<p>I am 21 and my mom still does them for me. Though, this year I am allergic to chocolate so I am not sure what she will come up with to do for this year. We normally get mostly candy in our stockings with a few little trinkets (cheapo jewelery, guitar picks, deck of cards, etc).</p>
<p>My mom does not do stockings for my fiance. She would if he lived with us, but he doesn’t. She does get him a gift, however. If she were feeling particularly generous she might put together a little goodie bag for him with the leftover candy, she has done that for easter before after she did mine and my sister’s easter baskets. :P</p>
I am so sorry. I would just have to eat chocolate and die. That would really mess up our stockings. Terry’s chocolate oranges are a big tradition in our christmas stockings - for some reason they are MIA in walmart and walgreens this year - thank goodness for amazon and free shipping!!</p>
<p>For stockings I get them socks, underwear, mittens, little things from the sample section at Target such as gel, sunscreen, chapstick, notecards, pens, a small box of Jellybellys, TicTacs, and movie tickets.</p>
<p>I think stockings is a great tradition. My kids can hardly wait for their stockings! They get so much enjoyment out of them that I can’t imagine stopping. And yes, if they had significant others I would do a stocking for them too. </p>
<p>My H’s stocking is not usually too full. And mine often had almost nothing, but a couple of years ago, my kids took it upon themselves to be in charge of my stocking! Now I have stocking fun too! (we always had stockings growing up - one of my fav parts of Christmas - so I can’t imagine stopping the tradition)</p>
<p>No fair - I haven’t got a stocking in so long I can’t remember when. Back when I got a stocking it was actually just our long socks we used. Don’t know if that is just because I’m as old as dirt or if the cutesy stockings are a US thing.</p>
<p>It was so interesting to see the little “surprises” my kids thought to put in mine. Everything from a new tree ornament to my favorite candy - just fun stuff - but cool, to know they were thinking of me when they were roaming the aisles.</p>
<p>I’m almost 28, my younger sister is 22, and my parents still do stockings for us - and we have them for my parents as well. We have pretty much the same 4 stockings hanging up that we had all throughout my childhood. (with the exception of my mother, she “upgraded” her stocking a few years ago). They don’t do them for significant others, though maybe they would if we were married. My BF and I do have stockings hanging at my house though. </p>
<p>My parents usually will put little things in our stockings like small valued gift cards, candies, pens, nail files, something small and quirky, etc in them. Occasionally there will be a cd or two in there. Last year my dad threw in a tire pressure guage for each of us, haha. We always open them last. For my parents stockings, my sister and I usually buy each of them a small gift that will fit (an ornament, a movie, a gift card, etc…) , and they usually buy each other a small gift that will (supposedly) fit in their stocking as well. I usually throw some candy in theirs also. My dad gets tootsie rolls and my mom gets chocolate covered cherries. My dad never seems to grasp the concept that his stocking gift for my mom should be small enough to actually fit in her stocking. He always winds up trying to jam something way too big in there which in turn bajarbles up the stocking… thus my mother needing to upgrade hers a few years ago, lol!</p>
<p>Buy an inexpensive stocking and stitch your name on it - hang it by the fireplace NOW. If the kiddies won’t be home till close to Christmas, take a pic on your phone and sent it to them with the text, “hint, hint!”. </p>
<p>Costco has two packs of nice small flashlights. It has a small keychain flashlight along with the hand size. Each child is getting one in their stocking. The forth one is going to H for his birthday. They all have cars so the flashlights are great for the glove box. I think they are Mag Lite brand which is nice quality.</p>
<p>Swimcatsmom, You need a stocking!! I have a bunch of extras lying around my house as decoration! If you PM me your name and address I would be happy to write your name on a stocking with puffy paints and mail it out to you!! They were cheap so it would be no problem… My gift to you!!</p>
<p>Do beware of coal in stockings though. My sister gave me a piece of real coal a few years ago. I gifted everyone a small bag of plastic pretend coal last year, and this year I am gifting everyone a little mesh baggie of chocolate wrapped up to look like coal. :)</p>
<p>I only have the one so being ‘fair’ isn’t an issue. We still do stockings…heck, I send ‘Santa presents’ to my 70+ year old mom! Little things that would have gone in a stocking, though, can sometimes cost as much as a gift! I found some cute things at Bed, Bath and Beyond the other day…lip balms, a new tweezer, a back scratcher, and a little magnetic clasped notepad w/pen in pretty colors. Add in some chocs and a couple of little toys (Michaels or other craft shops are good for this) and we’ll be Santa-stylin’! </p>
<p>We will probably not spend a whole lot this Xmas as my daughter bought a class ring and we are taking a trip later in the month. But there will be enough intriguing packages under the tree to make the morning merry. Surprisingly my husband has been the easier one to shop for!</p>
<p>How do the rest of you handle a minimalist Christmas that really isn’t so minimalist because there’s a big gift? This is an interesting Christmas shopping season: our 20-year-old S is getting a car. He never asked. We just decided, because it’s clear he’s very restricted in his college town without one. The first words out of his mouth were, “So now I’ll have transportation to get an evening job to pay for the insurance and gas.” He’s a good guy. We are giving him our four-year-old car, and we took advantage of a 0% financing deal to get ourselves a new one. He knows this is a big deal, because we usually drive our cars until they die, and we’ve been a one-car city family for years.</p>
<p>My H and I went to minimalist gifts a few years ago, and realistically, this year we should just put a big bow on the car. We want him to have a GPS, so we got him one. Stockings are a tradition, and I’m thinking I’ll fill his with some fun and useful things, get him a cookbook he’s asked for, and that will be that.</p>
<p>But how do you break those Christmas habits? I did decide to “adopt” a family through a local group of churches, and it helps me realize what a ridiculous question this is. We take so much for granted.</p>
<p>One tradition that our family has is that each kid gets an ornament in their stocking. Usually something meaningful for the year - a french horn when one started music lessons, pointe shoes the year my D started pointe, etc. Then when they leave home, they can take all of their ornaments with them to put on their first Christmas tree. Also, we have fostered kids for several years and they also get an ornament with a picture of our family (including the foster kids) on it so they can take it with them to remember us by.</p>
<p>Stocking stuffers here are mostly little things- a bubblepen, little scented soaps or toiletries, maybe some fuzzy socks. They don’t mind the smallness as long as there are enough wrapped things that they can prolong the process of opening them and ooohing. Here, the sure hit is lip balm. Really. The older D says she’s addicted. There’s even a Facebook page (or there was) - something like I’m addicted to Chapstick. I joke I’m going to sign them up for a Flavor of the Month plan.
We stay away from candy and chocolate because it gets devoured too fast.<br>
Their big presents this year will be the deposits for their study abroad programs.</p>
<p>Does he already know he’s getting the car? Because if he doesn’t, you can have a bunch of boxes under the tree, each with a clue. Or we have done a box with a clue, that leads to a place in the house, that leads to a ribbon/string, that leads to the big gift. (Ours was just a drum kit, though, not a car ).</p>
<p>We’ve done minimalist Christmases a lot. I believe in them, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel a little “twinge” that things won’t seem bountiful enough. But it will be fine. They can handle it. Especially getting a car and a GPS.</p>
<p>eddieo re cookbooks…last year I found a picture frame rolodex type thing at Target that had a nice family quote on the front. When you flipped it in rolodex way there were blank plastic sleeves to put 4x6 photos in. I printed up family recipes and inserted them so D1 could have all of her favorites. She loved it and now D2 wants one this year. Very easy and inexpensive gift.</p>
I am so sorry. I would just have to eat chocolate and die. That would really mess up our stockings. Terry’s chocolate oranges are a big tradition in our christmas stockings - for some reason they are MIA in walmart and walgreens this year - thank goodness for amazon and free shipping!!</p>
).</p>