What do you put in your kids stockings?

JoolzS

I always got a satsuma in my stocking and even in my 40s christmas day doesn't feel right unless I get a satsuma to eat.

Julie

medders2604

My Mum always used to put a drink and the obligatory satsuma ion the stocking and then colouring book and crayons or something else that would keep me and my brothers occupied for a while if we woke up at 4am and we couldn't even claim hungry or thirsty as the drink and satsuma covered that angle.
She always said she would never put more than a couple of things in or we would get over excited and want to get downstairs to the main presents even more quickly. The less we had in the stocking the less we would expect downstairs.

GreenTed

Yes I see the point about not doing a stocking - great idea!!! I think the reason we had one was to keep us going until the main presents got opened a LOT later in the day & this is how I play it too. When DS was small we managed for years to keep this until after dinner! That way there's no point inwaking up early: maybe it's because I'm NOT a morning person & couldn't cope with that on top of cooking for everyone! I think it's great that we can choose our own traditions though & a great relief that there's no fixed way to do it!

Also got Basil Brush album from Amazon - you guys probably know other places to find them but it was the cheapest I could find; also excuse me but pooing reindeer (chocs) from Play.com - this will perfectly combine sense of humour with mechanical curiosity & should keep him going until later! (We definitely try to spread out the excitement with (inexpensive) tree presents after tea & "golden box" (shoebox) on boxing day - mostly with items bought in Jan & wrapped so are suprise all round as I can't remember that far back.)

sugaJen

Thanks everyone, ive got some good ideas from you :j

Never thought of colouring books! Home bargains had some xmassy ones too...wonder if they still have them?

Will have to get all this down in my christmas note book before I forget everything

Any more are very welcome!!

sugaJen

Each to their own, some people do them some dont, I dont remember my mum doing them for us when we were little. My kids love the idea of it and last year we had a really bad Christmas, reasons I wont go into but I ended up being picked up to travel 70 miles away at 11.30pm on Christmas Eve, had to load all the kids pressies, drag them out of bed and ...FORGOT THE STOCKINGS!!!!! felt absolutely terrible and made a promise to myself to make it up to them, but I want to do it sensibly and not go OTT money-wise and be wasteful.

Following the crappy year ive had BIG TIME!! (excluding the birth of my son) I want this christmas to be perfect, and it will be, making my kids happy makes me happy and were having dinner with my mum and step-dad, new baby (which my mum delivered might I add ) and its gonna be great :j

patentgirl

my 3 have always had a stocking now 25/23/16! they still love them as Green Ted said earlier it used to keep them quite untill we open main presents which we always have done later and now DD is married she sees her OH family before coming to us around 2 so we all wait to open our presents then.
I generally put in smellies, socks, a book or magazine look for ones with freebies think glamour are doing a free nails inc nailvarnish at moment) cheap dvd, girls have cottonwool and cotton buds son is keen fisherman so perhaps couple of weights or some line, cheap pair of gloves and of course chocolate and a satsuma

arthur_dent_2

It is (imo) the stovking at the end of the bed that you remember always. To be honest it doesn't even really matter what is in it, it is waking up on christmas day knowing it was there. Although the chocolate was always a bonus!

pinkladymel

Aww What Arthur Dent just said made me feel all nostalgic and lovely. When I was growing up the stocking was so important!! I remember all night I would lie in bed unable to sleep. I would hear my parents downstairs furiously wrapping and the sound of sellotape. I would accidentally fall to sleep and when I awoke the stocking would be hanging on the door handle.

One year I remember my mom didn't do it even though she promised not to forget to put it on. I felt SO upset and deflated. I waited 365 days.. you can't just decide you can't be bothered and not do it!!


Anyway... wafflin' aside..

My stocking contained:
New socks
New Underwear
New Slippers
My christmas day outfit so that I could get dressed up nice to open presents.
A tube of sweeties.
Makeup or perfume.
One present.

Depending on how many presents I had downstairs depended upon what got shoved in my stocking. It was never thought out lol. Just a case of whacking in what wasn't too expensive.

I put in my kids stockings these days:
A novelty toothbrush i.e spiderman etc
Some character socks
Christmassy hair bobble/clips
A magazine to read in bed whilst waiting the whole 2 seconds for me to pounce on them.
A thomas train (big expense but this will make my boys christmas LOL)

Everything that is on the list is obviously substituted accordingly to the boy or girl.

rinroo

We never really used to get stockings as kids so thats one of the reason i want my ds's to have them. I'll still be doing one when they are in their 30's!!

I like the idea of doing a golden box for boxing day, i can think of a few presents to hold back until then...to spread it out. I couldnt make my sons wait until after lunch though, i get more excited than them!

Spendless

My parents never did a stocking for us either, we had 'stocking fillers' (ie small pressies) but they were all wrapped and under the tree. I started off the same way for my children but when eldest was 2 or 3ish he asked for a stocking as he'd seen on christmas films and cartoons that other children had them.
I've never found the right place to keep them as put them on their beds and they'll wake up, see them and want to go downstairs cos 'he's been' and open the bigger stuff, and am also wary of them seeing father christmas on xmas eve cos my nan saw him once when he went into her bedroom when she was little. I've tried hanging them outside the bedroom door on the handle but they still get up to look in the dead of the night. I've considered leaving them downstairs but think the bits would then get overlooked for the main stuff. Think my mum's way was a lot easier and she did have a stocking as a kid, she obviously remembered what she used to do.:D

Anyway- what I put in mine boy (8) girl (5). I always put them something personalised in,eg notebook, stickers. Not an easy task as you find my daughter's name occassionally and my sons never but his name is common in the states and canada so I ask visiting friends and family to get me something. Expandable flannels. Pencil cases and pencil sets. Foam soap, smellies for dd. DS has a jar of pebble sweets, as he loved them earlier this year whilst we were away and I picked up an extra jar as I don't often see them. I was also going to get him a small child's wallet as he has just started in cubs and they go on a lot of camping trips where he needs to take pocket money.