What makes stockings good?

disco123 · 2021-08-21T06:34:45+00:00

We never got them as DC and haven't done them so far with ours. However I've seen people on here saying they are the best bit of Christmas, and I'm wondering what it is that made them so exciting? Was it that these were the "Santa"presents, so magical and fun? Was it that they were at the end of your bed and you could open them before the rest of the house got up? Or something about the contents? I'm a keen lover of all things Christmas so wondering if I should get on board but not really sure what I'm missing [grin]

HungryHippo11 · 21/08/2021 07:59

I think it was the magical-ness of them coming from father Christmas

HungryHippo11 · 21/08/2021 08:00

Also having lots of things to open!

CatsGoPurrrr · 21/08/2021 08:01

I never had a stocking growing up, but I do one for my DD.

Everyone has their own ideas about stockings, but my DD stocking always is full of small (size or value) things that she may not buy herself/realise she wants.

There’re some things I always put in, sweets she loves in a nice jar, gloves (she loses them every year), nice pen/pencil, etc plus other things I think she’ll like. ‘Mini’ things always go down well.

I try not to spend more than £5/10 per item, most are a lot less.

I made the mistake when she was a baby of buying quite a large stocking. I’d recommend anyone not to do this!

CatsGoPurrrr · 21/08/2021 08:02

Above post is a long way of saying I don’t just buy tat to put in it, I try to get things she’ll love/like/use

JaninaDuszejko · 21/08/2021 08:05

They are magical, they are all lumpy and bumpy, they can be opened as soon as you get up, they are full of chocolate you can eat for breakfast, and then you can play with the toys while the adults fuss with the food before the presents under the tree are opened.

Camrette · 21/08/2021 08:06

For me it was the excitement of it appearing in the middle of the night, waking up and feeling the weight of it at the bottom of the bed.

There was never anything especially exciting in it but all of the little notebooks, sweets, chocolates, bath stuff, hair clips etc put together were so exciting to open!

sittingonacornflake · 21/08/2021 08:31

@Camrette

For me it was the excitement of it appearing in the middle of the night, waking up and feeling the weight of it at the bottom of the bed.

There was never anything especially exciting in it but all of the little notebooks, sweets, chocolates, bath stuff, hair clips etc put together were so exciting to open!

This for me too. Waking up in the night and crawling down to the bottom of bed to find the stocking bulging and touching it to hear all the crinkly paper....hands down the most incredible feeling for me as a child! SO exciting!

TheFairPrincess · 21/08/2021 08:58

I didn't have a stocking either but I did have my sack of presents put at the end of my bed as a child, so I think there is definitely an excitement to that. Can I say it would have been less exciting than running downstairs and finding presents? I don't know, but it did give that amazing "Santa's been" feeling.

I do stockings now but I choose nice toys that are small in size but good quality. It sounds cringe but I try to choose classic toys that they wouldn't see in Smyths so it has more of an "Elf's workshop" feel

Then I buy nice sweets from M & S or John Lewis as they are packaged nicely and just a bit different from every day, like last year John Lewis had these gorgeous sparkly sugar mice, and amazing big lollipops.

I also put a Lush bath bomb in as it's special and we don't buy them throughout the year.

Then I have the "practical item" section which had stuff like character tooth brushes, bubble bath, socks etc. In the end I wasn't a fan of that so it has been replaced by stuff like nice notepads, a nice pen or pencil set, and stickers. And yes, Santa fills the stocking!

I have heard a lot of people who had stockings as a child say they loved them and they were the best bit so I do try to do them nicely now and hopefully my DC will appreciate it and say the same when they are older

Palavah · 21/08/2021 09:01

When I was a child the stocking was where all the presents from mum and dad (aka Santa) went. Any that didn't fit sat next to the stocking. So this was the main haul and Santa had brought it into our bedrooms while we were asleep!!

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 21/08/2021 09:03

We all open ours on our bed together. Its fun and exciting. I don't buy 'tat' just for the sake of it, but there's fun, silly, practical and special stuff in there. Last year one DD asked Santa for carrots and one asked for a whoopee cushion (my children are odd!) So perfect stocking size.

Most expensive thing in there is a book usually, for 4 or 5 pounds.

PermanentTemporary · 21/08/2021 09:09

I think it was the freedom of it. I got lovely presents for birthday and Christmas and enjoyed them, but there was also quite a lot of obligation around them. Ways to behave, looking pleased, specific things to say, ways to thank people and of course the bloody thank you letters, which started on Boxing Day.

The stocking was like a secret between me and the universe. It arriving out of nowhere full of lumps and bumps and so heavy, and then opening it on my own and having it all to myself. Ooh. Just the best bit of Christmas.

Now I love doing the stocking because it's the only bit I don't budget for I spend FAR too much on it. Got a bit more under control now.

Sawyersfishbiscuits · 21/08/2021 09:14

We sit on the bed and open each thing quite slowly, we chat about the day and much on a bit of chocolate. It's the lovely calm bit of the day. It's also what the children look for first on Christmas morning. I think stockings are one of the best bits. Ours certainly aren't expensive but are special.

Sawyersfishbiscuits · 21/08/2021 09:15

Munch 😋

MrsBertBibby · 21/08/2021 09:16

Everyone gets a stocking in this house, if they sleep here Christmas Eve. The kids are nearly grown now, so they get a lot less than as kiddies. The Steps get stocking on Boxing day as they usually aren't here Xmas eve.

Socks (funky ones, from Thought or similar)
Chocs
Toiletries
Pens etc
A book
Cool playing cards
Little mad things. Last year they all got a smooth pebble of bog oak, from a tree that was growing when Stonehenge was built. A year before they got some bits of geode.

My main plan is stuff that they will enjoy using, or stuff that will make them laugh. Plus snacks.

GiantCheeseMonster · 21/08/2021 09:17

I didn’t have stockings either as a kid, just a sack of presents downstairs, but DH did so wanted it to continue. I absolutely love it now. The kids use now-ancient stockings they decorated at nursery. I don’t wrap anything in their stockings and basically fill them with the kind of plastic tat I don’t buy them the rest of the year - clacking teeth, silly pencil sharpeners etc. Always a chocolate orange and some sweets, usually gel pens or similar, and while most of it is the same for both DCs I put something in unique for each, such as a crystal for DS who is an avid collector of gemstones. They get so excited and my favourite bit of Christmas is hearing them run into each other’s rooms to compare stocking contents (plus it buys us a few more minutes in bed). Main presents are all downstairs.

CarolinaWeeper · 21/08/2021 09:21

In our house the stockings are the gifts from Father Christmas, bigger gifts under the tree are from family. I think there's definitely something magical about that, seeing the empty stocking on Christmas Eve then coming down on Christmas morning and HE'S BEEN. Lots of little gifts to rummage around for. I didn't have a stocking as a child but I love doing them for my DC. I quite want one for myself but not sure how I'd work that with the Father Christmas presents element.

Beakerandbungle · 21/08/2021 09:23

I also didn’t have a stocking as a child but a big sack - I haven’t so far done them for mine as a result but I kind of regret it! They do have stocking stuff in the main pillowcase but it does get a bit lost. I was actually thinking if there is a way of instigating it even though they are 9 and 6 now 🤔 (6 year old defo doesn’t believe, older is I think clinging on but doesn’t deep down!).

Having said that I still found Xmas magical as a child!

Beakerandbungle · 21/08/2021 09:25

I actually did my mum a stocking last year as she was on her own and she LOVED it.

BeyondMyWits · 21/08/2021 09:32

My girls have a small stocking each - MIL provided saying that I'd thank her one day... yep! Under A4 size so just big enough for a handful of sweets, a fancy pen, a small soft toy and notebook/ stickers.... and a wind up "racer" we always race the wind up toys in the lull after lunch. (Wind up snails, cars, kangaroos, robots... we've got the lot now.. )

MsJuniper · 21/08/2021 09:44

I loved my stocking pillowcase as a child and love doing them for my DC now. I try to keep the presents small/medium sized (but get a bit carried away just as my mum did) and there's always one hideous thing which the DC know I would never in a million years buy them as I have expressed this loudly during the adverts on Milkshake.

MyMabel · 21/08/2021 09:54

I don’t know how to explain this one; but our stocking were always topped with a load of glitter, it was all over the sacks, the presents and the floor - it’s was a magical mess and I think as kids if you were to spill a packet of glitter on the floor our parents wouldn’t be very pleased and we’d be asked to clean it up- so to see them also finding it magical (obviously pretending the fibbing shites) was just lovely.

Our stocking consisted of 3 tiers; there were about 1 or 2 main gifts, too big to fit in the stocking so would be loved next to it, then it was filled with toys we’d had on our list or that we had asked for, then the rest was smaller stocking fillers/chocolate etc.

mam0918 · 21/08/2021 10:41

As a kid they werent magical at all but we didnt have a focus on the... they where hung as decoration and would be the last thing looked at on xmas, usually after dinner and had fruit and nuts and a selection box in (but I didnt eat chocolate much, I prefered jelly).

I had no idea stocking where a 'big' or 'main' thing until joining mumsnet.

Stockings are still the last thing opened here, My oldest is usually excited to see whats in it but then never looks again, My youngest son love the sweets and will eat everyones and my baby likely wont know whats going on yet.

Stockings arent from Santa... in history it was St. Nick (a real person) who left stockings for people as a good act to help people usually with money or food in them. To me Santa (the magical guy that lives at the north pole with elves and flies on raindears) and St. Nick (a historic saint to gave to the poor) are two completely different people.

TheFairPrincess · 21/08/2021 10:47

But it's widely known that the mythos of Santa Claus comes from the story of Saint Nicholas :)

mam0918 · 21/08/2021 10:47

@MsJuniper

I loved my stocking pillowcase as a child and love doing them for my DC now. I try to keep the presents small/medium sized (but get a bit carried away just as my mum did) and there's always one hideous thing which the DC know I would never in a million years buy them as I have expressed this loudly during the adverts on Milkshake.

One tradition I added for my kids was a 'Santa sack' which includes gifts that parents wouldnt buy (mainly something insufferably noisy) so it must be from 'Santa'.

mam0918 · 21/08/2021 10:51

@Beakerandbungle

I also didn’t have a stocking as a child but a big sack - I haven’t so far done them for mine as a result but I kind of regret it! They do have stocking stuff in the main pillowcase but it does get a bit lost. I was actually thinking if there is a way of instigating it even though they are 9 and 6 now 🤔 (6 year old defo doesn’t believe, older is I think clinging on but doesn’t deep down!).

Having said that I still found Xmas magical as a child!

I added the 'Santa sacks' when my oldest was 9 or 10 so you can definately add more in over the years.

He never questioned it (pretty sure he knew its not real anyway) but they where a big hit so I highly doubt he would have objected.