Help me do a stocking for the first time

[cleo333]

Hi my kids now late teens have never had a stocking . I never had one as a child either . I want to do it this year but not kill myself financially . So what sort of things do you put in it? When do you give it ? Please not anyone who spends over 50 pounds ?

Fortune fish
Popping candy
Hot choc stick
Fluffy socks

We always put any of the presents in there that were small enough. So if DC asked for DVDs or lego or books that fit in the stocking they went in. Plus chocolate coins and marshmallows.

Neither DC are bothered now as older teens. Sad times!

Oh and also pants and socks.

But never ever ever fluffy socks. They leave fluff all over the carpet that cannot be hoovered up ever. You have been warned!

My boys are 22 and 20 (or at least will be by Christmas). We're actually doing Secret Santa stockings this year, so I don't have to do both of them, and will get one myself for the first time in a long time.

As teens they wete things like
Pants and socks, slightly nicer than the usual Primark ones.
Chocolate coins
Silly pens (DS1 had a unicorn one last year. DS2 a dragon)
Bath bombs.
Nail varnish (DS1)
Eyeliner (DS1)
Lego polybag (DS2)
Weird flavour drinks/ snacks (oreo Pepsi anyone?)

First things first. You need a stocking. Do not get an overly large one!! Bigger the sock, the more stuff is needed!

Chocolate coins, favourite snack, bottle of coke (because I never buy it - they do drink it it we are out at a restaurant tho), pants or socks or teeshirt ir pjs. Can of lynx. Couple of fun things - mini Lego, fidget puzzle, grow a crystal....
Seen a jar of super hot chillies that is in my amazon basket for this year. Need to keep my eyes open for this stuff - I normally just grab bits as I see them - either on here on in a shop.

Our stockings were opened while still in bed on Christmas morning.

There were a few 'staples':

Satsumas
Chocolate Gold Coins
Small bag of nuts

Then any of these:

Pens
Small notebook
A watch
Socks
Keyring
Coin purse
A book
Chocolate Santa
Tube of Smarties
Hair clip or equivalent
Bookmark
Nail Varnish or a small item of make-up
A long ruler
Small cuddly toy (usually on the top of the stocking)

Anything really!

How come you have never done a stocking for your Dc before? And why did you never get one?

Always
Hair bobbles
Face mask
Shower gel
Socks
Knickers
Lindor chocolates

Sometimes
Washbag
Hairbrush
Shoe shining kit
Uno game
Chopsticks
Keyring

Socks and pants. DH and DS consider these to be absolutely essential!
A book.
A sweet treat - whatever they like e.g. chocolates, Turkish delight, sherbet fountain
Fancy shower gel. DH likes Molton brown. DS rituals. DD daise or Sundae. I hope for l'occitaine. Happily we have an outlet centre nearby so none of this is too pricy.
Other fun bits. DS likes card games, fidget toys/puzzles, bouncy balls, dice, pens. DD likes jewellery, barbie accessories and arty crafty items. DH likes golf balls, kitchen gadgets.

I wouldn't (personally) put "fun" things like mini playing cards in because I know DS would have left those behind , so a waste of money ( but other DCs may be different ) When I used to do them I would put a back of batteries in for whatever devices they might need them for ( if they do) . Yes to nice toiletries , nail varnish etc , nail clippers, chocolate orange. If they would use them their own chopsticks sounds nice. Possibly a memory stick ( I found some Star Wars ones once - however I am not up to date with technology so these may be a thing of the past.) But I'm talking about a stocking which is little nice things , not the main present. & I would wrap everything up . Just my view - good luck

I put about 3 edible things and 5 or 6 other things in. Examples below, but these vary by child. I probably spend around £30-40 each

Tube of sweets
Chocolate coins
novelty socks/ nice underwear
card game/ travel game
book
Nice pen
mini fragrance
mini umbrella
fidget/ squishy
fancy shower gel/ shampoo/ bath bomb
spot patches
rolled up Tshirt
Funko pop
make up/ nail varnish
grip strengther
(cheap) jewellery
fancy bookmark
Japanese/ American drink or sweets
guitar plectrums
drumsticks
shinpads

Satsuma, chocolate coins, £1 in the toe, candy cane, sugar mouse all traditional and what I include. When DS was little Brio Thomas trains would go in; now it’s Lego minifigures. A tube of chocolate buttons or similar is always well received.

You could also do playing cards, a game such as Uno or Bananagrams or travel Scrabble, a small book, hair things or nail varnish for DDs, crayons or pencils, Airfix model plane, socks, a nice pen. Possibilities are endless - and it doesn’t need to be pricey!

Our stockings are hung by the fireplace and we open them first thing whilst eating breakfast. They are knitted ones and stretchy.

Most items wrapped in combo of tissue paper, sweet bags and wrapping paper.

No set cost it’s easy to adjust each year, ours do come in over budget so I won’t list. Everyone gets the same category of item adjusted for age and individual likes.
Always a chocolate Santa, candy cane, choc coins, orange, socks, a tube of something or other, something to read, something useful, something to do, shower gel or bubble bath. And a selection box alongside.

Traditionally in a stocking:

• a coin (the origin of the tradition, although most use chocolate coins now)
• an orange (although chocolate oranges are common too)
• a bag of nuts

After that everyone does things differently it seems.

when I was a kid where I live it was the above 3 items and often a selection 'box' would be added and that was it, stockings weren't a big thing in mine or DH family but we both pretty much got the same.

We started doing stocking when my oldest was young and for us we do 12 items made up of 6 little 'things' (around £1 each usually) and 6 sweets items. So it might be for example:

• sleep mask
• gel pens
• stickers
• lipstick
• sunglasses
• rubix style cube
• tube of jelly tots
• bar of chocolate
• gumballs
• pouch of chocolate
• chocolate coins
• chocolate orange

I don't do the nuts as my kids don't eat them, over all it cost about £12 so not a lot because we just treat it as a little add on tradition.

We do them downstairs, use to hang them on door handles as they where too heavy to hang on the fire and we couldn't add hooks when we rented but now we use comand strips to hang them on the fireplace in our house. Nothing is wrapped in ours, we treat the stocking as the wrapper.

Some people just don't do them.

We had no idea people took them so seriously until mumsnet. It was treat more like a traditional decoration than a whole 'gift' thing with little presents in our families.

Different cultures, areas, families, types of Christianity etc... all do these things different. The stocking is part of the real history of the actual person saint Nicholas who would hide money in poor womens laundry (hense the money in the stocking), not the more secular 'Santa' character.

I know that some people don’t do them. I was wondering why the OP hadn’t done one up to now.

because she grew up not doing them so why would she. Nobody does something until they do it the first time... people are always trying or adding in new fun traditions that they see others talking about on line.

We have added in the different way of doing stockings plus santa sacks, st nicks feast, table games and wrapped presents under the tree from family over the years many of them we learned about through forums like this.

It depends what your children like really.
I put in things like
Chocolate
Sweets
Books
Earrings
Nice teas/coffee
Bath items
Socks
Hair accessories
Pen/pencils
Card games
Book marks
Etc

Mine are a teenage girl and 11 year old girl and things like fluffy socks, face mask, bath bombs, primer, spot patches and some chocolate.

I do a small one for DH with golf balls, golf tees, nice bbq sauce, body wash, and socks!

He did one for me last year and it had chocolate, bath bombs, a book, fluffy socks, and a candle 🥰

I used to get mine things that I would be buying for them anyway at some point, but maybe nicer versions.. shower gel, pants, socks ( Nordic socks have been popular inn the past), tshirt, then a chocolate orange, a satsuma, chocolate coins, possibly cards or Top Trumps or a fiddle toy ( still played with by DS25). I'm running out of interesting ideas now, especially as they can buy themselves whatever they want anyway.
I've seen some nice thermal ceramic mugs, a turned wood bird, and some slightly upmarket pens.