Have just added up how much I’ve spent on DC stocking…

[MantisAndCrumpet]

And am utterly shocked it’s come to £90!!!!

Am trying to rationalize that actually a lot of the items are things I’d have to buy for them at other times anyway (stationery for school, hand cream, lip salve etc) and I can afford it, but it just surprised me when I added it up.

Has anyone else had a similar shock? Or are you sensible enough to not add it up

Stockings tend to be smaller gifts here, I'm not sure what I've spent exactly but probably about £10-15 each.

My two have both got the same so

• chocolate coins
• fidget a toy
• a hotwheels car
• magic bubbles (apparently ones you can catch and hold)
• a duck shaped bath bomb
• a tiny baby doll in a rubber ring (thought perhaps a good bath toy)

My sons are 18 months & 4 years old. We don't really have a strict budget for them but I think we have spent about £150 each with is absolutely plenty for them.

Stockings in this house traditionally contain a book, and only ever that. It's the only thing Santa brings my kids. In one of my children's cases, the book has now become a box set of books, so much more expensive, but well worth the quiet time I get 😆

I honestly dread to think how much my daughter's come to. Buying for the stocking is my absolute favourite thing though and it's a large part of my enjoyment of getting ready for Christmas so I'm happy to do it.

I also only buy things that will actually get plenty of use, rather than novelties.

Will probably need to have a tighter budget after this year now that we have two kids though!

Yes I didn't have a stocking and neither did my husband and we are both only children and didn't know it was a thing. Like you I just put the smaller presents in a little bag/sack thing. I think I had presents from relatives wrapped under the tree and then Christmas presents were put in my room unwrapped so I just got up and played with them on my own I think. I also though do recall toys being in a pillowcase but i may have imagined that. Effort probably depended on how much my parents were fighting, normal amount or special ramped up for Christmas amount!

That is so lovely, made me well up.

I used to have a stunt stocking for swift change over, then a lovely friend made me two stockings with 12 days of Christmas theme. I had two children by then, so no more stunt stockings.

They go on the dressing table in my room as it handily has two drawers with knobs to hang them on. We put about the rumour that eldest dc didn’t like the idea of Father Christmas going in their room, and now it’s canon.

As they’re 12 days of Christmas themed, they get 12 presents in them. £60 budget each, which is an average of £5 per present, but some are £1 and others are over £10.

1. chocolate orange
2. jelly belly jelly bean tube
3. harry potter colour changing hot chocolate sachet
4. bubble tea single use sachet
5. smart IQ travel game
6. scrunchie and hair bow set
7. mini hair claw clips
8. nivia lip balm set
9. Lorcana trading card booster pack
10. squish mallows blind bag
11. raya the last dragon blind bag
12. character shower puff

We try to keep stockings small because all of the children get a lot of main presents anyway. So stockings are super cheap bits as that's just how we do Christmas and anything that's bigger will be wrapped up!! I never add up the amount though!

They all have a ton of chocolate and candy with a Christmas mug and then:

DD16: GRWM headband, fancy pen, navy nail polish, face masks, kiwi scented candle, fluffy socks, pack of highlighters, mascara, so spray and penguin sticky markers. Probably cost about £25 in total

DD16: Pretty similar but we did strawberry lip balm, claw clip, bath bomb, make-up brush and stud earrings in replace of a few things

DS13: Guitar pics, mini rubix cube, key-ring, fluffy socks, charcoal face mask, mini guitar book, swimming goggles

DD9: harry potter top trumps, scrunchie, hair clips, ink spy pen, star pop outs, fidget toy, lip gloss, squishie, hair bobbles and stickers

DD6: disney dobble, minecraft key ring, hatchimal, angel tattoos, disney purse, stick on earrings, minimakeup kit, glittery hair ties and glittery pen

I don't think any of them cost more than 20-25 pounds but we also end up wrapping anything that's over 10/15 quid anyway so they have a lot of main presents. Our stockings are also tiny so not lots can fit in there.

My DC are 18 and 20 but still get stockings.
They contain small things, this year they've got
A silly pen, chocolate coins, oreo flavoured coke, a keyring, popping candy, silly socks. And similar. About 9-10 items, ,none costing more than £2.

Then 3 presents each under the tree. I be spent £70ish on those. I was lucky and was given something for free that I can wrap up for DS2 though.

This means that I've spent less than £100 per child, despite MN consistently insisting that isn't possible for teens.

OTOH my mum has 13 things to unwrap from me. Plus one from DS1. And some packages have 2 things in. Still spent less than £50 on her I reckon.