What goes in a stocking?

[LeftieLucy]

I’ve never made one up before.

This year I’ve halved my budget as the children have had extra bought for them during lockdowns and our house is fit to burst. I thought I’d do stockings this year as they seem fun but not an excessive waste of money if you do them ‘properly’

Any suggestions?
18 year old girl
16 year old boy
4.5 year old boy
2.5 year old girl.

The 2 little ones are diagnosed autistic, youngest has Pica so nothing small she could choke on 😬

Thank you!

I usually put in Christmas socks/tights, chocolate coins and a satsuma. Also a candy cane hanging on the outside and a cuddly peering out the top. Then just a few little things that they'd like - a blind bag, face mask, torch, hair bobbles, colouring pens, hair product etc. Tubes of sweets are good too - you can get lots of different kinds like jelly tots and smarties.

Satsuma in the toe, bag of chocolate coins, Lindt chocolate Father Christmas poking out of the top, streamers & paper hat, something to make a noise eg penny whistle.
I didn’t put useful things in, just fun stuff, so your DD might like nail varnish, eye make up, earrings, ring etc.

Lump of coal? And your DC should consider themselves lucky to get that .

In seriousness, I'm doing chocolate coins, a Schleich toy animal, fluffy socks, an orange, a wooden spinning top, a bath bomb and an Orchard game for my 4yo.

For us stockings are not for boring practical bits. We put in festive chocolates and sweets, novelty Christmas things like Christmas Bath toys, Christmas ty beanie boos, Christmas edition blind bags, Christmas earrings etc.

Adults get chocolate, alcohol minis, festive socks and a Christmas scratch card. It's also not a stocking if there isn't a large Toblerone poking out the top!

Miniature baileys, pack of shots, chocolate coins, book, make up, costume jewellery, fake poo, other joke shop items, hair drying turban, bath bombs, nice stationary, novelty socks, headphone/ earphones,
What do they like? We have also done a foragers bag, fire lighting set, whittling knife and book, suture set ( fake skin and needles and thread) space food , Pokemon pocket watch on a chain, lock pick set with clear padlock and a set of lock picks and instructions,

I try to include

Something to:
Eat
Drink
Wear
Read
Something they need

At least one of those might be something more playful than things bought during the rest of the year, but I rigorously avoid tat, and stocking gifts aren’t specifically Christmas items. Generally small things, though the drink may very well not be cheap.

I love preparing stockings, and I’m glad they’ve always been part of Christmas for us, for every age.

Since being on mumsnet I have discovered stocking gifts can vary dramatically. Some people class them as something that put thier actual gifts in, some are just for novelty and edible bits or smaller gifts.

In our house stocking have smaller gifts stockings are to be left in the bedroom. I dont see the point in a stocking with small gifts downstairs (but that's a whole different debate)

So as young children and teens they always have

A Terry's chocolate orange
Choclate coins
Some other random Christmas chcolate/sweets

This year my teen ds and dd and dsc have

Bobbles
Mascara
Lipgloss
Charger cables
Jewllery (not expensive ones cheaper asos ones)
Shower steamers
New smart watch straps (cheaper ones not official ones)
A Reid diffuser or small candle
A scratch card

Some brilliant ideas, thank you!

Definitely going to be lots of sweets/chocolate involved. I think I’m going to go down the ‘usable’ route like drinks, bath stuff etc things that won’t linger for years to come.

My dd18 said she’s going to make one for me too so very excited!

@statetrooperstacey the lock picking set looks brilliant for ds (4) he loves taking things apart so is ideal. Thanks, I’d never have thought of something like that

Stockings are so cute and fun, I decided to do them properly last year and it was great! I went too overboard though, the line was too blurred between tree and stocking present IMO, though I don't know if that really makes sense or if anyone else would be bothered by such things!!

I do crafts, sweet treats, fun toiletries, accessories and little gifts. I went way too hipster/try hard on said small gifts last year and spent way more than I needed when the kids would have preferred some character blind bag toys and things like that. Plans for this year off the top of my head for a 6, 4 and almost 2 year old are:

Kid themed hot chocolate bomb - lots of those around this year
A bunch of those previously mentioned mini blind bag toys
Poppits/Pop-its
Small notebooks and cute pencils
Chocolate orange, candy cane, sugar mice, lindt small chocolate figure, swirly lollipop, sweet jar
Cuddly toy to poke out the top
Cute Claires accessories things
Fun little toys from Tiger

The main thing is to make sure the stocking is not too big so a little looks like a lot.

I've got 19 and 17 yr old DD and have upped the budget this year to avoid anything that might be seen as tat so they are getting

Poppy appeal waterbottles (metal and very pretty)
Turtle dove fingerless gloves (recycled cashmere which they like)
Mac refillable eyeshadow palettes plus voucher to buy the 4 shades they like/will use)
Fabric facemasks I make them from recycled clothes
Egg poachers (to go on their avocado toast - they are such a cliche)
Hot chocolate stirrers - wooden sticks with chocolate and marshmallows on to stir into milk)
Vintage jewellery bought cheaply from ebay
Socks

In the past I've often put in small stationary items, hair accessories, craft kits, mini books, little toys etc.

Def has to have a satsuma in the toe. And chocolates. We always include a magazine - something that we don't normally bother with the rest of the year. Given that it's just me and him and we're both old enough to know better it's generally a mag about cats for me and something like What Hifi for him. That shapes the stocking and then there might a jar of expensive jam/marmelade (him) or caramel sauce (all mine).

My dad always include a toothbrush -- but he was a dentist and included them in any gift possible (his go to for hallowe'en as well)

@londonmummy1966 do you have a pattern for the face masks? I’m a beginner sewist, I’m making the stockings and would love to make the face masks (and anything else which allows me to practice!)

@LeftieLucy - I find the Olson masks the easiest to make and the pattern I use is here

blog.bernina.com/en/2020/05/the-olson-mask/

The small size works for me and DD2 as we both have small heads and the medium for DD and DH who do not. It can take a bit of time to get your head around how to put it together the first time round (well it did for me) but I found this video helpful - her website also has patterns for the pleated masks and masks made from jersey fabric if you prefer those.

blog.bernina.com/en/2020/05/the-olson-mask/

Last year I also made some of these with a packet of tissues inside - very easy to make and look good in the same fabric or with a contrast.

www.sumoftheirstories.com/blog2016/04/the-easiest-pocket-pack-tissue-holder.html

Finally, mine are keen on scrunchies (give me 80s vibes so I'm not) so I made some for their stockings too.

Thank you!

Chocolate coins
Whoopie cushion
Bath bomb/bath jelly
Body spray (for the teens)
Mini pot of Pringles
Fidget toys
Bubbles (for little ones)
Socks
Character tooth brush and tooth pasts (for little ones)
American sweets
Top trumps or UNO cards
Note book/diary

In my family sockings have ten items - five edible and five non edible. We had a big debate last year when my mum put chewing gum in one brother's stocking - I can't remember whether she classifed it as edible or non-edible but it was a contentious issue!

I always do one for my mum and aim to spend no more than £15 on the whole thing. I've got two non-edible things left to buy and have spent £9 so far. So far I have:

Earrings
Bubble bath
Shower puff (she keeps telling me she wants one in her stocking because she always uses them)
Toffifee
Fry's selection box
Chocolate coins
Chocolate orange
Tube of chocolate buttons

Stockings are the best part of Christmas in my opinion. We open them in my mum's bed and take it in turns to open one thing each, from youngest to oldest. One year we each had a toy cat in the top of the stocking, and then ten years later we had new cats - I still have both of them. One year I put a chocolate santa in my mum's stocking and instead of saying "Thank you Father Christmas" as we often do as we open things she accidently said, "Thank you Father Chocolate" and it became a running joke.

For my DD (young adult) I have got choc coins, shower gel, Gingerbread man biscuit baking pack and a pudding in a mug sachet (from tesco) a brownie in a skillet set (B and M 4.99) some marshmallow snowman hot choclate toppers (wilkos), a mini crosstitch kit and I may add a paperback and some socks and pants.

Always shower steamers from Bubble & Bathe they so good and everyone loves them www.bubbleandbathe.com. Always a chocolate orange and for the kids I always get some arts a craft bits so they got something to do in early morning.

Chocolate Coins
Hair accessories
Bubble bath
Yo-Yo
Skipping ropes
Hot chocolate bomb
Small LOL purse

Depends on age and interests we always do chocolate coins. When they were little small
toys/small things top trumps, card games anything they might like thats inexpensive as they have got older maybe nice pens, little note book or a joke book, make up for DD, smellies for both etc.

We normally do colours/pens, colouring book/notepad (very hand if they wake early can entertain themselves for a while), chocolate/snowy enrobed Oreos, lego mini figure lucky bag, pants, socks, bed socks, little stationary things, rulers rubbers ect, bubble bath, fidget things. I try to put things that will be used/played with or needed in them, hate the idea of a stocking ‘filler’ ie something just to make it appear they have more.

Good shout on the Lego minifigure! Both the teens love Lego, and I could get playmobil for the small ones.

Some great ideas, thank you all so much!

We normally do wee things. So for the kids:
Chocolate coins
Tube of smarties/fruit pastilles
Toothbrush
Satsuma
Wee toy (e.g. a hatchimal, couple of packs of football cards, pocket money sort of thing).

For the adults - the same, but with something jokey rather than the toy.

My dc are 20,21 and 22 but still insist on stockings 🤣
Toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, chocolate coins, bath bomb, cards, deodorant, candle, hair bobbles, gel, socks, pants/boxers, alcohol miniature and any other assorted cheap tiny bits!
Best part of Christmas according to them. I suggested stopping them a few years ago and there was uproar.