How do you divide presents for your children? What goes in their stockings/sacks?

[Zellie1027]

Curious to know how other parents manage Christmas gifts for their children?

I’m a mum to two girls - 3 (just turned) and 11 months - and I’m just starting to think more about how to manage Christmas gifts going forward.

They have present sacks but all their presents go in there at the moment. This is probably the first year my eldest understands who Santa is etc

Some of my friends have said they do smaller gifts in their stockings/sacks and the rest under the tree. Some have said presents in their stockings/sacks are gifts from Santa and those under the tree are from them.

If you do smaller gifts in their stockings/sacks, what sort of gifts are these?

I’m just curious to know how everyone does it. I haven’t decided what we’ll do yet!

I don’t do stockings at all. I know that doesn’t help. I just do a main pressie and a sack/pile 🤣

The stocking I just filled with anything small enough to fit in it and some chocolate coins ect. All other presents I put in a sack as it was easier to transport downstairs. Any gifts from other family ect I let my son open when they gave them to him.

Try not to overthink things, children are quite easily pleased 🎄🎅🏻

The stocking would be smaller, cheaper items from santa and the more expensive presents from parents under the tree. It's tempting to get too many stocking fillers but I wish I hadn't done that as it creates expectations.

Stockings consists of small (quality) tat - socks, chocolate, jewellery, stationery, book (annual), nice toiletries, satsuma, etc. Stocking presents are from Father Christmas.

Under tree are all the main presents. These Presents are from family and friends etc.

we try to put something they have asked Santa for in the stocking, and few other small bits,we’re doing books, Tonie, chocolate and gloves. then a bigger present from us wrapped under the tree and a little something extra. Kids are 4 and 2, it’s the first ‘proper Santa’ year if you see what I mean, for the 4 year old.

We do a stocking full of smaller bits/stuff they actually need and one big present from Santa underneath the stocking (this will be what they asked Santa for in their letter).

Then presents from us and other friends/family are under the tree and labelled with who they're from.

Stocking filler include things like:

Pants/socks
Hat/scarf/gloves
Consumable craft supplies like paper, pens, colouring book, playdoh, beads etc.
Bubble bath/flannel/soap/toothbrush
Things for hobbies like: swim hat/goggles/tennis balls/ping pong balls/shin pads/goalie gloves/mouth guard etc.
Chocolate
Satsuma
A few small toys/novelty bits
A book/magazine

I have 6&3 year old DDs. Stockings are just little things they enjoy, like some stickers, colouring stuff, hair bands/clips, a small toy. This year DD1 is getting a mini Lego kit, an DD2 an orchard games game as well.

Ours and family presents go under the tree, Santa presents get wrapped in tartan - little gifts for the sack and the present they ask for in their Santa letter loose but also wrapped in tartan

DD6
Stocking has things like

• different sweets, like ring pop, push pop, whistle lollipops
• fidget toys
• chocolate coins
• mini Lego bag
• mini notebook and pen
• kinder egg
• hair clips/bands
• novelty pens

Just small "pocket money" stuff. The sheets are ones she's never seen before etc

She has one father Christmas present - normally a small item like a particular requested cuddly toy, this year it's a schleich unicorn. This is put next to the mince pie plate by the fire. Quite away from the tree.

Everything else is under the tree and from people.

Then there's a small table present for Christmas Dinner - things like fidget toys/puzzle books/stationery

Boxing Day present - new pyjamas/nightie and some kind of card or boardgame.

Stockings, ~8 small inexpensive gifts, from Santa.
All other presents from real people.

We do stockings and a main present from Santa. The sacks are from us.

stockings are very small (tat!) presents, choc coins, yo-yo, silly pens, slime etc

Santa brings one present, what they really want. Never technology or particularly £££

Santa is bringing my 7 year old roller skates for perspective.

Everything else is from us

This is great, thank you all! You’ve given me a lot to think about 😊

Gifts that are smaller that go in stockings, do you wrap these?

When I was a kid we didn’t have stockings.

Gifts from family and friends would go under the tree as we received them. On Christmas Day Father Christmas would put the presents from under the tree into our sacks with a few smaller gifts from him (usually new pj’s, colouring book and a selection box) and then we would get one big gift from Santa which would be placed next to the sack. I was almost jealous of those who got stockings.

With my DC we started with sacks but then introduced stockings in their rooms….mainly so I could get a lie in, they were allowed to open stockings in their room, quietly before I got up, They are now 19 and 21, we still do stockings, all other gifts go under the tree.

We never did stockings. Presents from family were under the tree. Santa stuff was always put out on the couches/chair in the living room. Main present built/unwrapped. Other presents they each had their own wrapping paper which we would leave a piece of in their room so they knew whose was whose when we got down stairs. One of the main highlights of Christmas morning for them used to be showing each other that piece of wrapping paper at the top of the stairs while one of us went down, switched on the tree lights and “checked if Santa had been”

I found people always asked the children "What did Santy bring?" and never "what did your parents give you" so I try and give something decent from Santa. Something that's easy to answer.

Santa presents left in a sack with stocking fillers.

Presents from parents under the tree.

I don't wrap Santa presents, that's caught out some parents if he uses the same wrapping paper as in the house.

My parents never wrapped our stocking presesnts, but now I’m married with children, my DH insists on wrapping their stocking presents. I’m not there’s a ‘right’ answer. Just whatever you prefer to do. If I’m honest, it does take a lot less time if you don’t wrap.

Stocking is anything small that fits in there.
”Santa” is typically whatever gift is most difficult to wrap or whatever is largest. So when dc was very young and got a play kitchen that wasn’t wrapped at all for practicality, that just appeared.
Everything else is under the tree.

We do stockings and one gift from Santa. Both wrapped in the same paper and then parent gifts wrapped in a different paper so it is obvious which the Santa gift is.

Everything in the stocking is wrapped. I buy 2 different rolls of paper (one for each child) and everything in the stocking is wrapped in the same paper.

This work wells as it is easy to identify what belongs in what stocking if you're storing it all in the same bag

My boys are 14 and 11 now and when they were little they just didn’t give a shit who got them what because they were so excited that Santa had been (important to note we live overseas so families aren’t here).
Each year as they grew we just did less and less from Santa.

Now their stockings will have stuff like football socks, underwear, a PS5 gift card, deodorant/face wash stuff and the special order of Toney’s Chocoloney I had shipped in.

And yes we wrap all the stuff in the stockings as the unwrapping is the best part!

When they were little, I often did a themed stocking. One year I did a hot chocolate one - new mug, flavoured hot chocolate powder, marshmallows etc

Now they’re old (77 & 22) and they get chocolate and two tools - I started it was a joke when DS1 was 16 as he loved to tinker around with measuring tapes , but I’ve kept it going and my plan is they’ll eventually both have a good tool kit to move out with!

You have a 77 year old DS 😅

Stocking is bits - socks/choc coins/orange/shower cap/lip balms - with 1 x main present either that they asked for or that i would never buy. - all in paper with father christmas.
Everything else in their own paper (1 type each for identification purposes) under the tree.

I wrap stocking stuff.

DD1(6) has stuff like:

Choc reindeer
Minecraft mash ems
Colouring pencils
Pokemon cards
Lip balm
Hot chocolate sachet
Mini selection box
Notebook
Beads
Pants
Choc coins
Satsuma

And other little bits and bobs

DD2(3) has:

Gabby mash ems
Slinky
Choc reindeer
Mini selection box
A Tonie
Bluey Playdough
Gabby ceramic painting kit
Wooden spinning top
Bubbles
Choc coins
Satsuma

And some other little bits.

One medium-sized gift each from Santa, usually a cuddly toy, waiting separately downstairs and wrapped. Everything else under tree and from whoever has bought it.

My hack is duplicate stockings. We have two for each DD, so we pre-stuff one and then it’s a quick swap once they’ve gone to bed, we don’t have to take the empty one away and fill it, we just remove the empty one and place the filled one at same time.