Stocking up on tat-less stocking fillers.

[ChooksAndBooks]

My kids haven't decided what they want as their main Christmas presents yet (it is only September!) but I'd like to start getting in stocking fillers and smaller presents.

I'm fed up with awful tat that no one needs or wants and that ends up in the bin weeks later.

Has anyone else started? What's everyone's ideas?

Yes even though I am chucking stuff out because due to move from a house to a flat soon.

So far have
decent felt pens
Graded pencils
Handbag mirror

Will add
Deodorant
Chocolate
Sweets
Something make up related
Socks

Not very exciting as they are not into toys now.

@Papergirl1968

Genuine question but it seems to be only on Mumsnet that stockings are a big deal. In real life, I don’t think many of my friends do them for their kids. My dds have stockings but they’re only small - I don’t know how you manage to fit in half of this stuff 🤷🏼‍♀️

Some people have essentially pillowcases and call them stockings!

Some people's ideas of stocking fillers are my idea of main presents !

001 that just reminded me I used to have my presents in a bolster pillowcase when I was little.
You’re right in saying some people’s ideas of stocking fillers are other people’s ideas of main presents!
Money is so tight this year I’m going to have to cut down.

Ty, my SIL gives her 9yo things like board games, Blu-rays, switch games all in the stocking, which is a huge sock shaped sack. As well as things like PJs, cuddly toys etc As she thinks it's the size if the present that makes it a tree present.
So DNece might easily have £200+ of stocking fillers. And will have big items like bikes, scooters, switch etc under the tree. And then complains that Christmas is so bloody expensive

Stockings are what we used to have for long socks when we were kids. But now are bigger but not by much! These are v much the keep the kids quiet in bed for an extra hour than the main presents.

I have a rule of no more than £30 for stockings for 6yo and 2y; bargain hunting usually means I’m coming in well under it. This year for 6yo:

UNO card game
Kids make up
Washable Frozen tattoos
Special spoon for hot chocolate
Mini detective kit
Mini jigsaw
A butterfly ring and necklace
Hair clips
Glitter pens
This all cost around £20 and then I’ll top up with a clementine in the toe and usually Kinder mini hippos and Haribo (which Mummy never buys!)

For the 2yo:
Light up sensory balls
Lanka kade figures
Matching spoon for hot choc
Bubbles
Pig sponge for the bath
Bath pipes
Crayons and notepad
That’s all about £25 - Then she’ll get the clementine and fruit bars for treats rather than sweets.

My aim, as others have said, is to fill it with activities that they can play with on our bed while we wake up and then other things they can pick up during down time in the holiday.

Husband’s stocking (we do one for each other) has had, variously, wireless headphones, smart plugs, wallet toolkit, hand cream, personalised key ring, mini whiskies, a bottle of pistachio liqueur and usually tickets to a show eg Book of Mormon or subscription to eg Private Eye.

Also everyone gets a new pack of socks poking out of the top!

Also miniature cans of coke, 7up which they're not allowed normally, pringles for same reason, novelty toothbrush, a book, sweets ike gob stoppers or millions that we'd never buy them.

DS is 6, so stockings have always been easy to do for him (but also v easy to fill with disposable junk!)
He is still easily won over by special stickers, odd bits of grown-ups’ stationery (mini post-its, a real sellotape dispenser just for him, etc) but I like to add a Lego/Playmobil mini-figure surprise pack, travel-size jigsaw puzzle, a gemstone or two (he collects them), small choc/sweets and the ubiquitous clementine.

This year I have to put more Pokémon themed items 😑 so looking at mini-figurines, keychain for school bag, and the like.

Ikea had a red hand-powered flashlight that I once gave my dc, they absolutely loved it -and it actually came in handy years later when we were out of batteries.. 😂 They also liked soap bubbles, and I made my own playdoh in different colours (easy, takes 5 minutes)!

I have so far:

Fancy bookmark
Mexican thumb war thing
Top trumps
Movie decider dice
A book
Nice chocs

I went to flying tiger and they had loads in sale. The spinning plates, stationery, play foam 5 pk ( like playdoh) water table toys ( dd will. Use water table on milder days in garage or use the toys in bath) bath toys, purses for girls., dress up jewellery all £1 an item.
Then got socks, electric tooth brush got eldest, battery ones for little Ones, hairbrushes, combs, Smellies etc.

Apart from some Xmas sweets they're done

All there other bits are down bar 5 items and that's me being lazy on ordering I will though.

I'm lucky as dsd has given us ideas. Teen has and toddler and baby don't care so got them what I know they'll like.

Some people's ideas of stocking fillers are my idea of main presents!

Mine too, @00100001!

I think I've finally decided this year that FC brings a stocking and a big present, so I have actually started planning stocking fillers already too and will be upgrading their stockings to bigger ones. I also want to have no tat and lots of nice things that have a bit of a father christmassy feel, IYSWIM.

I've found a really good gift site called Rexlondon that has so really cute classic children's toys. Based on that here is a list I've made (sounds excessive but again stocking is going to be a main feature this year - this is for a 3 and 5 year old):

• Kaleidescope
• Spinning top
• Cute little wooden tooth brush
• Mini tilt puzzle
• Cute snap cards for one
• Play tickets for the other
• Projector Torch
• Cute wooden tooth brush
• Hair clips for DD
• Nice mini note book
• Nice pencil
• Yoyo
• Temporary tattoos
• Old fashioned mini music box

Then from other places:

• A couple of little wooden toys from Waterstones
• A mini Christmas themed book from Waterstones
• A little kids fragrance a la Next
• Lush Bath bomb
• Novelty Lip Balm
• A small soft toy (not yet sourced)
• Chocolate gold coins
• Cute Christmassy chocolates - last year M and S did a lovely little collection of Christmas sweets that came in a little toy box

Oh and they will also get an unboxed (still wrapped) chocolate orange as my nod to tradition :)

Our stockings are just boot-shaped stocking that we hang on the door handle. They're a generous size and hold quite a bit.

We have a 9yo. Presents this year are:
Fancy pen
Cable protectors shaped like animals
Monopoly deal
Minecraft top trumps
Mini pot of Pringles
Strawberry chewing gum
Tablet support (to stand it up)
Gameboy keyring with a few games on it
Light-up laces
glow-in-the-dark nerf bullets with bullet-holding bracelet!
Minecraft tshirt
Compass from Decathlon

I've caved and bought him a backscratcher that he's been mithering for for moths! It's telescopic and quite small, so I'll put it in his Christmas cracker (i make them out of loo rolls and crepe paper, or kitchen rolls tubes, if the thing is long!)

DH is getting: hedgehog-patterened apron for cooking when camping, wallet ninja, power bank for phone, Lindt pick n mix, book.

DS' main present this year is a PS4, so stocking will come in under E20, lots from sales and scooting around chaepy shops. Trying desperately to avoid Amazon this year.

Stocking are quite hard as do tend to take up a lot of shopping trips looking. This year trying to reduce shops and use online when can. But not worth it or only wait 1 or 2 items Because of postage.

I've got lego-type blind bags / stuff my 4 yo can build
Little music boxes (the Rudolph one is hilariously bad actually but the jingle bells one is pretty good)
Little craft pom pom elf / gingerbread man packs
Two colour in Christmas decorations
Mickey mouse fillable baubles to put sweets in
Rocket and car shaped foil balloons, probably a bit tat-ish but they'll brighten up the kids bedroom
Some travel size aquadoodle-type books
A hairy Mclairy book and a Pooh Bear book
A prism glass thing
Want to get some Russian dolls each
Then socks / pants / toothbrush / novelty sponge
A tube of chocolate and maybe a chocolate Santa or something. And a tangerine, which we also had lurking at the bottom as kids.
I want to get some cool bath bombs that they wouldn't normally have as well.

We use men's large, stretchy socks, I bought some Christmassy ones last year so DP doesn't have to provide his own. It's amazing how much you can get in to them, and they look really cool when filled, weird shapes sticking out.

Mine are 20 and 18 now .
Their presents tend to be tiny , few and ££ .
As they don't roll out of bed till gone 10 am now , their presents are wrapped nicely (except the presents from The Cats ) and put in tapestry light up stockings for them.
No presents under the Tree because No Tree ( the cats again)
Last year The Cats bought DD a handbag and DS a wallet of guitar plectrums , very badly wrapped with fur stuck to the tape !

When they were little we put them in the same bedroom to wake up together (at 5am ) .
We put a wrapping paper barrier across the dooorway to the front room to burst through and a fibre optic tree on a timer in the hall (once it lit up , He had been )
They used to try and open their presents as quietly as possible , they were well wrapped to keep them busy .

Small toys like those funny little ferret on invisible string, diinosaur in plaster to chip, things for Baby Annabel doll like the refill bottle .
Sweets

They had a Christmas Eve Hamper that had PJs , bathbomb, jar of sweets , pens (nice ones for school) underwear , annual .

Now they have the Christmas Eve Hamper on Dec 1st .
(New PJs but not Christmas ones , underwear , nice bath things )

DD likes some new PJs on Christmas Eve still .

It's things they'd use , things they need.
DS still likes a jar of sweets and a Terrys chocolate orange

I'm opting for Xmas gift boxes this year for "stocking" options. Got my son, ohs son and nephew all the same things:

Magnetic spinner
Small nerf type gun
Xmas funko blind bag
Surprise spiderman mini soft toy
Chocolate
Candy cane

I dont go big on stockings.

Usually get them blind bags from smyths, or something along those lines.

A chocolate Santa

One small toy/gift. So iirc last year they all got little pokemon figures.

Then socks (my girls get fluffy slipper socks, my son got pokemon socks).

One year they all got a small fleece blanket and that was stuffed in there

Now mine are older, I fill mine entirely with consumables. Bags of sheets, Lindt chocolates, Toblerones etc are all good to fill up the space. I still use the Mumsnet tip of putting a full tube of Pringles in too!

Stockings are one of the best bits! DD8 usually gets
Chocolate orange and tube of sweets
Socks
Small Christmas themed beanie boo
Blind bag or surprise egg, last year was unikitty Lego
Christmas themed shower gel or soap
Hair accessories- scrunchies or bows
Handful of chocolate coins in the bottom

Wilko's had Harry potter and frozen mini jigsaws and frozen pens for 20p each today, good for stockings. They also had their summer toys down to 15/20p so bubble wands, bubble guns, bouncy balls etc

Bed sheets, @mum2jakie?

Oh you said consumable so I’m guessing it’s a typo and should read bags of sweets! Ignore me

@Papergirl1968

Bed sheets, *@mum2jakie*?

Oops it was an autocorrect 😂. Yep, bags of sweets!!!