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Original poster

When do you stop doing stockings ?

165 replies

KangarooKenny · 17/09/2022 09:42

Mine are older teens/20’s now and I’ve always done stockings. One has moved out now, and we may not even see them Xmas day.
DH says I should still do a stocking for that child, I think not. I’d rather not spend money on it, and not have to run round looking for stuff to go in it.
‘When did you stop doing them ?

OP posts:
cloverleafy · 17/09/2022 16:51

If we're there on Christmas Day, my sister and I still get a stocking at our parents' house.

JustGotToKeepOnKeepingOn · 17/09/2022 16:52

My parents never did stockings for me when I was a child. I had no idea they were such a thing. Does everyone do it?!

Underthehills · 17/09/2022 16:54

We stopped when I had children so we could focus on them. Sooo… mid-30s 🤣

HavingABath3 · 17/09/2022 16:54

I think I was 19 or 20. My brother is 5 years older though and parents stopped them that year for both of us so he got 5 more years than me. Raging.

Underthehills · 17/09/2022 16:55

Whisperedew · 17/09/2022 10:04

This is ridiculous! People wear stockings at any age

@Whisperedew this was my first reading of it 😂

C8H10N4O2 · 17/09/2022 16:55

My children are all adults and they get stockings (as do their partners). I think my mother stopped doing stockings for us as DGC came along and the stockings transferred to the grandchildren 😀

BeyondMyWits · 17/09/2022 17:01

MIL has Alzheimers and is the only one of our parents left, she stays at ours for Christmas.

The look of absolute joy on her face when she opens her stocking on Christmas morning is delightful.

Always a satsuma, handful of nuts, bag of chocolate coins, a hanky, a nail file, a pen and a fancy soap. She likes the familiar, it comforts her, and that's all it takes to bring back some lovely smile filled, tear filled memories.

So would say the stocking will never stop.

mam0918 · 17/09/2022 17:07

I probably will continue indefinately.

Stocking (mostly sweets and a few novelties) and wrapped gifts from us continue but things like santa sack and santa delivered gifts will stop at eithe 16 or 18 (dont know as we havent hit that age yet but getting close to 16 now and I would be sad to stop already).

mam0918 · 17/09/2022 17:12

JustGotToKeepOnKeepingOn · 17/09/2022 16:52

My parents never did stockings for me when I was a child. I had no idea they were such a thing. Does everyone do it?!

ours didnt really either (neither me nor DH parents really did them).

We had them as decor on the fireplace and sometimes a bag of nuts and selection box was wacked in them but that was it.

I started doing it for the kids and the love it so we carried on, our are just normal stockings with sweets and a few silly things and they arent opened until after dinner though.

Its still not as big a deal as many on here seem to have (we dont do massive pillow cases, sneaking into bedrooms, first thing in the morning/main event, expensive gifts in it, everything wrapped etc...) but it is something Ill continue.

Always4Brenner · 17/09/2022 17:14

Once I got to 18 never had stocking it was a £10 tat present that was it off parents.

Ponderingwindow · 17/09/2022 17:17

we do stockings for everyone in the family, including the adults. Family in this case is our household. We started that at the request of dc, because originally it was just children. We open stockings together and it’s a fun group activity.

So I would say that if a person isn’t present on Xmas morning, then I won’t be doing stockings. If new people are added, they will get stockings. So it will probably depend on what visiting patterns develop and may vary year to year.

Snugglemonkey · 17/09/2022 17:23

Anyone who sleeps here on Christmas Eve gets a stockings. It will be a long time before I need a definite decision on this, but I think that is a fair enough rule of thumb.

Zebrababy · 17/09/2022 19:46

I used to get one from my mum until she died, now I put it out and fill it myself

Ea134 · 18/09/2022 08:16

My mum still makes one for me (28) and has started making one for my fiancé (29!) even though I moved out two years ago. It’s the best part of Christmas!

princessbear80 · 18/09/2022 08:52

I’ll always do them! One of my favourite bits of Christmas. I start buying bits and pieces from summer onwards.

I do them for me, DH, and DS, and anyone who wakes up here on Christmas morning. Also for DSS who doesn’t stay over anymore but still comes round early in the morning to see us.

AllThatAndMore · 18/09/2022 09:05

My parents did my stocking until I got married and did Christmas with my husband ( before that really but it was when my husband took over ). I was 28?!

My parents still do stockings for each other . When one of them passes( 🥺) my sisters and I will take over the stocking for the other .

The stocking is my favourite part of Christmas gift giving .

CornishGem1975 · 18/09/2022 09:11

Never, I'll do it forever, it's one of my favourite bits.

TheOnlyBeeInYourBonnet · 18/09/2022 09:24

Good question! My eldest is 18 and we're still going, I'm not sure if and when we will stop. They've had the same beautiful embroidered stockings all their lives.

I will definitely do them for grandchildren. Probably drive their parents mad giving tat and sweets and other things I shouldn't!

mam0918 · 18/09/2022 09:47

Also if you want to follow 'true' tradition of st. Nick then stockings where only for girls, contained dowrys and stopped once you got married.

So the answer would be they stop once married.

Reason why is historically without a dowry a woman couldn't be sold into marraige and would be sold into slavery instead... its a pretty dark tradition that we have somehow made about sweets and trinkets lol.

Stompythedinosaur · 18/09/2022 12:56

My dm stopped when I was 12 as she thought I was too old. I was sad about it, though I never said! Therefore I will do stockings for my dc forever.

Stompythedinosaur · 18/09/2022 12:58

mam0918 · 18/09/2022 09:47

Also if you want to follow 'true' tradition of st. Nick then stockings where only for girls, contained dowrys and stopped once you got married.

So the answer would be they stop once married.

Reason why is historically without a dowry a woman couldn't be sold into marraige and would be sold into slavery instead... its a pretty dark tradition that we have somehow made about sweets and trinkets lol.

Surely the "true" tradition would be sweets in your shoes on December 6th? I think that's the oldest tradition.

But stockings on christmas eve has definitely been going on long enough to be considered a "true" tradition imo.

TwinkleChristmas · 18/09/2022 12:59

Never stop. They are still your kids

mondaytosunday · 18/09/2022 13:06

Stopped years ago (early teens) when they really just weren't interested in it. Now we have a mantle and I got four beautiful cross stitched stockings for my pets!

mam0918 · 18/09/2022 16:24

Stompythedinosaur · 18/09/2022 12:58

Surely the "true" tradition would be sweets in your shoes on December 6th? I think that's the oldest tradition.

But stockings on christmas eve has definitely been going on long enough to be considered a "true" tradition imo.

Show quote history

It came from the actual person St. Nick who left dowries in the laundry of single women from poor families.

the tradition we do now such as St. Nicks day (december 6th) didnt start until long after St Nick had died.

mast0650 · 18/09/2022 16:26

When they don't sleep here on Xmas Eve. Or have children of their own. Or ask me to stop!

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