Would you still consider this too much tat (stockings)

[KevinHoho]

I love doing the stockings and could buy stuff for them forever. As a child my stocking was actually an adult pair of tights absolutely crammed full of stuff and it was so exciting to wake up to! My older children used to get around 40 items in their stockings but I’ve gradually cut it down over the years. This list is me being very restrained but I’m sure it is still way ott to others!

For 5&7 year olds
Satsuma
Chocolate coins
Tube of sweets
Tree decoration
Squishmallow surprise toy
Gabby dollhouse surprise/fossil dig mini
Nerf bullets refill/pinky promise necklace
Magnetic connect 4/bingo
Keychain Operation/Game of Life
Scrunchie/ some elf ‘listening ears’
Gellibaff sachet
Character notebook
Character pen
Paint your own suncatcher
Fart ninja (this will definitely be a 5 minute wonder for the fart sounds but they’ll think it’s hilarious and it’s not something I would ever buy so Father Christmas MUST be real…Plus they really like ninjas at the moment)

I got all the stocking fillers I've been buying out today and aside from chocs and sweets, which I'll get nearer the time, and a couple of other bits I'm pretty much there I think! My DC have...

DS (15)
Tile mate double pack (expensive stocking filler but ultimately it will do me a favour!)
VW washbag
Sports grip socks
Shin pads
Resistance bands
Novelty phone holder
Spinning top
Hot sauce
Superdry shower gel
Puzzle book
Gaming voucher
Chocolate
Sweets

DD (11)
Tile mate double pack (see comment above!)
Heatless hair curler set
Supercute Christmas earrings
Braiding hair clips
Panda cardboard craft thing
Novelty loofah
Facemask
Spinning top
Percy pig toy decoration
Whipped soap
Book
Chocolate
Sweets

DD(5)
Colour-in pillow case
Bath disco light
Set of serrated craft scissors
Coin purse
Melting snowman putty
Whoopee cushion
Uniocorn lip balm
Spinning top
I Spy Christmas book
Small cuddly toy
Personalised nutella
Whipped soap
Chocolate
Sweets

They sound fantastic. I think if you have the budget and don't mind a little tat then go for it, especially if you know the kids will enjoy the stuff in the stockings! My boys still love occasionally hiding the fart ninja that their uncle got one of them a couple of years ago!

We don't do huge stockings but for my two DS, 5 & 7, I'm planning on getting:
Face masks
Lush Soap Bar
Toothbrush
Pokémon Cards
Marvel & Harry Potter Mash'ems
Pants
Socks
Sweets
Chocolate coins
And a shiny £2

Stockings are the only things from "Santa" in our house so they're reasonably chunky. This year ds (8) and dd (5) are getting:

Headtorch
Camping enamel mug
Hot chocolate bombe
Marshmallows
Mini fold up rucksack
Really thick camping sock
A book
A couple of playmobil blind bags
A Schleich Bayala unicorn/dinosaur
Real Orange
Chocolate Orange
Top Trumps game
Fancy flavoured toothpaste
Face mask
Lip balm
Snowmen bath bombs
Funko Something Wild card game

Then between 3 and 4 of the things they ask Santa for.

Various sweets from another country. Last year was Turkey.

I think my kids stockings (the actual physical thing) must be comparatively small.

So far they have got:
Fidget toy rainbow bracelet
Glow in the dark stickers
Temporary tattoos
Barbie clothes

I will add a make your own type tree Dec too, not sure what else.

The goal is very much to keep them occupied while I stay in bed!

@KevinHoho At 5 I think dd is around the perfect stocking enjoyment age. Doing stocking is one of my favourite parts of Christmas, choosing things I think she'll love, wrapping and stashing them secretly, sneaking them into her room and then her amazement at the magic of Father Christmas in the morning - wonderful!

Oh thanks so much for posting all these, I've loved reading them - this really takes me back, but be warned, my lot are now aged 30 up to 46 and they still all get a stocking. I absolutely love doing them even now and they LOVE getting them. A couple of years ago I mentioned that perhaps it might be time to cut back a bit on our very OTT Christmas and they were appalled and said "Oh no Mum, please, not the stockings - ANYTHING else but not the stockings!" So, the stockings and everything else stayed and I love it all and the brilliant times we're still having as a family. Nothing lasts forever so I'm making the most of it I can assure you. As PP quite rightly said, it's wonderful even after all these years!

In answer to your original question, I think it's a very personal thing.
in response to your comment about the fart ninja; do not believe they are 5 minute wonders. Santa brought them to me 9 &7 yo last year and they still make regular appearance (and surprise up when left around!).

Thanks for all the suggestions for ideas for my baby's stocking. Its so hard when you already have an older child and have lots of things. Going to nick some of these ideas.

Don't count on the fart ninja being short lived. My son got one for his 5th birthday and 18 months later he and DH still find it hilarious. DS insists on getting one as a present for every birthday party he's invited to and also likes to hide it in the coat rack by the front door so that visitors unwittingly set it off!

Where can i buy fart ninjas from?!

B&M or Amazon we've had them from. I think B&M was cheaper.

Are these like your kids presents or are these 'just' the stocking then theres loads more presents?!

@TooBusyGazingAtStarss for me this is the stocking. (From Father Christmas)
Then we get them between 1 and 3 presents from us depending on what they want. Never spend more than £200 per child all in including the stockings

B&m, the range, the works all had them in

Oh and either Tesco or asda I can’t remember which!

Ah right, good to know. Thought I was massively under doing Christmas

Everyone does it differently! How do you do it?

Mine are only just now 3 & 2 so just got two sacks and shoved as many presents in them as i could and out the rest around them 🤷‍♀️

I have literally no idea what im doing haha!

I wanted to start some nice things they're going to remember though.

Sounds great!
I basically do the same as it was for me when I was a child but in an increasingly more restrained manner!

DD will be 2, not bought a thing yet but thinking:

Bath crayons
Bath bomb
Foam letters for bath
Choc coins
Jelly tots
Satsuma
Book
Stickers
Socks
Bouncy ball
Small cuddly toy
Hair clips

Imho yes it’s tat but I am not the intended recipient. I think big bulging stockings tend to be a waste becoming very soon the children are opening their proper presents. Personally I think a stocking should contain just ending to keep them occupied until it’s actually just about morning and you have had chance to have a piddle and make a cup of tea.

Just enough not ending 🙄

and because not becoming. Time to turn off predictive text I think.

Anyway it’s up to each parent to decide whether or not something is tat. If it’s not looked at again after a week then yes it’s tat.

I don't think it seems too much although some I would likely put as presents not stocking fillers (like the fossil dig, Nerf bullets and games as they can be quite big and unlikely to fit in our stockings) but everyone is different.

My DD (2 years) is getting:

• A bath toy
• fiber optic hair clip
• small wooden jigsaw
• butterfly puffy stickers
• one of those cans that 'moos' when flipped

My DS (5 years) is getting:

• travel Spirograph
• gyroscope
• marvel stickers
• superhero eye mask
• emoji badge (which he asked for)

Then both will get:

• bag of sweets
• jammy dodger
• panda biscuits
• big chocolate xmas coin
• chocolate orange

Agree. I've had to hide it and it's been in the house 2 years 😂