once or twice. Things like a bug magnifier kit, for hunting them in the garden or woods. Nice colours (DD loves twistables but I don't tend to buy them as we have loads of pencils - but she does use them when Santa brings them). And usually a small lego kit or jigsaw or something to keep her busy in the morning for a while. And something like a Moshi Monster figure (she collected those for a couple of years) - might be a pack of Match Attax cards this year, or a Lego figure.

I don't go utterly mad, but there is usually a reasonably full stocking beside one big present.