Stocking traditions - need inspiration

[FilthyforFirth]

So in DS1 stocking every year we give him a tsum tsum (little Disney cuddly for those not in the know!) He is 4 now and even though they no longer sell them they are easily available on Ebay etc.

DS2 was born in mid November so his first Christmas was a bit of a blur and I dropped the ball. I dont want him to have the same thing as DS1 but would love something similar.

So small enough to fit a stocking that will eventually turn into a collection. DS1 doesnt always play with them but Christmas just gone he was genuinely excited to see Santa had got him a new one.

I'd love that for DS2! Any ideas or inspiration for me?! What do you do for yours?

We used to (still do) cram stockings with little cheap toys and party bag fillers. They're easy to get, cheaper to buy and if you don't start off with an expensive theme you then have to keep up each year the stockings get decidedly larger and go a long way.

Our kids are now 23 and 21yrs old and we still leave them bits of novelty crap in a stocking. Gets sillier and more crass each year but they're adults now so it's OK.

Forgot to add sorry - eldest son has always been a gamer and got mainly Minecraft or Star Wars figurines / plush and ornamental figures.

Daughter has been into all things Japanese since being very young and nearly every year has ended up with either Studio Ghibli or Rilakkuma cutlery.

It can get expensive once you start with a theme but general party favours and novelty toys are just as good for very young kids.

How about a nice plastic animal? Or wooden. (Such as Schleich)

Something they can keep. I give my kids a Christmas Tree decoration in their stocking every year. They know which ones are theirs and they can put them on their own tree when they're adults. I have decorations from when I was a child and I love them.

Thank you for all these ideas! The tsum tsums arent expensive, I have often found them in random places, like Clintons, for £1!

We already get them a named tree decoration each year that they can take when they leave! Though DS2's full name isn't super popular so will have to make do with a shortened version!

A small animal could be the way to go. DS1 Schliech toys are quite large though, will need to look and see if they do smaller ones.

Keep them coming!

Not collectable things but my boys really liked getting their own ball of string in their stockings (zip lines for teddies from bedroom to garden was a regular use of it!) also a large roll of sticky tape was appreciated.

What about something similar but very slightly different.

Ty do little beanie babies about the size of the Disney ones for a couple of pounds (sure I've seen them in smyths and maybe the entertainer) "or what about something like an animal glove puppet, you can get them for a few pounds each.

These are what I mean

www.smythstoys.com/uk/en-gb/toys/fashion-and-dolls/ty-beanie-boo/ty-mini-boo-collectibles-assortment/p/163198

@FilthyforFirth Schleich do gorgeous smaller animals. We’ve got reusable crackers and each year I put one of the smaller animals in. Last year was a cat and this year will be a rabbit I think.

Thomas and Friends track master

DD is 8 and in her stocking normally gets:

something that lights up
something for the bath
something for her hair
some kind of notebook, pencils etc.
something unusual she wouldn't expect
a small soft toy
a book
a satsuma
an apple
chocolate coins
a few more chocolate/sweet things, eg. candy cane, tube of sweets, Lindt choc shapes

I get lots of stuff through the year in sales, eg. in Rex London, Wilko, Paperchase, Rockahula, Superdrug, Hawkins and so on; and I get fun things at Tiger too which is always great for stocking fillers! The Rex London sale is great -- and I also pick things up in museum shops and National Trust shops during the year. I do stockings as toys and treats only, so no pants and socks and toothbrushes! Instead, things like mini kaleidoscopes, glittery hair clips, light up bath ducks, mini kites, bath bombs or similar, a book, notebooks and glitter gel pens, that kind of thing. Can be very inexpensive that way at about £1 per item in sales. One year DD's favourite present ever was a colour-changing mini biro which was 20p in the Tesco sale!

This year for DD (8) I have so far:
-- mini woodland stamp set picked up ages ago in Paperchase sale
-- mini woodland notebooks
-- Rockahula hair clips (John Lewis sale)
-- wooden house pencil sharpener and old fashioned wooden ruler, Rex London
-- hot chocolate spoon, Rex London (I'll get a hot choc bauble or stirrer to go with it)
-- light-up peg string
-- bracelet, Lisa Angel
-- book
-- I think I have a couple of other things but can't remember them! A poster on a previous thread suggested pipe cleaners and I think I have some from Rex London somewhere as a woodland animal kit.

I just love love love doing stockings, they were one of my favourite parts of Christmas as a child, and then when I was older I used to do my siblings'. I love putting them together for DD.

Thank you all. Good ideas here. We love a bit of Thomas in this house so that is a possibility. Will look into schliech as I do like DS1's dino's. Finally, beanie babies is a good shout, so will look at that too.

Thanks all. Christmas is my happy place so I love planning these things in advance!

For that age, light up bath ducks or clownfish you can pick them up normally in pocket money sections are really great; they don't last that long as the water does get into the mechanism eventually, but they're great fun. Bath toys are always good for that age -- you can get the little sachets of fizzing colour changing bath crystals. Bath crayons?

At 4 DD got lots of stuff from Tiger in her stocking -- mini puzzles, soft toy, wooden fish game, bouncy ball that looks like a globe, light up bouncy balls, bug catcher, bubble pot etc.

I can also really recommend Ikea stuff for that age group -- DD had some of their £1 mini soft toys and finger puppets a couple of years running around that age, and their felt fruits and veggies are great!

Pop-up wooden creatures, mini castanets and pan pipes, yo-yos, spinning tops, crayon sets, cheap glider planes -- there are loads of such fun things for that age group. For DD it's getting harder to get her things that aren't just an obvious variation on the year before

Oh and at 4 we only occasionally used to buy DD kids' magazines with all the plastic TV tat, so she associated them with a great treat and so she got one in her stocking - one with as much plastic Charlie&Lola/Peppa Pig/Sarah&Duck/Octonauts etc. plastic tat crammed on the front of it as possible

Oh and stickers! A 4 y old has to have bubbles and stickers in a stocking, it's The Law

Thank you! I am pretty set on regular stocking ideas, though some of these are great and I will add to my list!

I was more after something that I can get that will build up as a collection over the years. DS1 loves his tsum tsums but I would like to keep that just for him! So DS2 needs something similar.

Haha my 4 year old loves bubbles too. Hoping the baby will enjoy some in his stocking too this year, he will be just over 1!

Pez dispenser.

Finger puppet- Christmas themed perhaps.

Individual Playmobil figures and accessories. About £4. Can find their way into the rest of the Playmobil collection to make the sets more interesting.

Hmm, DS1 loves playmobil, especially the pirates as he is obsessed, so that could work! We just discovered the playmobil movie today which we have now watched twice! (Isolating sadly).

I love playmobil so could definitely get him a figure each year...

Ours Ave changed as they’ve got older but always had/have:
A book
A magazine or comic
A chocolate orange
Underwear
Socks or tights
Something silly like paper aeroplanes, dressing up shoes or a magic trick.
Pyjamas
Things like hairbands, toiletries.
Cash.
Colouring or craft items.

Someone on the bargains thread posted this, OP:

toysforapound.com/collections/toys-for-2-pound/products/disney-tsum-tsum-squishies-christmas-special-edition-exclusive-6pc-tin

It’s frigging July.

@BorisKilledMyHusband

It’s frigging July.

Have you got lost on the Christmas board, Boris? Please do next take a step over to the Weddings board to tell them not everyone is getting married; or the Doghouse to let them know not everyone has a pet.

I'd definitely go with beanie babies for your ds2. You can get beanie baby puffies which are similar to tsum tsums. But then it's something fluffy and notably the same, so no arguments, but they're different brands, so not going to be mistaken for each others etc.

Sion Corn always puts a set of Top Trumps in our children’s stockings - usually themed to whatever they are interested in that year!