Alcohol in Christmas stockings - would you find it weird or inappropriate?

[WhereTheWaldThingsAre]

My DC is recently 18.
I bought him one of those ready mix cocktail cans of espresso martini to put in his Christmas stocking. (I usually get a can of pop, like coke or something).

My friend was horrified, she said it’s “really inappropriate”, and setting a bad example.

I was a bit taken aback. I said that Dc is old enough to legally drink alcohol, that the only younger child in the house to set a bad example to is 16 years old, so it’s not like I’m giving the idea to 4 year olds that Santa thinks booze is cool.
Plus everyone puts out a glass of Sherry or whisky for Santa anyway! I bet there’s a lot less alcohol in a premix cocktail.

And my Dc know it’s me, not Santa, so it’s no more inappropriate than me just buying it for Dc in the supermarket. Friend has younger children, but my Dc isn’t exactly in the habit of telling them everything he got in his stocking, so it’s not setting a bad example to them.

I suppose drinking cocktails first thing in the morning isn’t exactly great - but I doubt Dc will be up before 10 in any case, and no reason to think he’d drink it straight away, he always puts the can of Coke in the fridge and drinks it with a slab of Yule log in the afternoon.

But my friend was SO adamant and said if I couldn’t see why it was wrong there was no point discussing it.
So now I’m wondering in bewilderment if everyone thinks the same as her.

I always put a bottle of wine in DD's stockings (they are 26 and 23).

It's fine. Your friend is odd.

She sounds a bit unhinged TBH. I also bet she will have very difficult time when her own kids are teens.

I think she's overreacting a bit! My son turned 18 on Sunday and I wrapped up a miniature whisky and a scratch card and presented it in a toilet roll tube. He thought it was really fun! He is quite against alcohol so I know he'll never drink it, it was just symbolic of turning 18. But if your does does like a drink, why not? He's an adult.

Mine are 21 and 20, last year they both got a bottle of spirits in their stocking. They didn’t drink it for months - there’s nothing to say they must be consumed immediately after opening! I knew they’d appreciate them because spirits are expensive and they were both at uni so saved for when they went back and were having parties.
Your friends reaction was weird imo.
This year they’re getting a variety of cocktails in cans.

It’s perfectly normal, your friend is very odd.

It's fine, your friend is weird. Plus it's absolutely none of her business!

Your friend is to their opinion, but with an adult child or an adult (who you know is not a non-drinker) adding a little bottle of spirits or a mix or something like that is a wonderful stocking filler. You're not encouraging drunkenness or trying to turn them into an alcoholic, you're just saying here's a little something fun dad to your stalking, something different you haven't tried, something you might enjoy... I add miniature bottles of alcohol to all the adult stockings for people I know who drink and they love it

It's not something I'd do and I have 19 and 18 year old DCs, but equally I'm not 'horrified' that others do! We are an alcohol free house but no judgement if others gift alcohol to legal age kids.

I got my 21 year old God daughter a cocktail making workshop. Cocktail cans are a great idea for an 18 year olds stocking.

Not at all! Your friend is being odd. My kids are now 22 and 23 and I've sometimes put single serve alcoholic drinks in their stockings.

Normal. Your friend is odd.

It's normal. My mum bought me babycham for my stocking in the 90s.

I don't see anything wrong with this at all. We never had alcohol in our stockings whilst still at home (and over 18) but we were allowed a weak Cinzano or port and lemonade, or a snowball from the age of about 14/15 at Christmas. Alcohol wasn't a big thing or a forbidden thing at home and we've all grown up with a healthy relationship with alcohol and enjoy a drink a two.
Your friend is being completely OTT !

“really inappropriate”

Bloody hell, your friend sounds incredibly uptight. What a weird reaction to buying an adult an alcoholic drink as a gift. What exactly did she say her problem is with it? Does she think it's wrong to give alcohol to anyone? Or does she think it's wrong to give alcohol to him because she considers 18 to be too young to drink (even though it's the legal drinking age)? Does she think you're expecting him to drink it for breakfast (although frankly, on Christmas Day anything goes)? Would she also object to him having a glass of wine with his dinner?!

I'm dying to know what her issue is.

I think it's a really nice stocking gift for a young adult. I used to get miniatures of things like Bailey's, Drambuie and Grand Marnier in my stocking in the 90s and that was from the age of about 16.

My DD went to uni within a week of her 18th birthday. I'm sure she was drinking far more than a canned cocktail. Your DS us an adult now and could legally honour and drink far more than you're giving him.

Let him enjoy

DH and DSis do me a stocking each year. I have been known to take a picture of my goodies and send it to friends saying “Father Christmas thinks I’m an alcoholic” as so many of the gifts in it were alcohol (or cocktail making) based! Not inappropriate, IMO.

All my adult kids’ stockings have alcohol in them! Usually interesting miniatures. They also get full-sized bottles as presents. My youngest is 21, but this was true at 18 as well. None of us has a drinking problem.

well, it's never occurred to me that alcohol in a stocking is an option.... but now I am questioning why my mother never did this for me even though she did me stockings every year until she died!

your friend is being ridiculous.

I've done exactly this the last couple of years now they are all adults. Your friend's view is a bit odd.

I think it is a great idea for a stocking filler but I can understand your friends attitude IF she has experienced some form of alcohol abuse in a family member. Is that a possibility? From experience, it can warp your views on what is normal as far a alcohol is concerned

Well this is a relief! I was honestly a bit concerned I had broken some unwritten code of conduct.

@BauhausOfEliott I think issue is the mixing of the magic of Santa and elves and the North Pole with adult vices. That was the impression I got, though really she refused to discuss it.

But as I say, Dc is not going to go round telling children that believe in the magic that Santa thinks they should start underage drinking. I wouldn’t even have told my friend, only she specifically asked me what I had bought for my children’s stockings!

think issue is the mixing of the magic of Santa and elves and the North Pole with adult vices. That was the impression I got, though really she refused to discuss it

Hahaha! I hope nobody ever buys her children Raymond Briggs' Father Christmas book, then, because Father Christmas definitely enjoys a tipple in that.

I put Rekorderlig and Jeremy Clarkson larger in my DS’s stockings.

Same and a Snowball.