Traditional British Ideas for Adult Male Stocking

[ChristmasStockingIdeas]

My dd is really into Christmas, and loves the family traditions and despite being in her 30s loves her Christmas morning stocking.

She is coming home for Christmas with her Canadian fiance.

He loves everything British - he spent his childhood in England and looks back fondly on it, and he has Scottish ancestry.

I want to give him a stocking that will make him smile.

i normally put in 10 items and they’re along the lines of - food, drink, book, gadget, toy, socks, pants, top and then two others

I do this for all the kids (well grown up offspring)

Any ideas for any of the categories that are quintessentially British - or one of the Home Nations.

Would love to hear from those over the pond of what they think of and would like to see, as well as anyone else’s opinion.

An orange or a chocolate orange.
A pair of nice wool socks.
Chocolate coins.
A wooden puzzle/toy.

Ooh fab ideas thank you

found tartan wool socks
and wooden puzzle of united kingdom

and should have said terry‘s chocolate orange and coins are in the stocking!!

Tea bags,
Irn bru
Paddington pants/socks
Notes from a Small Island?

Scottish tablet
James Bond socks (London Sock Company)
Airfix kit of an English plane
Wooden train

Tunnocks tea cakes
Book-bill Bryson Notes from A Small Island
or billy connelly biography

@User478 irn bru and teabags added
@StormingNorman i had to google what Scottish tablet was - that’s my favourite sweet treat of all time used to buy it in thorntons as butter tablet
bag may be in my stocking :)

@Elbone ooh second vote for notes from small island that could be book choice

ah It’s reminded me I took over tunnocks wafers and they were well received

Look up Glickmans of Glasgow
http://www.glickmans.co.uk/homemadeSweets.html

Their tablet is made on the premises and is brilliant 😊

Wooden/ tartan coaster

https://www.kiltswihae.co.uk/products/handmade-scottish-wooden-tartan-celtic-knot-circle-coaster-3-tartans-available

A quaich

https://www.kiltswihae.co.uk/products/wentworth-pewter-celtic-claddagh-friendship-toasting-celebration-quaich

Or a hip flask

https://www.kiltswihae.co.uk/products/rust-brown-green-check-harris-tweed-6oz-stainless-steel-pocket-hip-flask

And some whisky of course!

Shortbread
A cream tea -
jam
clotted cream (wrap and refrigerate, then slyly pop into stocking before unwrapping
Pack of scones
Mini whisky
Tickets for something on In London while they're here - bit tricky and can be very spendy
Coins from the royal mint
A great British novel
M&s chocolate sprout balls

A lump of coal, think you get novelty sweets now

Dean's shortbread, made in Aberdeenshire. Can order via website
deans.co.uk

Anything from https://farmcottagebrands.com/

Do you know the Scottish clan? If so definitely something from that. If not a tartan stocking for sure.

Also perhaps a small puzzle with a British landmark. Wentworths do small wooden puzzles but they are dear and not sure of your budget.

Talking Tables do small table game boxes so might work instead eg British history. I think they or similar might supply M&S/ Supermarkets etc.

Oddballs offer great fun mens underwear https://www.myoddballs.com/

Ooo this sounds like it will be fun to curate. Love your Quintessentially British theme!

For your categories:
Food
Choc orange at toe, choc coins, sugar mouse, nuts, choc Santa sticking out top all mandatory in our stockings.
Big striped bag of traditional boiled sweets, humbugs, bag of penny sweets, selection box, packet of biscuits, jar of marmalade, Colman’s mustard, iced gingerbread person, Kendal mint cake, stick of rock, Mr Kiplings cakes, stalk of sprouts, honeycomb coal, old fashioned fudge, Prestat chocolate box, yard of Jaffa cakes; Hotel chocolate selectors.

Drink - box of British teabags or fine loose tea; cider/ale; whiskey, gin.

Gadget - usb cup warmer thingy, self stirring novelty mug, tea leaf ball strainer, small penknife, lightsaber umbrella with torch, tool/multifunction pocket torch.

Pants
Paul Smith underwear or m& s undies or Primark or novelty undies/ tartan/ Union Jack.

Socks - British designer, novelty e.g platform 9 3/4/Hogwarts/Paddington or old fashioned slipper socks.

Book
one of the adult famous five/ladybird books or very British problems or On his Majesty’s secret service James Bond book. Viz 2024 annual.

Toy
any old fashioned/retro e.g spud gun, couple of slinky for racing downstairs, foam glider, couple of conkers on a string; Hornby trainset a bit pricey! Lego London bus/architecture skyline/royal guard or similar nanobloks. Old fashioned travel games, playing cards.

Top
Rolled up t shirt by British brand e.g Barbour, Paul Smith, Burberry bit pricey! Novelty souvenir T-shirt; pure wool jumper from a mill shop possibly also pricey and guess wouldn’t fit in stocking. Tiny spinning top - packing elf got confused 🤔

Any - smelly?
Penhaligons soap/bodywash/cologne; Boots toiletry set; old spice shower gel; expanding novelty/name flannel.

Any - something to learn?
Cockney/British slang; dictionary of English idioms; book on carving Welsh lovespoons, or Celtic line drawings; history book; Quintessentially British swear words colouring book; Full English breakfast a ramble through London, Wales, Yorkshire and history; 101 things you should know about James Bond.

Any - puzzle?
crosswords; traditional metal/wooden puzzle's; Sherlock Holmes brainteaser.

Any - grooming?
something from a British barber brand e.g Taylor’s Old Bond Street, Murdoch London, Floris, Truefitt & Hill, Geo F Trumper etc.

I know it isn't Canadian but the instructions for GIs arriving in Britain.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Instructions-American-Servicemen-Britain-1942/dp/1851240853

A 50p with the king's head on it.

You are all amazing these are fantastic ideas

My difficulty now choosing which ones

My kids are going to be jealous of his stocking at this rate :)

Had another thought .
A pocket guide book or local history book of your area.

Also imperial leather soap.

You can get packs of tissues which look like bank notes in £20 & £50 denominations. They went down well with my kids in their late teens.

And napkins. My banker friends loved them!!

You can make tablet, OP - then there's enough for all stockings. Anyone who is not Scottish can look away now (I generally refer to it as 'Fudge's evil Scottish cousin' - it's not healthy). Here is my recipe.

Melt 1/2 lb of butter in saucepan on low heat. Add 2lb of sugar and 1/2 pint of full fat milk. Bring slowly to boil, stirring. When it reaches 120 degrees then take off heat, add a whole tin of condensed milk and a few drops of vanilla essence. Put back on slow heat and bring back to 120 degrees, stirring.

You sort of feel it beginning to go grainy and a nice brown colour. Altogether it probably takes about an hour - 30/40 mins for the first part and then another 20 mins with condensed milk in.

Take off heat, beat severely until it's just about able to still pour onto greaseproof paper lined baking tray. (I use a hand whisk cos it's hard work with a wooden spoon).

Smooth onto baking tray. After about 15 mins or so, cut into squares and leave to set properly.

Ooh @Hatty65 i don’t know whether to thank you or curse you for adding that recipe - that sounds too simple not to create too much of it 😀

Murray mints. Remind me of my granny and I think they are Scottish.