Some questions about stockings

[Fivemoreminutes1]

How much do you spend (and how old is your child)?
Also, are you avoiding plastic stuff a bit more now?

Our stocking is just 1 small toy, normally whatever DD has said she has asked santa for. No more than £10/£15 usually. Everything else comes from us and family etc

Our sockings hold about 8 gifts and traditionally for us included:

• chocolate coins


• bath bomb or similar


• special T-shirt


• cuddly toy


• magazine


• 3 small toys or other gifts

Mine are now all adults and I also have extras - girlfriends/ wives/ partners and I do a stocking for all of them (dog included)
Any attempt to stop or reduce is met with much resistance and I love it....
We do all the bits they need (extras) that they might struggle with
Face bits
Fancy pants and socks
Chocolate
Face masks
Booze
Make up.

The dog loved hers :).

Stockings are from Father Christmas in our household and are just an average sized stocking hanging on the fireplace. DDs are 5 and 3 and I spend around £25....and as you say, try to avoid plastic tat. Some ideas I often put in:

Interesting snack from the global food aisle that Father Christmas has picked up on his travels around the world. Last year was some chocolate biscuits and a carton of fruit juice from the local Polish supermarket. DDs always seem to love this.

Funky toothbrush.....Rex London do some really nice designs.

Things like socks, or nice hair clips.

Temporary tattoos.

Marbles.

Small cuddly toy.

Schleich animal.

Playmobil or lego blind bag.

Matey bubble bath.

Sachet of hot chocolate.

My DC’s don’t like the idea of Santa going into their rooms, so they have the stockings hanging by the fireplace and leave a note each year asking him to leave the stockings downstairs once they are full, so that me and DH can bring them up….so if they ever wake up whilst we are sneaking them into their rooms we have a ready made excuse: “oh how strange, we heard a noise downstairs and went to check, and look what we found!!”.

DS is 10 now and believes so passionately in Santa that I think we’ve done a bit too good of a job…it’ll break his heart if we have to actually tell him 🤦‍♀️

4 Dc ages this Christmas will be 8,7,5 & 3. They all have a stocking which is the size of ones you hang by the fire. Ours go on their beds. I don’t have a specific budget but buy bits through the year and always try and get stuff they will use, and go with what they are interested in, Ds likes farm stuff, baking and bmx, dd6 likes cats, drawing, reading & Rainbows, dd4 loves colouring, sport and dogs, ds2 liked crocodiles, and avoid the party bag type stuff.
Dd 6 last year got:
Disney puzzle book
new pencil case
smiggle gel pens
smiggle scented highlighters
Rainbows coin purse
Pin badge for Rainbows
cat hair bobbles
Book (Holly Webb one about a kitten)
fizzy strawberry laces
cat nail stickers
Unicorn money box (as ds2 broke her old one)
Ds who was 7 got similar but a tractor magazine, Land Rover key ring, and things that he loves. Dd4 got a dog colouring book, gymnastics club key ring & ribbon. Ds2 got a Schleich crocodile, a crocodile soft toy, orchard colouring book and chunky colouring pencils with chocolate buttons and a book.

They love their stockings and they are all about them, I love getting them bits and have already started this years. Ordered a cubs badge for Ds when I got uniform last week, smiggle pens when on sale a few weeks ago. Will be going by flying Tiger next week so will pop in and see if they have anything of interest. I also make one for DH, and any other guest who is at ours on Christmas Day.

Sensory gadgets, bath bombs, colouring stuff, hot chocolate kit, sweets, lip balm etc. Sorry just have to say....the criticising about posting about Christmas in may.....wtf click on a Christmas forum ? Really really pisses me off !!!

DCs 10, 8 & 5 this year. I’ve always just filled them with what ever fits. On Christmas Eve we put the pre wrapped gifts under the tree/s and anything small goes in the stockings. Last year was the first for sacks so that was a bit of a mixture.

in the past everything has been from Santa, it’s only as they have gotten older we have said some stuff is from us. Nine of of ten times I forget what I’ve written on the tag anyway, or even forget tags, everything is colour coordinated, each child has wrapping in a particular colour so they never bother looking at name tags.

I spend around £30/40 for my preschooler. I do one wrapped gift (asked for specially from Santa) & a stocking with a mixtures of fun but useful bits and the odd small thing I wouldn't usually get.