the great stocking filler thread

Tuttifruitty_Theresa

Nenen wrote:

Many years ago, when my three children were aged 3, 5 and 7, I did my most successful long term, value for money, stockings ever! Along with the usual chocolate coins, toothbrushes, small toys etc I bought one of the following (plus some things I can't remember) for each child:

pack of cheap envelopes
pads of paper and notebooks of various sizes
pack of different coloured paper
scissors (ordainary and those ones that cut wavy lines)
sticky gummed paper shapes
selotape
paper clips
split pins
white sticky labels
date stamp (one of those shops used to use about 20 years ago where you rotate the months etc)
Ink pad
pens, pencils, colouring pencils, felt pens
rubber
novelty pencil sharpener
ring reinforcers
ziplock wallet
bulldog clips
clipboard
glue stick
glitter and glitzy bits (sequins, shiny paper etc)...

...and any other cheap and cheerful stationery items I could get from shops like Poundstretcher, WH Smiths, Woolworths, local newsagents etc. In today's prices, no single item cost more than £2 and most were considerably less!

We then bought a each child their own plastic 'toolbox' (one of those ones with carrying handle and a big compartment with lift up trays sectioned into little compartments (originally designed to hold scews etc) for an example see
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10151&productId=203871&categoryId=31379#

We decorated each toolbox differently using permanant markers to name them and stickers to make them look nice. Once they had unwrapped these presents in their stockings they put all their stationery into their own personal box and 'Bob's your Uncle'! These were toted round on our travels to see all the relatives over Christmas and kept them quiet for literally hours and hours! I can't tell you the joy my three year old son expressed at having his own reel of selotape to use as he wished! I think the idea of being grown up enough to own your very own selotape etc (rather than have to ask to use mine) went down a storm! They cut, stuck, drew, made books, played and generally made up their own games etc. The boxes were still in use the following year so we continued to put stationery items in stockings to refill them. In fact, when my son got to 12 and started to go fishing he was able to recycle his tool box! :T

this is a brill idea, thank you, i'm going to do this for my two neices, who for the first time are going to spend christmas with us, i would also like to say thank you to everyone for the fantastic ideas on here, i've suggested to the family (11 of us) that we all pay £3.00 each and i will do them a gift bag/shoe box (i was inspired by all these replies) so wish me luck (esp on what i get from my mum, who is doing my box, i must give her a print out of thread lol)

xxxxxx

ps I have mentioned this before but in the old time money saving, B&M's have knit your own scarf kit for £1.99, this includes three balls of fluffy wool and the needles, if you haven't got a B&M's then The Works are selling the same kits for £2.99