What is a Christmas Stocking in your house?

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Inspired by the tatless stocking filler thread. It appears people mean different things/shapes/sizes when referring to a stocking.

In our house, it's a large knitted festive sock, around 30cm high. You could technically wear it. Like the picture. You could never get the suggested sticking fillers if book/DVDs etc in them. You might be able to get a tub of pringles...but not much else!

What do stockings look like in your house?

I have an amazing picture of DS3 on his first Christmas. His stocking is nearly as big as him 😂. It's not particularly huge, he was just dinky.

I've never done stockings. Didn't have them as a child, Santa just left presents by the tree. Mine have a sack that I put stockings presents in, always includes sweets, socks and toothbrush. Presents from Santa also go in there. They write a list of up to 5 items, usually get 2-4 from list . Santa also sometimes brings things not on the list that he knows they will really like.
They also get tree presents from us opened later in the day with gifts from others. Usually includes books and games. This year they are getting cludo and box of Lego bricks to share and base plates each and books. Last year they got magformers to share, which worked well.

God I love these stocking threads.

So I can't dig them out right now but for the last few years (5, 2 and under 1 year old dc) we have used some nice felt stockings but they've only had little bits and bobs in them.

This year I am looking at these online:

www.mamasandpapas.com/en-gb/into-imagination-large-christmas-stocking-purple/p/1477xm302?pdg=aud-382310809656:pla-318958694580:cmp-7246961182:adg-94650717999:crv-419394573817:pos-:dev-m&gclid=Cj0KCQjwnqH7BRDdARIsACTSAdsrDsfEAwGmOqkpKj6zJwBraOVt9K-sTSyUvuOQ3wDBgOzhizXWBZMaAjF8EALw_wcB

Now they say they are 60cm x 35cm. But they clearly aren't stretchy so I don't know realistically how much they will hold.

I absolutely love the idea of using literal stockings or socks!

Was anybody else born in the 70s and had the selection box stocking only?!

Home made stockings here apart from dc1 who inherited my dad's, wide enough for books (and a load of other stuff).

I had these in the 80's. We never did stockings as kids just presents by the tree and always had a selection pack.
I do a small stocking, standard size. Fill with treats and small gifts. Nothing more than £5 in there. Around £30/35

@NoWordForFluffy

Was anybody else born in the 70s and had the selection box stocking only?!

I was born in the 70's and always dreamed of getting one of those! Never did though .

Our stockings are felted, quite long and widish - left upstairs in bedrooms. Larger sacks slightly bigger than pillow cases are downstairs by the fire

Xmas stocking virgin over here ! Wanting to start the tradition with my DS. I have a question, do you wrap the presents in the stock?

@SpacePug definitely never wrap the stocking presents!!

We roughly wrap in tissue paper.

DD’s is very similar to yours, OP, but made of fabric.

I have the same problem with not being able to fit books in there. With hindsight, a wider design would have been more versatile and so, easier to fill. But DD’s stocking is personalised, so she’s stuck with it

I don’t wrap the stocking presents. I love buying presents but HATE wrapping them, so I’m not doing more wrapping than necessary.

Ours are like this 45x30cm so fit a book, toiletries, small toy, sweets, stationary, hair accessories etc.
Wrapped in a mix of Santa workshop paper and tissue paper.

Ours is just a standard stocking, this exact one. I don't really understand massive stockings I thought the point of them was just for little bits and bobs?

@Cattenberg we don't wrap stocking presents either. In our house stockings are from Father Christmas and I can't be doing with having a particular sort of wrapping paper for stocking presents.... I'd definitely end up getting them mixed up

My DM knitted my DS one last year for his first Christmas. It's one of the long and thin vintage types. The opening doesn't stretch at all and I think it could be fun funding stuff small enough to fit. I experimented with some of our current toys and a toot toot fire engine just about squeezed in! It will go in his bedroom (even though my DM attached bells to it. Could be fun!)

I've also bought a personalised santa sack for his larger presents this year, which will go by the fireplace.

@NoWordForFluffy

Was anybody else born in the 70s and had the selection box stocking only?!

We must have had them once as our stockings every year were the net stockings that originally held chocolates

I had my grandad's old socks - just one, and my DM would do a switch-a-roo as she went to bed for the pre-packed other sock. They are woolly, stretchy and long (and brown!) so by the time you reach the satsuma at the bottom your whole arm is in it. They will stretch to accommodate a smaller paperback.

My DM passed them on to me when DD1 was born so she gets them now, and I do the same switch that DM did with me.
This created an issue when DD2 was born as they are not the kind of thing you can buy anymore. DD2 has had to make do with a pair of DH's old football socks (if there was a nose pinching emoji I'd use it here!). They are a little shorter and less stretchy, but slightly wider so accommodate an equal amount.

Okay so no need to wrap them. That will save me a job 😁 I'm gonna order some stockings off Amazon. They have some nice ones in a set of 3, we have 1 DS and another on the way so eventually there will be one for each of them and a spare for decoration. No idea what to put in it still! Maybe some little chocolates, small books, toy cars? He turns 2 in Dec

I wrap - sorry to be awkward! I choose cheapie fun paper from somewhere like Wilko and wrap v roughly. One design of paper for each dc so I don't get confused - I usually have my prosecco goggles on when I'm doing the wrapping!

I had a knitted red and white stocking (knitted by my mum or granny) that usually contained the following:

An orange
Tube of sweeties (jelly tots were my favourite)
Pair of socks
Little trinket gifts...one year it was a novelty monkey USB stick (think I was mid-late teens)
Mini toiletries like bubble bath when older

I'm 31 now and don't live at home and my mum still prepares stockings for me and my 36 year old brother!

I wrap too, just really roughly but wouldnt be the same excitement I dont think if they were just pulling unwrapped things out of a stocking. I guess it just depends on what you are used to from childhood

Ooh conflicted about the wrapping now. Think this year I will leave unwrapped and see how that goes. He won't remember anyway plus I'll be 38 weeks pregnant by then and probably CBA to wrap 😂

Also, I have replaced a real satsuma with a chocolate orange as my dc could never muster any excitement over fruit at Christmas!

About the size of a rugby sock. DS had inherited mine and I'm expecting again and have my sister's for the next one.

They must always contain gold chocolate coins and a satsuma in the toe. And a couple of quality street. And then it's a mixture of bits, festive socks to wear on the day, wind up toy, new toothbrush, Playmobil blind bag etc. I wrap some and not other bits. The excitement is in the crinkling and feeling the shapes of the things!

I read on here about putting an individuallywrapped brioche/waffle and a capri sun in the stocking and then that was the kids breakfast at 5am when they first woke up, I thought that was genius!

Plans for the future definitely involve there being a new magazine/book in the stocking to read, I wish my parents had done that, I'd definitely have stayed in bed reading rather than waking everyone up at daft o clock! 🎅😁

Similar to OP but large enough to fit a paperback or two, with some 'big presents' from santa at the end of the bed. Rest of presents and any really big ticket items are from us and under the tree.