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Christmas

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

Original poster

Ideas for stockings for elderly residents in care home

51 replies

recklessgran · 08/12/2016 00:36

I have been asked to help with providing Christmas stockings for 20 residents in a care home. The budget is quite small [Approx £10-£15 each].
The idea is for each resident to wake on Christmas morning to find a stocking on their bed. The first challenge is to get the stockings as cheaply as possible. Have seen some in the pound shop but they are plain red with a white band at the top. Any ideas from you crafters? Is there anything stick on that could go on the white band at the top to jazz them up a bit. Then there is the question of content. We have already thought of buying the multi packs of 4 floral talcs from M&S [£3 on offer]
and splitting them, likewise guest soaps although wondering if they would be too small to be useful? Will also have a satsuma and possibly a box of Maltesers [£1 in B&M]. Will try to get something personal for each resident e.g. a paperback or puzzle book depending on their preference. Has anyone any experience of this? Really looking for some inspiration to make this lovely for them.[18 women and 2 men.]
Thank you so much.

OP posts:
Alonglongway · 08/12/2016 01:00

Traditional hard boiled sweets (my 86 yr old mother loves stuff like lemon sherbets)

Fueledwithfairydustandgin · 08/12/2016 06:51

Lip balm
Small photo frame
Pack of playing cards
Photo album (even better if you could get a few pics)
Colouring book and colours
Scented candle
Modelling clay (could have a competition for best Christmas model)
Harmonica
Festive pen
Print out some sheets with festive activities
Lovely idea

OhMrDarcy · 08/12/2016 07:01

For the stockings, could someone embroider or stick their names on in felt letters & then tie some tinsel round the top?

Inside I'd add
A small pack of festive tissues each
A pen or pencil
Notebook
Some chocs/ sweets
Magazine, puzzle book or book
A can of beer, pimms or G& T
Then pad it out with loose Quality Street etc

keekaw · 08/12/2016 07:03

Fluffy socks (Primark or pound shop).
Mini hand creams.
Handkerchiefs

keekaw · 08/12/2016 08:16

Also Amazon has little heart or smiley face stress balls for less than a pound.

Snog · 08/12/2016 08:18

What an adorable idea!
Good to split things out from multipacks
Finger lights
A few nuts in their shells
Lip salve
Loose wrapped sweets/chocs
A tree decoration
Printed out sudoku/crossword/Xmas quiz with pen
Socks
Pants
Mini shower gel/shampoo/conditioner
Book or magazine
Toblerone or rolos
List of most popular names in the year of their birth or top ten toys from when they were 7 years old
We use old tights/stockings to stuff everything into

Bauble16 · 08/12/2016 10:29

Poundshop do some nice stocking too, try a different store as mine has knitted ones etc.

I'd put in tissues, boiled sweets, nice chocolates, socks or tights, a jigsaw or book. Puzzle book, toiletries, oh and definately a satsuma!

Original poster
recklessgran · 08/12/2016 10:45

Oh, you lot are great! Thank you for all the ideas,I feel quite excited about doing this now. Will try a different pound shop for the stockings as I really don't want it to look cheap and nasty. Have put up a notice for the staff asking for suggestions for an individual present for each one so that they feel a bit more personal.

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WindyCat · 08/12/2016 18:23

I got these for my daughters stockings today from Superdrug. The bottles are big (200 ml each) but could be taken out of the packaging. They have a nice fruity smell, and ok they're not old lady-ish, but they're a real bargain.

Ideas for stockings for elderly residents in care home
Bauble16 · 08/12/2016 18:49

Hope if I'm ever in a care home it's one like yours! It sounds lovely and no doubt it will spark many joyful memories opening the stockings too!

smurfy2015 · 12/12/2016 11:50

This is brilliant, Thank you for taking the time to think about what to get, A little background, after hospitalisations the last 2 Decembers which werent acute enough to need a hospital bed (thankfully) when i was able to leave hospital but i wasnt well enough to return home even with support, I was moved to a step down care bed in a local nursing home. In the past 3 years i have spent 6 months in nursing home care. I am late 30s btw. Ive been both a private run and a chain franchise care setting.

Santa came around on both xmas mornings and woke me loudly with his bell, the effects of that lasted days for me. All the residents were given a bottle of unscented shower gel and unscented deorerant so would have loved to be whereever you are. Dont mean to sound ungrateful it was all so sterile.

sashh · 12/12/2016 11:56

Call around some local businesses, some will give gifts away, I'd try Thorntons and Boots. Many years ago I worked at an electrical wholesalers, they used to give stuff away that had been on the shelf for a while.

Dampfnudel · 12/12/2016 12:01

Card Factory has nice stockings for £1.99, not too big. They are obviously aimed at children, but quite cute and colourful. They have a big felt cut out
head at the top of the stocking - elves or Father Christmas. I like the Father Christmas one

WankersHacksandThieves · 12/12/2016 18:33

How about these?

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/49-x-29cm-Christmas-Stocking-Santa-Xmas-Presents-Decoration-Gift-Red-Traditional-/152321679866?hash=item23771461fa:g:Rz8AAOSw5cNYLedF

and gift suggestions are hand cream and sugar free sweets - m&S do nice butterscotch and rhubarb and custard or strawberry and cream flavours - think they are about 80p

ChristmasSeacow · 12/12/2016 19:09

Maybe some packets of nice biscuits -Poundland or similar might have nicer selection for the money than a supermarket. They would be nice and bulky. Or even a nice festive gingerbread man-type thing - anyone who finds biscuits a bit hard can dunk them in their tea!

I agree it would be worth asking local businesses whether they could donate anything. The small packets of chocs eg Thornton's would probably go down very well but be a bit expensive - but perhaps someone will donate?

WankersHacksandThieves · 12/12/2016 20:23

Book Lights or mini torches
Magnifying glasses
Some writing paper/envelopes and stamps
Don't forget a Satsuma and a shiny coin! These are the types of things my mum (83) remembers from her childhood so you could add things to spark a reminiscence session. Maybe old postcards/photos of the local area.

mixedpeel · 12/12/2016 21:15

When they had stockings as children, they would probably have been actual socks.

Could you buy nice comfy woolly socks, of which one becomes the stocking, and the other one gets stuffed in as part of the contents?

This is what I do when I do stockings for adult visitors at Christmas. The only thing would be possibly too difficult for them to get things out as the ready to buy stockings are probably roomier.

mixedpeel · 12/12/2016 21:17

Oh, and meant to say, lovely idea!

I saw some nice wooden boxes of dominos and other games in sainsburys the other day. Not too pricy.

Mum2jenny · 12/12/2016 21:25

Hand cream
Pretty tissues
Tangerines
Little chocolates
Small bubble baths ( split ones if it's easier)
Also a pretty plant can be quite cheap

Original poster
recklessgran · 12/12/2016 22:08

Thank you everyone. Had a meeting today and myself and another nurse are going out tomorrow armed with the cash to get the job done. We are SO excited as we really think our residents are going to love this. I took all your ideas and explained that I had posted on mumsnet and our home's owner was seriously impressed by all your suggestions. Just really want to thank you all - this is Christmas magic in action! Can't wait.
Smurfy I feel sad at your experience. We are a small privately run home and we know how lucky we are. Staff are static and most have been there for years [e.g 8 years for me]. Our residents are like our second family and this is the first year that we have thought of doing this. We really hope they will love it. The night staff will place the stockings on their beds at the 4.00am check so that when they wake up, Father Christmas will have been. We hope they feel the love. x

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Mrsmadevans · 12/12/2016 22:40

a comb , nail clippers, perfume like a charlie spray for the women, nuts, a cracker , hand cream , bubble bath or shower gel , hand wash, biscuits , a mug , sweets, crossword , colouring book and pens , jigsaws, pens stationary , cards , bottle beer for the men and a bottle of snowball or similar for the ladies, socks , pop socks or tights for the ladies,earrings necklace, bracelet from poundland , flannels , soap dish and soap, , you can get all this from poundland, wilkinsons home bargains and b& m,hth and I hope they all have the most lovely time

Mrsmadevans · 12/12/2016 22:41

www.wilko.com/face-towels+turbies/wilko-everyday-value-face-cloth-white-30cmx30cm/invt/0307711 they also have them in pink
30p!!