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?

[GunsAndShips]

I really need a new stocking for DS. He has a narrow knitted one and it fits very little and what does go in it, snags. I've tried searching and at least half of the results are sacks and the rest seem to be cheap felt jobs with personalisation options. I want a traditional stocking with enough room for some small gifts, nothing bigger than a small paperback. Usually just has a satsuma, toiletries, maybe something to build/make like a little lego set or foam planes or similar. Any ideas? I might make one if not. I made their sacks for presents from us (pillowcase size) so could do that I suppose.

We always wrap. FC brings the stocking and one gift under the tree, all wrapped in the same paper. My children love the unwrapping.

[HumphreyGoodmanswife]

We wrap all presents, stocking and all. DCs love guessing what each little thing is before ripping it all off and it makes the whole opening presents process last longer

[Wherearefoxssocks]

DS is only going to be just over a year old, so I'm not wrapping his stocking. I don't want him to lose interest in opening things before he gets to the good stuff downstairs. I'll wrap when he's older.

I'm planning on putting in a toot toot car, jumbo crayons, some bubbles and one of those little pocket library board books (if it will fit!). Maybe a small milky bar.

[SittingontheSidelines]

@SpacePug we always wrap the presents in the stocking, don't wrap sweets/chocolate, always one unwrapped sticking out the top when they were young, eg a soft toy. It lasts longer when the gifts are wrapped. I use a mixture of small paper bags stuck down with a Christmas label, tissue and cheap paper. No neat wrapping used for stockings.

[Trumpton]

Always wrapped in special FC paper .
Knitted big socks that I lined with stretch cot sheet as the gifts kept catching on the inside floats .
10 or so small items but always choc coins and an apple and some nuts .
DDs are adults now and have graduated onto a shoebox with the same sort of presents in .( So as not to confuse the dgc)

Brilliant tip to have a spare stocking ready stuffed and just switch them .
Oh and we always put a little torch at the top and the stocking could only be unwrapped by torch light .

[Sweetener12]

Pretty similar to yours. actually, but the design is a little bit different.

[ktsc89]

I always wanted a stocking when I was younger but sometimes my parents would forget so it's not been much of a tradition in my household (I got lots of lovely presents, not complaining at all!)

But I now fancy incorporating the tradition with my new household. My DP (and bump... so one for next year/a few years after). Pending having the little one, any ideas of what could make up DP's stocking?

I'm thinking Terry's choc orange, other choc, maybe a little novelty game (??), socks? Any suggestions? I'd like it to have useful stuff!

[CrocodileFondue]

@ktsc89 I find a couple of miniatures go down well for men's stockings, (as long as he drinks), you can get lots of fancy whiskeys, gins, rums, etc. I usually put some fudge in, some silly post-its for work or an interesting pen or something. Socks, toiletries, chocolate pennies etc.

[ZarasHouse]

We use the shop bought ones, the smaller size not giant ones. Big enough for maybe a small book or notebook though it tends to be a few small gifts about the size of a tangerine, plus a tangerine or two of course and some chocolate of some kind.

[TeaOneSugar]

Ours are the standard shop bought felt style, they're a tat free zone, there's always chocolate/sweets then things like hair and shaving products for DP and a hairbrush and body sprays for DD, useful things but just a touch nicer than normal.

[Natsku]

An elf hat. Does not fit much. After they get emptied we wear the hats.

[mumfordofsons]

I made the DC their 'stockings', a thick cotton bag a bit smaller than a pillow case, with a red felt stocking shape sewn on the front.

[Amrythings]

DSD17 has a felt one with a penguin that I started filling when we started having Christmas together. It had been made redundant when she stopped doing Santa, but since her parents buy her her big presents its fun for me to do the stocking.

DS1 has a quite enormous patchwork stocking my mum made him. It matches the ones we all have that replaced the long fairisle knitted ones which were my father's nemesis when we were kids. It was easy filling it last year, he was moving up a size in clothes so we filled out the bottom with those. Not sure what we're going to do with it this year!

[WoobyWoo]

We did little stockings for the first couple of years but now have sacks instead. As they grew, the socks and a ball type presents turned into things like full sized books and calendars and rugby socks and big bars of toblerone etc which no longer fit in the cute ones!

I think everyone’s idea of a stocking is different though. My mum always put a tangerine in mine “for tradition” and wrapped up things like cotton wool pads etc and I’d be baffled. If I wanted a tangerine I’d just get one from the bowl Mum. Wasted on me she was!

[maxineputyourredshoeson]

Ours are the standard shop bought sized ones. I don’t remember having them as a child and DH had pillow cases. Our DD’s have them on the end of their bed and then have a Santa sack in the living room by the tree.

I always put a chocolate orange and chocolate coins in them - now their older they have a satsuma and £1 too. I never wrap the stuff in them.

[mam0918]

a xmas stocking to us is just that, its those 'xmas stockings' you buy in shops - Im often confused by people who buy big things as 'stocking fillers' because theres no way they fit in a stocking, I guess they get those 'santa sacks' but to me those arent stockings but an entirely different thing

stockings have never been a big thing for us, as a child I remember it had nuts and fruit in and was something that usually didnt even get looked at until a few days after xmas. I never really did it much for my eldest either - just a few stickers, a bouncy ball, an eraser, a small teddy or figure and of course the chocolate coins usually amounting to under £5 or so but last year I decided to fill the remaining space with tonnes of sweets and I might continue with that, it only cost a few £ extra and I have been munching threw them all year lol.

[mam0918]

@mam0918

a xmas stocking to us is just that, its those 'xmas stockings' you buy in shops - Im often confused by people who buy big things as 'stocking fillers' because theres no way they fit in a stocking, I guess they get those 'santa sacks' but to me those arent stockings but an entirely different thing

stockings have never been a big thing for us, as a child I remember it had nuts and fruit in and was something that usually didnt even get looked at until a few days after xmas. I never really did it much for my eldest either - just a few stickers, a bouncy ball, an eraser, a small teddy or figure and of course the chocolate coins usually amounting to under £5 or so but last year I decided to fill the remaining space with tonnes of sweets and I might continue with that, it only cost a few £ extra and I have been munching threw them all year lol.

also for us stockings are a 'tradition' like decorating the tree or putting out a carrot for rudolf... they arent inherantly 'from' anyone (stocking being from santa seems so odd to me)

also I dont put clothes or toiletries in stockings, stuff like that goes in the xmas eve box

[DelurkingAJ]

My DM has made all of ours and here adults get them too. They usually have a pile of presents at the side and the contents are usually useful but slightly nicer than normal. So character pants and PJs, Xmas socks (always, for everyone), posh mini toiletries, DVDs and Xmas Annuals (that absolutely do not fit), edibles and drinks for adults, everyone got a decent small torch last year, expanding flannels when I can find them. All wrapped. And Father Christmas brings one big present (as he did when I was small). The deal being you could open that before everyone came down so it was usually something to keep the DC occupied! All other presents from the people who gave them.

[whirlwindwallaby]

It's kind of a bauble shape, 45cm by 40cm. Usually fits everything.

[BleepingSausages]

Similar to yours, but could stretch to fit a paperback in

[Twaddledee]

In our house it’s a normal men’s size long sock

[GlendaSugarbeanIsJudgingYou]

Ours are sock shaped and wide enough to fit a magic 8 ball.

We do put novelty gifts in but nothing gets wasted. Like last year we had dark mark tattoos which were great fun.

DS2 is desperate to try bubble gum so he'll be getting some of that in his stocking this year.

[FatGirlShrinking]

Like your picture, always has a satsuma and a handful of nuts in shells and chocolate coins at the bottom like we had when we were kids.

DDs only 6 so will probably have a couple of the little Lego/Playmobil foil bag things in it and a rolled up comic.

[SittingontheSidelines]

PP saying bubble gum reminds me, one year when mine were getting to the age of questioning Father Christmas I put chewing gum in their stockings. They knew there was absolutely no way I'd ever allow them to have (the hugely coveted) chewing gum so they believed for a couple more years.

[TheGirlWhoLived]

Ours is handknitted and about the size of a 5 year old we give it as a main present so it costs about £150-£200 containing about 30 things ranging from 50p-£30. This is from FC

Then we give one present to each child/ from each child and to each grown up under the tree, usually about £30-50, and finally a shared present between the kids costing about £100 on Boxing Day. This was christened ‘The beast of boxing day’ on year which has stuck! Keeps it under or around £300 per child and which suits us