Stockings: how do you do yours?

[FiddleFigs]

I never had Xmas stockings growing up, but always understood they usually contained a bit of choc, a satsuma, a couple of small presents (nothing too grand or costly) and a book. DH always had stockings and they were always rammed with presents (one of which was ££) then he also had presents from Father Xmas, parents etc. I feel like this is excessive. DH thinks my approach is mean.

How do you approach stockings? Am I being mean?

(In case it comes up: DD will be almost 3, and will get presents in addition to the stocking)

[anyoldname76]

i always had a stocking growing up and my dc do as well. my dd actually has my stocking my nan knitted almost 40 years ago. they always get a satsuma, choc coins and a fruit shoot (or something similar). then they get 5 little gifts, this year my dd will have fluffy socks, name crayons, earrings, christmas lip gloss and an keyring . my ds's will have fluffy socks, name crayons, top trumps, hot wheels car and a torch

[altik]

We only do big gifts at Christmas... so it sounds more indulgent than it actually is.

On Xmas morning, girls get a small stocking (in a proper sock) that they can open immediately. This usually includes a chocolate santa, a magazine and a couple of little gifts like hair clips or a pen and notebook. Something to keep them entertained from when they wake at ridiculous o'clock to 7am, when we're prepared to get up.

Then they have a big Christmas sack from Santa. This is mostly made up of things they need (stationery, clothes, things for their room etc), with some edible treats I don't normally buy them with a few presents thrown in. Santa has a limit of about £10 per item for these things though.

Big presents (£10+) come from us, because I want the credit .

So the kids get a decent loot, but most of it, they would have got anyway... win win all round!

[ClashCityRocker]

Stockings were my favourite part of Christmas as a kid.

My parents would not countenance going downstairs before 7am. My brother and I were allowed to open our stockings as soon as we got up (usually about 5am!).

I'd either go to his room or he'd come in to mine. There would always be a satsuma never eaten chocolate coins eaten for breakfast a few small toys like a yoyo or mini-boglins and a set of top trumps or something we could play together - which must have been tricky as we are six years apart in age.

We'd open our stocking gifts, eat the chocolate and snuggle up in bed and play top trumps until it was time to go in to our parents. It was a lovely, special, quiet start to a hectic day. Being warm and snug with my big brother knowing that Santa had been and even more delights awaited downstairs was such a lovely feeling.

Stockings were left on the end of the bed - I remember the excitement of a filled stocking and the rustle of wrapping paper....

Hmm, might do a stocking for dh this year...

[KC225]

Bought beautiful stockings from Jojonmamma for their second Christmas and have used the same ones ever since.

Chocolate coins
Large tube of smarties or jelly tots
Neon glasses from TIGER
Light up shoe laces from TIGER
Magic face cloth colour change foam bath. Poundland
White t.shirt and fabric pens M&S sale
Mini pinball set M&S sale
Lego packs free from Daily Mail
Paper plane sets from M&S sale

Pick up the stocking stuff in the sales. Got quite a lot in M&S sale last January. Paperchase and TIGER are great for stocking fillers.

My kids love stockings. Most years my daughter claims it is her favourite present. We leave the stockings on the sofa and they can open them as soon as they wake up. DH and I get a mini lie in and then we do breakfast then presents altogether.

[AnnieOnnieMouse]

Here the stockings are put on the fireplace on Christmas eve, for santa to fill. The main gifts under the tree are from us.
Santa gives satsuma, apple, raisins, hairibo, toiletries, pens, a silly game, chocolate coins - the coins scattered throughout the stocking, topped off with a chocolate reindeer (lidl/Aldi)
Everyone who is here gets a stocking - last year oldest was 67, youngest was, umm, 24

[NightWanderer]

Stockings are usually full of tat from the pound shop, loads of sweets, bath bomb, small toys etc. Just bits and pieces really. The children love them! I never wrap the stocking presents. I usually buy things a little at a time over the few months before Christmas.

[Notso]

Me and DH didn't have stockings as children. We both had a sack or pillow case full of presents from Father Christmas and none from our parents.
I used to get my presents left on the foot of my bed and DH's were left downstairs.

We have only done stockings for our DC for a couple of years now,
They all have
chocolate or sweets usually something like jelly belly beans, lindors etc,
A pair of socks,
Some pens or felt tips,
A cd, DVD or book,
The older ones get a voucher for something, iTunes, cinema etc, and something like perfume, body spray, bath bomb etc and a little jokey thing edible money, digi pet etc
The younger ones get a small toy and a blind bag, stickers, a toy car.

I do stockings for my parents too if they are having Christmas Morning on their own.

[WellTidy]

I wrap stocking presents in tissue paper. If uch have more than one child, my advice is to choose different colour tissue for each child. Then you can wrap in advance and not worry if the gifts get mixed up. Amazon sell large quantities of tissue much cheaper than you get in the high street. I've also Sen some personalised stickers that You can buy which would be good for sealing the tissue, they're on Amazon too, and say something along the lines of 'a present for [name] from Santa'.

[BaggyCheeks]

Fiddle This is why I do the magic flannel DC are both sensitive skinned, and DD is eczema prone so it's something along the lines without it irritating their skin. This sort of thing is what I mean.

[FiddleFigs]

Baggy I like the idea of little arms rummaging around the stocking - more reason not to cram them full!!

This thread has been so helpful - thank you everyone for commenting. I'm going to add some nice hair clips to the mix, and see if I can find some fun soap/bathbomb thing (though DD has quite sensitive skin, so not sure if there's anything out there that will be right).

I also like the idea of sticking in something to occupy the child(ren) - I'll stick in the Xmas edition of the Peppa/Hey Duggee magazine too.

(now wish I was receiving a stocking too)

[BaggyCheeks]

Growing up both our families did stockings in a similar way, usually:
Chocolate
Satsuma/Nuts
Small toy
Toiletries style stuff

We've continued this, and organise stockings for our DC (Almost 2 and almost 4 this year), and ourselves.
DC:
Tube of sweets
Chocolate coins
Satsuma
Toothbrush
Expanding facecloth thing
Small toy (this year DS is getting a compass, DD is getting a glittery bouncy ball thing, and they're both getting an animal whistle)

Us:
Tube of sweets
Other sweets (i.e. chocolate raisins, marzipan bar, toffiffee sort of things)
Toiletries (stuff we'd get anyway, but mainly for the benefit of the DC to see we get things too)
Something silly (last year DP got santa boxers, for example)

We open these in our room, before going through to the living room for tree presents. I can't remember if I wrap the stocking presents or not, I don't think I do! The stockings are pretty big so DS's little arms have had to do quite a lot of rummaging to find his things!

[OvO]

I wrap most of the stocking stuff. Fiddly stuff and food stuff is left unwrapped.

We open them on my bed to give me a chance to wake up! So wrapping things makes it take twice as long to open.

[DinosaurFarmer]

Great thread - we didn't do stockings when I was growing up, we had a present at the end of the bed instead. A well filled stocking seems so lovely though so am trying to do this with my 6 and 4 year old - have had some great ideas here so thanks all! My 2 have a small sack each about the size of a pump bag but reading all these I think a proper stocking is the way to go Can I just ask what the consensus is on wrapping stocking gifts - wrapped or unwrapped?

[IsItGinTimeYet]

We probably go a bit OTT with the kids stockings if I am honest. We all get a stocking though and open them in our bed with tea before going downstairs.

DC's - HUGE stockings
A book
A DVD
Acessorize or topman something
Socks
T-shirt/top
Rubber duck
Pens/Stationary
Bath stuff
Chocolate orange
Choc coins

DH is getting
Ales
Nuts
Chocolate
Book
Leather gloves

I have no idea but it always involves gin!

[WellTidy]

I might also get a hot chocolate sachet, now that I'm thinking of it, maybe with some marshmallows and a biscuit from hotel chocolat

[WellTidy]

We started a new way of stockings last year, and the DC got a stocking and only one other present from us. They received presents from each other, grandparents, aunts, friends etc. But their present from us was a stocking and a gift (they each got ipad minis).

So I make the stockings quite nice. They're huge, I made this mistake when I bought them years ago, personalised. So they do take some filling! This year 8yo has

Play doh
Felt pens
Erasers
Notepad
Metallic markers
Coloured pritt sticks
Joke things like fake biscuits, nail through finger, bendy pencil etc
Kaleidoscope
Invisible ink spy set
Rearview spy glasses
Shrinkles
Stopwatch
Miniature animals in a tub
Paperbacks
Bath goodies

I still need to get some chocolates - I will wait until closer to Christmas when Lindt release theirs, or maybe just get a selection box

[Juanbablo]

Our dcs get a sack from Santa which includes:

Chocolate
Book
Dvd
Something crafty
Outfit to wear
Top trumps or similar
Small box of Lego
Lego minifigures/MLP blind bag
Flannel
Doll/figure
Toothbrush
Bubble bath
Novelty items like fake moustaches, cool pen, mini erasers
Little you'd like shopkins or hot wheels
Hair stuff

[Whyamihere]

I do things slightly differently, I just buy presents that I think dd will like and then split them into what goes into her sack (MIL bought it when dd was younger so we carried on using it) and under the tree, usually I've wrapped everything before I decide, although when she was younger and believed I always made sure there was a few items from her list in there, including one item she knew I wouldn't buy.

So I don't go out of my way to buy 'stocking items', I just prefer buying things I know she will like. I do put some chocolate in though.

[justgivemeamo]

My dc get some gifts from us that go under the tree about a week before - so they can see something there and have a think prod and feel about what they may be. I also like to add some drama " oooh he may not make - but you have something from us so dont worry"

I have stockings that are too big and buggers to fill, I don't sweat over the details of what must go in, its what ever is small - enough to fit in but enough to bulk out, I do usual satsuma, tubes of sweets, will add choc orange this year, and more sweet bulk....penny toys,a dn perhaps this year some Disney infinity figures, nice big bulky boxes..and will pique for whats down stairs,....stockings and all main gifts are from FC here.

jewellery sets from m and s and also monsoon are good fillers for girls ie little sets of several rings etc

[MeMeMyMy]

As a child, we left stockings at end of bed.

Our DCs would wake up in the middle of the night and start squabbling over stocking gifts, so we leave stockings at fireplace for DCs then they come downstairs (with us) to see if FC has been. He has, and will have filled stockings (choc money, socks, novelty toothbrushes, a book, tangerines, some money for their money boxes, small fun giftsplus one "big" present from their list next to it. (Don't see the point of writing to FC if he doesn't bring a present from their list!) The rest are from us.

[wonderingsoul]

I like to put cheapish things in our stocking, like dvd, pjs, cd, small presents as i dont like tat. They also have their own tree in there room and santa will leave their main christmas present from him there (its not allways the main main present, but still a present,() but they cant open that till after stocking and breakfast.

They also have a potatoe in, if theve been naughty santa take a stocking gift and leaves a potatoe. My boys take it all in fun and its never used as a threat as ohh santa will just give you potatos so there allways amused by it. Last year we used them for christmas dinner
This year ic got them a spud gun to go with it.
We open stockings on my bed then i make us something to eat.

[hellokittehhhh]

My dcs stocking are made up of things to prolong them waking us up. A bit like a morning survival kit! They usually contain
*dvd
*magazine
*notebook and pen
*small toys, usually 2 blind packs of whatever they are collecting
*Naice juice cartons
*Some sort of breakfast type food, last year it was pop tarts, they love these cold.
*traditional coins and chocolate orange!

The idea is they are fed, watered and have a film to watch before getting us up! I appreciate this probably sounds neglectful

[gillyweed]

We do a stocking (at the end of the bed), from santa. Last year it was full of tat, dd who was 3 had lost or wrecked it all before the day was out! This year we now have 3 kids and I've made the stocking of small gifts but better quality plus the obligatory choc money, satsuma and whole walnuts!

We do big presents from us!

[BiddyPop]

When we were DCs, we were allowed to put out any pair of socks or tights that belonged to us. They would get the fruit, while the sweets and book and anything else would be left alongside them.

DD has what is a relatively small stocking compared to many I see - roughly 12-15" tall and maybe 9" wide. Some years, things have spilled over onto the floor. Other years, it has just been lightly filled. I certainly don't see the need for piles and mountains of presents for the sake of it.

As happened when I was small, DD leaves hers in the sitting room when she goes to bed. Presents from everyone else other than Santa are under the tree (and labelled accordingly) for opening later in the day. Usually late afternoon, although it's as soon as you appear in the kitchen in DMIL's house.

[LilMissVixen]

I intend to do DS's stocking the same way mine was done. I always had small presents inside my stocking - and that's small in size, not necessarily value! Although they were mostly inexpensive items. So I had chocolate coins, a couple of make up items (when old enough), small toys, hair clips, bath stuff etc. Just thinking about it now, most of the presents in my stocking were unwrapped - but some were, I guess these were the more expensive ones - they did feel more special.

I then had a pile of presents left next to the stocking - these were the ones that were too big to fit in my stocking (usually more expensive than stocking bits, but not always).

Under the tree there was a token gift from l mum and dad and family presents (knew they were from so I could thank them afterwards).