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Christmas

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Original poster

How does your family do stockings?

24 replies

MashaMisha · 07/12/2015 18:23

We are a mixed tradition family we have St Nikolaus as well as Santa, and he visited yesterday.

The DC found their filled boots and unwrapped/ate the contents while we were in bed with ears pricked to hear what was happening . (We are in a flat so the front door is not that far away from the bedrooms.)

I was telling some friends how fun it was to listen to the DC unwrapping from another room, and they said they would hate that and would want everyone to watch the unwrapping.

We've always put stockings in the bedroom on Christmas Eve and gone in when we heard the DC awake to watch them open them, but actually I thought hearing their exclamations of delight when they thought they were alone was more fun than watching them. So I think we will be doing that again on Christmas day.

How do you do it - are the stockings in the bedroom or downstairs, and do you all open them together or is it just the kids on their own.

OP posts:

RoobyTuesday · 07/12/2015 18:28

As soon as they wake up they bundle into our bed with their stockings and open them in with us watching. I love the stocking opening - it's the best bit of Christmas for me!

Cressandra · 07/12/2015 19:46

We had stockings in our bedrooms when I was little. Every year mum and dad told us not to dare open them until they were up, but also not to wake them before 8am. Every year we cracked and opened them alone well before 8am. Until the year Santa inexplicably removed my stocking from my room and left it (filled) outside my door. I only discovered it after an hour of tears, thinking I must be so terrible if Santa had not brought anything and, worse, he'd even nicked my stocking!! My parents are weird.

As a result our DC have stockings in the living room, and they wake us before going down to get them.

MummyPig24 · 07/12/2015 22:16

Santa sacks are downstairs, we always did this when I was a child. I think it was because I was (still am) a light sleeper and early waker. Ds1 in particular is the same as me and we didn't want the situation where he wakes at 4am and wakes everyone else up opening presents. Plus I like to watch.

jamtartandcustard · 07/12/2015 22:49

Stockings in the bedroom! The plan is if they wake up very early and very excited they can quietly open their stockings without waking the whole house so mummy and daddy can get a bit more sleep since we were up till 1am still wrapping...... However this theory only works with dd(11). The younger ones are up at 6am and jump on our bed to open them together.
I do love it on a Saturday and Sunday morning listening to the children chatter in their rooms and play together when they think we are still sleeping. I love hearing their little conversations so I think I would adore listening to them chat about their stockings and their excitement.

ChristmasEvePJs · 07/12/2015 23:03

Everyone's stockings are hung on the end of our bed. Luckily our DC's all love their sleep so usually appear to wake us around 8/8.30am.

We then all open the stockings in our bed drinking tea and eating chocolate coins! It is my favourite part of the day .

DragonsCanHop · 07/12/2015 23:03

I love my bed and my sleep but Christmas is too exciting after all the effort I put in so I'm always awake and waiting.

Stockings in their bedrooms which they bring in to us, DH makes tea for us in bed and then its paper tearing time to open stockings.

Then breakfast before main presents.

I finished wrapping this evening apart from my twitch presents yet to be bought love it!

FortyFacedFuckers · 07/12/2015 23:31

Ds's stocking is hung outside his bedroom door and when he gets up he brings it through to our bed to open. One of my favourite memories as a child was going into my mum & dads bed and opening the stockings.

attheendoftheday · 08/12/2015 14:34

Stockings on the end of the kid's beds and we all get together to see them opened.

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without the half-pissed, anxiety-provoking, am-I-going-to-ruin-christmas-forever Christmas stocking switch.

LibidinousTurkey · 08/12/2015 15:04

Last year was the first year DS (11) opted to hang his stocking downstairs with the grown ups

Anyway, they are hung on the banisters and then laid on the table when full. Everyone congregates downstairs by the fire to open them together

wonkylegs · 08/12/2015 15:09

In bedroom at foot of bed - thankfully DS wouldn't wake in an earthquake he sleeps so soundly. He wakes up and usually climbs in bed with us to open everything. We also have adult stockings (usually just chocolate, something smellieswise, clementine and something silly which are left on door knobs and the kids (DS & cousins) usually deliver to us in the morning.

CharleyDavidson · 09/12/2015 20:58

As a child, we opened our stockings in our rooms. It gave my parents a bit more sleep I think. I used to like opening mine on my own, then comparing what I had with my sisters.

Our kids have always, unprompted, brought their stockings through to open on our beds. Last year, DD was 13 and it was the first time she wanted to open it in her own room.

bogiesaremyonlyfriend · 10/12/2015 13:29

We have stockings and main presents in the lounge and can only be opened after breakfast and getting dressed (thanks DH!!) to prolong the excitement- cos waiting a year just isn't long enough maybe I'll leave one present on their beds for them to find when they wake up... Although usually it's me waking them up!

AugustRose · 10/12/2015 13:40

We leave the stockings downstairs on Christmas Even then Santa puts them outside the bedroom doors when has has filled them. It's great listening to the DC find them and they normally come into our room to open them.

However DS (4) usually gets up in the night for the toilet so we may be up at 3.00am this year as once he spots it there is no way he's going to want to go back to bed!!

Spidertracker · 10/12/2015 13:45

We don't do stockings, but all presents are downstairs.
Opening things together is an important part of our Christmas, we take it in turns to open a gift, look at it show it to everyone before the next persons turn. Opening presents can last until lunchtime.
This is our own tradition from when we were first married and would give each other gifts one at a time. When we were both children we lived in open your pile as fast as you can homes

Stiles · 10/12/2015 13:52

Stockings are left under the mini Xmas trees that they have in their rooms. Then brought through to my bed and they pile on and open them there.

We tried the downstairs opening thing but it was lost in the excitement of the 'main' presents. This way they take their time and really enjoy it plus it gives me time to wake up. I just prop myself up on pillows and sleepily watch them bounce with excitement opening the stocking - and it's all wrapped so it takes twice as long!

dementedpixie · 10/12/2015 13:54

Stocking hung on bedroom door handle of the kids but they brought them through to our room to open in the morning

00100001 · 10/12/2015 13:57

Stockings on the end of the beds - then all pile into one room to open them and eat the chocolate :)

DownstairsMixUp · 10/12/2015 14:03

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

DreamingOfThruxtons · 10/12/2015 14:05

Stockings on the bed, and everyone in the house gets one. Kids come through to adult's bedroom, and we take turns pulling out a present each. Usually the grown up stockings have 'sillier' presents in them (we always used to give my Dad a Barbara Cartland book just to watch him twitch).

Main presents are after Christmas dinner, and again, we take turns. Growing up, me & my sister used to dress up as Christmas elves and hand out all the presents from our sledge before leaving and then re-appearing as ourselves. Yes, we were a little odd.

Spidertracker · 10/12/2015 14:06

downstairs don't worry about him not believing, my DS is 9 and doesn't believe, he still writes a letter and watches the norad tracker website. He knows it's not real but he pretends it is because it is fun and exciting to believe in magic for one night.

DownstairsMixUp · 10/12/2015 14:16

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

MrsDiesel · 10/12/2015 15:18

We do stockings on the end of the bed and the children come into our bed and open them while the grown ups try to force their eyes open. Then it's downstairs for the main presents which are opened one at a time.

Downstairs DS is 10 and last year of juniors, I don't think he believes anymore and hasn't for a year or two but he has never said he doesn't believe, we both play along as if he does. The only reason I know he doesn't is last year his sister 6 was questioning Santa and he was really convincing that it was all real and had an answer for every question she had. If he still believed he would have been questioning it too. He was just to adamant it was real and too quick to answer. Also he sometimes says Mum will you get me x for Christmas please, erm I mean will you ask Santa.

This will be his last year though, I will tell him the truth before high school next year but he will still play along for the younger ones.

oobedobe · 10/12/2015 15:31

We don't do stockings, we do sacks (pillowcases when I was a kid), they are left downstairs by the tree. Kids usually get up at the normal time, though the oldest might sneak down to see if Santa has been .

The sack is full of silly things/chocs and some bigger gifts, craft sets, puzzles etc. They open them once we are all downstairs with a cup of tea in hand. They also get one bigger gift from Santa that we open later with the other gifts.

The other presents get opened once we are showered, dressed and bucks fizz in hand and nibbles on the go about 11/12 ish. So it is not a mad panic first thing, the Santa sacks give them plenty of stuff to play with for the first few hours.

nooka · 10/12/2015 15:45

We had one big present on the end of our bed when I was growing up, put there by my dad (no Santa). All other presents opened after dark, so it had to keep us going for a while! Although we also went to midnight mass, so no early waking.

We do stockings for my two, and like the OP I used to really enjoy listening to them opening them up and comparing the contents (especially when they shared a bedroom and dh and I were in the next room). Nowadays they sleep for England, so although they will still have stockings (dh and me have them too now) opening will happen a great deal later!

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