Why do you use stockings?

[SpringerS]

So apart from the stocking other presents are from family? The not wrapping idea is a good one, I find it tricky finding wrapping paper I "think" Santa would choose, then hiding the wrapping paper from the kids beforehand so they dont figure it out

No everything on Christmas morning is from Santa. The presents he asked for are out under the tree and the stocking is full of small surprises. There are usually a few other surprises too because I've told him that Santa loves recycling so if a child is happy to the receive toys from the elf-recycling department they might get a few extra surprises. So for example, instead of the Star Wars playset he's asked for he'll get that and a bunch of other Star Wars stuff I bought in the same ebay bundle. They'll be under the tree. But anything that will fit in the stocking goes into it and he'll have the fun of finding the stocking in his xmas eve box and hanging it.

 

[tommyg]

As a child I used a white sock. Small bits would go in there, fancy rubber, chocolate coins, yoyo. Santa's main present was normally left unwrapped. He delivered everyone else's gifts like the postman.

DS has a fancy stocking that Granny bought, small bits will go in there.

DH likes the idea of it being in the bedroom (buys extra time in the morning) the first year we tried it DS was delighted with the contents, then aged 3. Last year he was in tears heartbroken "Santa didn't bring what I wanted" took us ages to calm him down and get down stairs to see what else had been left!!!

This year debatable what we will do, but if we opt for in his room we need to be sure he knows that other things will be down stairs.

 

[SmartieMeUp]

I've never done stockings before so this is the first year of doing so, it's just small bits which will fit and add excitement to DD1's experience and give her something to open while in her bedroom. Family presents went under the tree, and self bought were in piles.

When I was younger (until I found out Santa wasn't real), my presents were in a big sack and my sisters were in piles. Then once the truth came out, my presents were in piles. We never had stockings either.

 

[kirstybumx3]

Well I hang our stockings up but never put anything in them I don't really know why. I used to get chocolate, an orange and nuts in mine as a child I think. Maybe a small toy I can't remember.

In our family we buy presents from the shops that are too difficult for the elves to make (eg branded toys) and send them to Santa then he decides what he should bring depending on how well behaved the children have been. Anything that can be made in the elves workshop can be asked for in their letters to Santa.

 

[Kate&Lucas]

I mainly do a stocking because it gets us an extra half hour in bed. I send OH down to put on the heating then we sit around and pull out our gifts one by one on my bed. Then by the time we get up I don't feel like a zombie and the house is nice and warm. Honestly that's my main memory of every Christmas morning as a kid - freezing to death while we opened our presents

The stocking presents all come from me (even my own - OH has promised to fill it this year ) and they're the usual things. Socks, toothbrush, little toys, sweets etc. I try to do about 15 bits each. All other presents come from Father Christmas apart from a 'main' one from me and OH. It's usually something big, last year it was an electric bike. This year it's a football kit because we're going away in Feb and I can't afford to be frivolous

 

[Logan's Mum]

Well I hang our stockings up but never put anything in them I don't really know why. I used to get chocolate, an orange and nuts in mine as a child I think. Maybe a small toy I can't remember.

In our family we buy presents from the shops that are too difficult for the elves to make (eg branded toys) and send them to Santa then he decides what he should bring depending on how well behaved the children have been. Anything that can be made in the elves workshop can be asked for in their letters to Santa.

That must take a lot of thought! I would have no idea how to distinguish between the two types of presents

 

[kirstybumx3]

Well I hang our stockings up but never put anything in them I don't really know why. I used to get chocolate, an orange and nuts in mine as a child I think. Maybe a small toy I can't remember.

In our family we buy presents from the shops that are too difficult for the elves to make (eg branded toys) and send them to Santa then he decides what he should bring depending on how well behaved the children have been. Anything that can be made in the elves workshop can be asked for in their letters to Santa.

That must take a lot of thought! I would have no idea how to distinguish between the two types of presents

The kids have never really questioned it and in the excitement on Christmas morning nobody tends to ask what the elves made and what they didn't. If that time comes I have no idea what will be said! I think that idea just came about one year when my cousin found a bag of presents and my grandparents had to declare that they were just ones that the elves hadn't collected yet, when she asked why the elves hadn't made them this awkward confusing twist came into it and stuck

 

[jd83]

I never really thought about stockings being kind of redundant to already have a tree full of presents. It's just always been a tradition in our family, so we don't even question it. We do stockings for everyone, not just the kids. They usually have candy, snacks, small trinkets or small things that are pointless to wrap. Things like a new toothbrush, chap stick, etc. One year, my sister in law filled my stocking completely full with chap stick because I complained one time too many about not having enough chap stick, lol. I think I'm STILL using up all the chap stick.

 

[Bid]

We say that santa brings three gifts plus the stocking, and a stocking for mum and dad. This year his stocking will have chocolate coins, a small lindt chocolate reindeer, xmas pens/pencils/rubbers, a gold power ranger figure, the gold dino charge, and maybe a couple of other very small bits. He's asking santa for the gold power ranger costume and gun for xmas (had to order the costume from America - they don't sell it in the UK!) so I thought having the figure in his stocking would be nice.

Mine and DH's stockings will just be sweets/chocolate probably. Although last year I remember DS being excited to see what we had so maybe I'd best get some other bits!