Christmas Stockings About This Page:

[AKLRULZ]

Are they big in your house? We always had big time things in our stockings as kids - not just candy, but video games and other toys - and I even remember once my mom getting diamond jewelery in her stocking from my dad. Stockings were always the very first thing we looked at on Christmas morning! My wife's family on the other hand - well they usually got something like an orange or a stick of gum (half kidding) - and they were almost an afterthought. So are stockings a big deal in your house?!? We've fortunatley passed on the tradition I grew up with! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[ 12-20-2001: Message edited by: Dadtojbj ]

[peterfan]

Very big deal here. I still have the same one my mom made me for my first Christmas. I just finished making my 7 mo daughter's. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Growing up, my stocking was the first thing I could open. It had some interesting things in it so my parents could sleep for atleast another hour. We always had the 6am wake up rule. I couldn't bug my parents before then.
The stocking really helped [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[boBmouse]

Hi Dadtojbj,
Stocking are a big deal here too. We would get to open anything in it. there was always some small game to play while mom slept in. Still the first thing opened on Christmas day. Though I don't get up as early any more.
Bobºoº

[Versafox]

What we usually do is set a per-gift limit for the contents of our stockings. This year, it's $10 to $12; with a $75 "overall" limit to the stocking budget. A budget like that forces you to get creative about the contents of your stockings!

So, we end up with a stocking stuffed full of small items we might not get for ourselves -- Jim gets a rather expensive razor (or refill); a couple pairs of sexy undies; a video rental gift card ($5-10); samples of very nice soap, aftershave, etc. (depending on availability); some "designer" toothpaste, maybe one cheesy video of some movie or other he enjoys watching that we don't happen to have a copy of (this is VERY hard to do for a man who has a Master's degree in film!); a gift card to the local video rental place. Nifty items like a Mickey Mouse pen or pencil he can use at work; cool stuff he'll enjoy but wouldn't buy for himself. I always include either a small package of shrimp, crab legs, or herring -- some sort of expensive seafood we wouldn't usually buy that he is nuts for -- smoked salmon, some little luxury like that. Not scads, just a taste.

In a "good" year, we might allocate fully 1/3 of our Christmas budget to our stockings. Each gift, no matter how small, is individually wrapped. (I've gotten specially wrapped tubes of chapstick!)

Half of the fun is peeling the paper off of some of these odd, inexpensive gifts. (Ever try to wrap a pocket comb?!?) For us , the stockings are often the best part of the Christmas gifts. With the "big stuff" you usually have an idea what is coming -- the stockings could hold anything at all!

[DVC_Don]

For the kids they are a big deal here. We fill them up long after they are asleep. Then we sneak into their rooms and leave them on the bottom of the beds. The instructions are, they are to enjoy the stockings w/o waking us up early in the morning. Sort of works. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[sammycat699]

Stockings are big with us too. Growing up I always had one. When I got married DH said he never had one. My parents were going to stop the stockings about then but they made one for both of us plus my brother. I've taken over the stockings for just our family now. So I fill 3 and DH has to do mine. He used to not get me anything (I would do my own). He's getting much better now--years of practice. All of us always get a candy bar. This year they are big Hershey bars.