Childrens Christmas stockings

[Sam202012]

Hi!

What gifts do you put in your children’s Christmas stockings? I have two young boys and usually do the following:

DS1 who is 3

a couple do his favorite tubes of chocolate
small cars / monster trucks and other small toys
orange
chocolate coins .

DS2 who is 5

a couple of his favorite tubes of chocolate
stamps/stickers/ pens / crayons
orange
chocolate coins.

I have also started a Christmas Eve box tradition. They each get a box with their names on filled with chocolate, pjs, activity books, sticker books , reading books. They love this!

Thanks :-)

Our DC used to open their stockings on our bed so I'd put a carton of juice and a breakfast bar on the top of the stocking to give them something to eat and drink whilst we 'came round'. Never had breakfast bars any other time of year so quite special to them

I buy the stocking filler kits from The Little Things app. They’re excellent! They have loads of fun bits and bobs in them. I tried to price it up to see if I could get the stuff cheaper myself and I couldn’t. Definitely check it out for easier stocking filling

Ps - I don’t work for them, I just think they’re brilliant 😂

Over the years I've included things like:
Pen/pencil
Notepad
Small toy(s)
Socks
Books
Mini puzzles (harder when v young)
Badges
Pyjamas
A model animal
Art/craft thing
Stickers
Ingredients for baking
A mug or similar
Gloves/hat/scarf

You've started it but for anyone else I'd say don't do Christmas Eve boxes as it just adds expense as those are things that traditionally belong in the stocking!

Forgot: bubble bath/shower gel
Novelty/personalised toothbrush
Hair brush
Small tins
Tote bag
Stencils

I love shopping for the stocking.

So far for dd (5) my stocking idea list is:

Polly pocket set
Mini notebook and pen
Real Little dog in a bag
Mini craft kit
Barbie
New socks
Chocolate
Book
Mini lego set
Rainbow/butterfly decoration for her room
Gel pens
Magic flannel
Nail varnish
Hair slides/band
Ty keyring
Lion cuddly toy
Lol surprise ball
Cupcake/cookie kit

I won't get all of these, I don't think it would all fit, I'll see what I find as I go along.

You've started it but for anyone else I'd say don't do Christmas Eve boxes as it just adds expense as those are things that traditionally belong in the stocking!

Christmas Eve boxes weren't a thing when mine were little, but I can appreciate that it is lovely to have a Christmas Eve treat. But agree it sounds like you are putting traditional stocking fillers in there.
Maybe reduce Christmas Eve box to things that are used on Christmas Eve and targeted towards winding them down at bedtime: PJs: bubble bath; Christmas book; with maybe a puzzle book and one chocolate treat or popcorn and a 'voucher' to watch a Christmas film for earlier in the evening.

Always an apple, an orange and a £1 coin.
Character bubble bath
Magic face cloth
Hair brush/bobbles/clips
Pants/socks
Toothbrush
Chocolate/sweets
Little game, like dobble

We also do a Christmas Eve box but don't put stocking fillers in. I usually put in it:
Pair of Christmas pj's
Roblox gift card
Small amount of chocolate
Hot choc kit

Stocking fillers over the years:
Magic pens, the type where you shine the light to see the writing
Books
Tubes of chocolates or sweets
Key ring for school bag
Small soft toys
Collectible figures
Play doh
Bubbles

Over the years we've put in...

Mini craft kits
Shower gel/bubble bath
Magic flannel
Torch
Christmas figures
Art materials
Nail varnish/eye shadow (when older!)
Lip balm
Hair accessories
Card games
Book
Plasters
Highlighters
Post it notes
Gel pens
Notebook
Lego minifigures
Sweets
Mini squishmallow/beanie boo
Fun socks/underwear

DS is 4 and this year his stocking will contain:

• light up yoyo
• mini kite
• small Lego set
• slime
• small jellycat amusable
• orchard mini games
• Tonie figure
• mini pringles (massive treat to have his own tub of pringles, this will probably be his favourite gift 😂)

DS1

• small happyland set
• jellycat amusable
• chocolate buttons
• Tonie figure
• toot toot vehicle

Also a fan of bubbles, stickers, schleich/Lanka kade animals and things like that for stockings. Will see what they are both into nearer the time but that's the basic list.

We started stockings last year. I put in things like chocolate coins, something like a fidget toy or squishy ball, toothbrush, sweets she likes. Dh’s had in his some American style sweets or cans of pop difficult to get hold of. I was 16 weeks pregnant then so baby dd had socks and mittens in hers. Mine had a bar of chocolate and sweets in.

We do a Xmas eve box but it comes early as I feel giving a big box of treats and gifts on Xmas eve would be pointless when Santa comes next day anyway. The tree goes up first weekend of December. I then make an excuse we all need to go to the local shop to pick up something I need now. As they all leave the house I secretly get out the Xmas box of treats and put it under the tree. When we all arrive home shortly after the elves must have brought the box! Dd loves it. It contains things like a new fluffy blanket, fluffy socks, some Xmas crafts like gingerbread house, treats, our Xmas mugs we use each year, maybe colouring book and crayons. This is to last us through December until Xmas. Usually includes advent calendars too.

Great posts everyone! I love doing the Christmas stockings . So excited to see their little faces xx

We also do the mini breakfast idea! DS gets a carton of juice and a chocolate brioche in his stocking to give DH and I a chance to wake up and drink a coffee in bed.

Last year I bought some bits from this site and it all went down a treat - https://www.rexlondon.com/stocking-fillers-children

It's not the cheap way to do a stocking but I was keen not to give him too much tat and I'm only buying for one child. I also chucked in the usual sweets, hot chocolate, bubble bath, etc.

I find Vinted v good for Schleich type animal figures and have started collecting already.
We always have a satsuma, some chocolate coins and a magazine.
DS4 is getting into Lego so will do some small Lego thing.
Funky pens always go down well, and some sort of wind up toy for us to have races with at breakfast.

This year they have a Smiggle pencil case, Christmas joke book, slinky, socks, so far.

Other ideas/ past hits:

Hair bands or clips, lip balm, bath bomb, rubber duck, colouring pens, post it notes, blue tac, water bottle, gloves, hat, sweetie tube, chocolate coins, chocolate Santa, small toys like animals, stress ball, Top Trumps, other card games like Dobble or Uno

Some great ideas here!! My boy is 6, he loves the Peppa Pig foam soap (basically shaving foam you can squirt out of a can, hours of fun) and colour changing bath bubbles. We only ever buy it for his birthday and Christmas (we don’t deprive him, he gets regular kids bath bubbles the rest of the year).

A magazine with a toy, like Lego, always goes down well as we don’t tend to buy them often.

Last year I found loads of great joke toys on eBay - like stink bomb packets and fun snaps.

I love the kids bath bombs from Lush, they do some really great ones but I rarely go into town and postage is too expensive just for one or two bombs.

We do stockings DD8 and DS6. I love going round the shops like B&M choosing little trinkets through the year. Examples that have worked well:

Novelty lip balm
Fancy post it notes
Special pen, pencil or highlighter
Chocolate coins (last year Home Bargains had little character tins with the coins in for 99p which the kids store all their treasures in still)
Christmas socks
Bath bomb
Mini megaphone
Mug with hot chocolate kit
Blind bag with small toy like Playmobil, tiny animals
Small TY or other soft toy
Special coin from Royal Mint with a character on like Paddington Bear
Fidget toy
Hair clips/bobble
Little craft kit from the Range like colour your own wooden butterfly hanging toy
Keyring with their initial on it
Novelty toothbrush

We budget about £20 each as the little bits really can add up!

The special coin idea is awesome, definitely doing that thank you!!