Sacks and stockings

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Do you still use them as your kids get older?

I'm finding the pile of presents is getting much smaller but more expensive.

When they were very young it’s easy to bulk out a sack filled with reasonably priced toys from say B&M. Now we have moved on the pricey switch or Xbox games £45 a go and are tiny, or a new mobile phone. I’m also trying to buy from Vinted as I’m more conscious of the tat I probably bought previously. 🙈

I think I will be ditching the sacks and stockings in favour of a small pile of presents. I’m just wondering if others do the same. My kids won’t be bothered by this, they understand these items are pricey and they are no longer believers, age 10 and 12. I just feel a little sad about it 😭

Can't you use an actual stocking/long sock? My DC are mostly young adults now and have all had their own stripy knee high sock to put out on Christmas Eve since they were babies. That's what we've always done, they're stretchy so small things are great - you can't actually fit anything big in one!

We didn't have Santa sacks as we got older. I also put presents from Santa in the Santa sack but imagine I will give it up at maybe 8 - 10 for the reasons you cite. Little ones are excited by lots of little presents but older kids just aren't.

Do what works best for you. Although we love stockings in our house - adults get them too! We don’t open tree presents until the afternoon. We like to spread the fun of opening gifts over the day 😂

Our tradition is that Santa 😂 brings one gift that will keep the recipient occupied on Christmas Day until it’s time to open the tree presents. When the DC were teenagers that was normally a computer game. Usually there is something to read. Rather than buying sweets and snacks to share, everyone gets their favourites in the stocking. When they were little, they used to like cereal from a selection pack to have for breakfast 😂 We also have a fun tradition of buying unusual sweets and snacks from the US, Japan, Korea etc in the stockings that everyone shares around to try. I also saved up things that I needed to buy for them anyway to go in the stocking eg socks, underwear, hair bobbles, pens, toiletries. At that age, they loved having their own Lynx shower gel to match the godawful Lynx sprays or the ones that smell like sweets. We also have some small gifts in the stocking but, if you decide to keep the tradition for fun, it’s really not necessary. One of the main presents, a book or magazine, some shower gel or bubble bath, some Christmas chocolate and snacks or drinks, maybe something practical like socks would easily fill a stocking without spending extra money.

Ds is only 3 but we do a want, wear, need and read present from Santa in our bed in the morning with the stockings (stockings are from Santa too and we all get one).

Then in the living room we put all of our presents to each other and any we have been given by friends on the floor which we open in the afternoon after we have visited grandparents in the morning 🎁

I am still making the stockings for my siblings (who are elderly, but of course I am not) I also make them for any aged in laws if they are coming. The oldest is in her 90's!

We still do stockings and I plan to keep these going, but they aren't huge. As they are getting bigger (eldest 12 at Christmas) they tend to include sweets, fancy socks, winter hat, mug, novelty toy, card game etc. we never did sacks though, so the stockings are quite easy to adapt, but yes, the pile is certainly smaller.

We all have stockings in my house. To me it wouldn't be Christmas without stockings hanging. I usually put in for DH mini whisky, socks, chocolate coins, some shower gels. Kids get a funny pen or pencil, stickers, chocolate coins, cosy socks and maybe a voucher.

Mine are getting more food/drink/toiletries/stationery based as the dc get older. It’s fairly boring and I feel a bit sad about it but I think I’m more attached to them than the dc. I don’t want tat, but it’s v. tricky to get small, relatively inexpensive stuff that is actually wanted/needed. They have always just had little things in stockings and an ever shrinking pile downstairs.

Absolutely. Children are 18,15 and 10. We spend £50 each and are things like books, toiletries, socks, chocolate etc

13yo here, and still gets a stocking of small things to open on our bed (we adults get a stocking, too). Then breakfast. Then tree gifts. That pile has got smaller (no train sets!) but still exciting.

The dogs get stockings in this house . People aswell , I am finding though that to get quality items for the stocking is becoming equivalent to the price of main gifts .

I'm still doing stockings, my dds are 11 and 13. I would say I lean into sweets and toiletries more than I used to for filling them though.

Father Christmas still visits every person staying in our house at Christmas (plus my mum still makes one for me and my sister, we always make one for her and contribute towards my dad's one). They got smaller as we got older, and are full of cheap and cheerful "needs" (mainly new underwear, pjs, shower gels and soaps) plus some books and plenty of sweets and food stuffs. There is no present under the tree from Father Christmas, and we open them downstairs in the morning to keep people interested until after lunch, when we open the tree presents.

Chips the eldest would honestly murder me if I stopped the stockings 🤣 she lives hers

Stockings are filled with small useful things

So for the girls it's toiletries, make up, funko pop, sweets, pens

For my youngest he gets bath bombs, pens, colours, sweets, lego blind bags etc

Stockings but they are always just small bits, same as when I was a child.

Father Christms only ever brought things like stickers and chocolate and other stocking presents. Proper presents were always from whoever they are from.

Everyone gets a stocking regardless of age filled with similar categories of useable/useful/consumable delights. They are more expensive now for sure. Opened all together in the lounge. Will be an unhappy household if this stopped.
There used to be a Santa sack or small pile found in the kitchen/dining to be opened in a frenzy, books/games/craft refills sort of things, cheaper than the stockings. Now there is just a wrapped selection box and/or a bottle of Christmas cheer if it’s too big to go in the stocking. Sometimes there will be a surprise Santa sack in the lounge with bulky extras, not every year. The “ main” gift has always been left under or near the tree. I’m thinking of using a sack as the wrapping on the main gift instead of paper though.

We never had a sack when I was growing up. The stocking served a purpose though- keeping my brother and I occupied and in my room (we always shared a room on Christmas Eve, all the way up until I left home) until my parents got up. It was always snacks (nuts, a tangerine, chocolate coins), a magazine (usually the type that comes with a craft kit) and a few other activity type toys. We got breakfast in bed and a fun morning, my parents got to sleep in until 10am. Win-win.