Where do you put stockings for teens?

[MegBusset]

Just pondering this - when DC were younger and still believed, stockings were snuck into their bedrooms by Santa when they eventually went to fricking sleep. They would then bring them through excitedly to open on our bed.

Now they are 12 and 14, in the last few years I have still snuck the stockings into their rooms but they don't share a room and so have opened them in their own rooms by themselves. (While we lie in our room slightly sad that they no longer come running through!) This seems a little unChristmassy to me and just wondering how other families with preteens/teens do stockings? Do you leave them eg by the tree to open together?

Outside their bedroom door. Dd2 usually wakes early (she has autism and can’t contain her excitement) so she’s allowed to open hers in her room which gives me a extra hour or 2 in bed, I usually have to wake dd1 (17) up, she would happily not get up until 11am.

They are hung by the fireplace. In the old house the only one was in our room. Here that is downstairs but they bring them to us to open.

I was only 4 when I caught my father in my room doing the stockings which is probably why I wanted them somewhere they wouldn't see if they woke up. Plus mine were crazily light sleepers so any disruption just wasn't worth it.

@WineGetsMeThroughIt

The whole family has always had stockings. They're left and kept downstairs by the fireplace, and we always open them together just before the main presents.

"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there..."

This is the same thing we did growing up. I find it so strange to leave a stocking at the foot of the bed. Always found it a bit sad as I assumed children would just sit in their own beds alone on Christmas morning opening their stockings, so I'm glad to hear they are least take them up to the parents beds to open them.

I agree with this, ours are hung on the fireplace as FC comes down the chimney and finds them there to fill. DH said he always had his stocking in his room as a child to open and give his parents a lie in which I find really sad

Stockings are all conveniently left by the armchair in our bedroom and everyone piles into our bed (although 6’4” DS is often on the chair with feet on our bed!) to open their stockings with a big pot of tea and chocolate coins. It made filling them easy when they were younger, and still continues today for pre teen, teen and adult DC. The first time one has a partner to stay for Christmas we might have to revise it

I just used to leave them outside their doors. By a certain age they were very likely going to bed later than we were anyway.

When they still believed they would bring stockings (left at ends of beds) to open on our bed - with dog and cat there, too - just as well we had a nice big bed!

Never done separate stockings .
Presents always in giant sack downstairs next to the tree .

Stockings have always been placed propped up next to the fireplace, so no change.

It's not sad at all having them on the foot of the bed, you really can't beat the excitement of feeling a full stocking when you wake up. Ours always brought them through to open with us until they were younger teens, they do them in their own rooms now they are older but its still just as magical. We discussed putting them on their door handles instead a couple of years ago and they said no way. Putting them downstairs and depriving them of that excitement would seem all sorts of wrong.

Mine are 16, 14, 12, and 10. This is the first year that 10 year old officially doesn't believe.
We put stockings on the bottom of the beds, (Or sometimes the floor!) But they don't open them there.
My DH always has to be at work for 8.30ish, so at about 7am we wake everyone (well, 10 y.o. does) and we all go downstairs together to open in living room.

They used to come to our bed to open first present, but they are too big to all fit now, and my SIL always comes for Christmas, and she wants to be in on the fun!

Putting them there can be a problem. Most people go to Mass at 10pm so, by the time we are home, had a few drinks and snacks etc, I send everyone to bed with warnings that Santa won't come if they don't sleep! Last year I had to wait till 2am before they were asleep, so we will see what happens this year!

@shinynewapple21

Never done separate stockings . Presents always in giant sack downstairs next to the tree .

This is how it was when I was a child, never had a stocking. I didn’t really start doing them with the DC’s until they were around 10 years old, they started asking for a stocking and I thought we would give it a try, dd1 (17) now says it’s the best bit about Christmas 🤣, I also do myself a stocking to make up for not having one when I was a child.

Always hung them on end of bed, they know not to open them on their own they are always opened all together in our room.

@EerilyDisembodied

It's not sad at all having them on the foot of the bed, you really can't beat the excitement of feeling a full stocking when you wake up. Ours always brought them through to open with us until they were younger teens, they do them in their own rooms now they are older but its still just as magical. We discussed putting them on their door handles instead a couple of years ago and they said no way. Putting them downstairs and depriving them of that excitement would seem all sorts of wrong.

Oh yes, the excitement of waking when it was still dark - finding that bulging thing at the end of the bed! ‘He’s been!’ Even if we weren’t allowed to open anything yet.

Stocking was always downstairs next to the fire place. It's open before breakfast but all of us together.

Saying that, I never do "stocking presents", the stocking has the small presents she would get anyway unless it is something really expensive and would come from us, not Santa.

I creep into their rooms. They’re often bunking up in one room as visitors now, but apparently when they were little, the eldest and bossiest would wake them all up and make them open, repack and then have to feign surprise as they opened them with us. She is a martinet!
We’ve often got older relies staying too and I didn’t love having Aunty Maude perched on my bed. Perhaps we’ll all go through to ‘children’s’ room this year.

Mine are 15 and 11 now, they are hung on the fireplace but always brought on to our bedroom to open

It's my favourite part of Christmas day. Still dark outside, Christmas lights on and sitting up in bed with my morning coffee watching them open their gifts.

Downstairs by the fireplace.

I think DP may stay over this Christmas Eve so stockings will be opened downstairs rather than on my bed. In recent teen years they've been left on the landing outside bedrooms.

Mine are 13 and 15. We still put the stockings on their bed when they fall asleep but mainly because 13 year old is autistic and still believes.
They come in to our room at 7 to open their stockings still. We also have a 1 year old so still have a bit of magic.

As a child we had pillowcases left at the end of the bed or just outside the door, but would wake up at like 4/5am to half open then fall back asleep.

Because of my shenanigans for my own children we have always done santa sacks left by the tree. They sleep better, then we all get up around 8 and they get opened while we watch and have a cup of tea. I really like to see their reactions so this suits me and they know no different!!

Still sneak them in the room and they come through to our room to open them before we move to the lounge.