DQOTD - Stockings!

It's 11 sleeps til Christmas...WOOOOO!

My question today is all about stockings. Do you fill them? Does Santa? Do you not even bother? Do you open them first? Last? What do you usually put in them?

When we were kids, we weren't allowed to put out our stockings unfil Christmas Eve. Santa filled them and we opened them first. Mom and Dad used to let us go and get them when we woke up too early and they didn't want to get up yet. Some of my best Christmas memories are of getting my stocking and my little brother and I sitting on the bed opening them!

Nowadays, we usually open stockings last, but it's because our kids don't get up too early (yet!) and they forego those to see what's under the tree LOL. I expect this year to be different, Benjamin is 9, Amelia is almost 7 and Rae is 5, so I am thinking they will be too excited to sleep! If they get up super early, they can get their stockings, the same as we did when we were kids. We don't let them put them up until Christmas Eve, and Santa fills them.

Each kid usually gets a DVD in their stocking, their favorite candy, funky socks, a small stuffed toy, new toothbrushes...nothing too fancy.

Tell me your traditions!
 
It was the same at our house growing up Jamie!
We could always grab our stockings and dump them before my parents got up-and I think because of this-my mom really went on the hunt for awesome things for them-
Barbie outfits-fun candy(was rare for us to get candy growing up so all the fun Christmas themed candy was AWESOME), and as I got older-awesome make-up stuff!

We do stockings and for the most part fill them with candy and a few little fun matchbox cars-for Landen-and Axe stuff for the big boys-Scott berates me every year for buying so much for the stockings that it never all fits. HA!

I think because of the great memories I have of my stockings as a child-I want my kids to have the same memories.
I usually have to wake EVERYONE up in this house though-even Landen-so they are always almost an afterthought around our tree, but still something the boys love receiving.
 
Santa fills them and they usually get opened last. They usually have DVDs, books, toothbrushes, little goodies (Silly Putty, cars, rubber duckies, etc) and that's about it. I love our stockings, lol. That's one of my fave parts of the morning. :)
 
Filling their stocking is one of my favorite things! They usually get a few smallish toys, candy and I always put an apple and an orange in them b/c we always got one in ours when I was little and to me that's just part of what goes in a stocking lol. We save them for last..usually later on in the morning after the chaos of opening gifts has settled down.
 
we typically do not do stockings. when I did I would put some small gifts like balls or cars and candy canes as well as some bubble bath or something.
 
We do St Nick, so "he" comes the night of the 5th. So no, we don't fill them again on Christmas.
 
We do stockings and they are what the kids open first. I normally just fill with little stuff... matchbox cars, toothbrushes, candy, socks, underwear, pencils, and erasers.

I LOVE our stockings, so they are part of my "decor", LOL! They are currently hanging in the living room because I just love having them out!
 
We usually do ours first and Santa fills them. Ours are hanging on our entertainment center with stocking holders.

Ours our huge because Sean's grandma knitted them, for all 7 of her kids, all of their kids and great-grandkids.

I actually got all of Keira's stuff out last night to see what I bought, because I pick up things here and there.

She's got 2 t-shirts from the Disney Store, a Cape I ordered from Etsy, a Care Bear Cousin, Kelly doll, strawberry shortcake nail polish, M&M's & Jelly Bellies. I think that's it. I had some barbie clothes to go in there too, but I ran out of room.

Cooper has a little cell phone, a cape, 1 t-shirt, a care bear cousin, microphone and I think that's it.

Keira's stocking is the largest for some reason. Next year I'm sure Cooper's will be stuffed to the top too.
 
We (I..lol) fill the stockings and usually open them up last.

They usually just get little things. Slinky's are usually a must. I put a little bit of candy. Then they each get little things that they are into. Mattisen will get makeup, nail polishes, soaps, etc. Cole will get trucks/motorcycles/etc.
 
This year, we told Santa to only fill the stockings, so he isn't bringing anything else but things for the stockings. We don't want to make Santa too huge (like he was for me growing up) but we want them to experience a little bit of it and we liked this idea!

Of course, we haven't done any shopping yet so I have no clue what's going in there!
 
my brother and i always snuck down early to get our stockings first. we tried to let mom and dad sleep as long as possible, but we were usually up way before the sun came up, lol.

i have't got the stocking stuffers yet. waiting til the last minute. probably just some candy, matchbox cars for Aidan, lip gloss and girly stuff for Emma and Chloe, maybe a small stuffed animal. fun stuff. i have to go and get stockings for Emma and Aidan; i can't seem to find the other two, lol.
 
My mom gave DH & I our stockings back when we were just living together and it was a miracle that she was able to find the same fabric to make my 2 daughters stockings, 6 & 9 years after the first 2 were made! So now we all have matching stockings, just like my family did when I was a kid. :)

I fill everyones stockings and so far the girls don't care that they aren't put out on Christmas Eve. Right now they are all filled and hiding in some luggage in my closet. LOL For DH & I, I fill it with the usual personal stuff and if a present from one of us is small enough to fit in the stocking, I'll put it in there rather than wrap it. The girls have a lot of Dollar Store stuff in their stockings, but also some nice stuff as well. I think stockings are more expensive to fill than the actual gifts! The girls open their stockings and look at Santa's presents before opening the presents. I need something to tide them over for a bit since they get up before 5am on a regular day and earlier on Christmas!
 
My kids are up before 6am on a normal day. Christmas is worse. They are not actually allowed to leave their beds until 6am normally but on christmas they are allowed to go get their stockings & open them & play quietly in their room until the adults wake up.

Santa stuffs stockings & usually puts things like Thomas trains, die cast cars, & action figures in them
 
The only other crafty thing I do is needlepoint, so our stockings are all handmade (and took forever LOL). They hang up all season, but I sure with we had a fireplace to hang them from! They hang from the bar, and right now aren't full. I just fill them as I buy things for them, and while it's usually the first thing opened on Christmas morning, last year we nearly forgot them! So I guess we don't really have a tradition in terms of stockings.
 
We always put up our stockings when we put up the tree, and we got to open them on Christmas Eve (once we were all old enough to know that mom & dad are really Santa!)

I think I'll do the same thing for my kids, make them wait until Christmas morning to get their stockings... then after they don't believe in Santa anymore, I'll let them get them on Christmas Eve...
 
We do stockings too. They will be opened the 25th in the morning, since we open gifts the 24th in the evening. When I was a kid, the stocking was my favorite thing to open. :)

I've got some candy, some toothbrushes, some bubble bath, little cars, action figures, little animals, things like that, to fill them up.
 
Santa fills them at our house.. they open them first. We ALL get stockings at my mom's and mom fills them there.

This year they are getting crayons, bath stuff, candy, Abby's getting hair bows and J a lightning mc queen little pillow.. um... I actually should probably get my stocking bags out and see what all I have............
 
We plan on doing stockings once the family room renovations are done, so since this year the family room is torn apart, we won't be doing stockings.
 
I got some awesome new stockings from Pottery Barn last year for Jordan, Tiger, and myself. Those get hung on the little mantle in the living room that's really a window opening. :p Since we don't spend Christmas at home, we don't do anything with them. But I love having them there hanging all season, and once we get to stay home for Christmas, I'll be filling them. I love stockings :)

Growing up, the stockings were (and still are) hung on the banister around the stairs. They hang there all season, and then on Christmas Eve after everyone has gone to bed, they are put outside our doors all full of goodies. We were never allowed to go to the living room to see the tree first thing in the morning. We would get up, and take our stockings to my parents room to open them while they got the coffee going and got themselves awake. My mom always wrapped our stocking presents, and the paper matched the pile of presents under the tree that were ours. She made a "no gift tags" rule for us, because that's how she figured out there was no Santa when she was a kid, lol. So that's how we knew who got what.
 
Santa fills the stockings at our house and they are always laid out with the gifts he brings (which are unwrapped and left under the tree). All the kids get new toothbrushes & toothpaste, fruit snacks and a juice box, some Christmas candy and usually some character body wash or bubble bath and some fuzzy socks or slippers to go with the new jammies they opened on Christmas Eve. So far Kyle is getting 3 small motorcycles, Cars notebook & crayons (Target $1 spot) and the girls are getting $10 Build-a-Bear gift cards and some lip glosses (also from Target $1 spot). I'll probably check the $1 spot again next time I'm @ Target to see what else I can find, probably some notebooks and pens or markers or something since they love stuff like that!
 
I'm feeling left out... we never did stockings as a child... don't know why, should find out... probably Mom never had it as a child, either...

I think this might be another tradition I start this year!! Given that said... better get cracking! ;)
 
We always did stockings as a kid. When we were little it was Santa, when we got older Mom and Dad filled them. Usually with candy, an orange and apple, and some small toys. Sometimes the stuff in the stocking got more use than anything else. We had two different sets of stockings, one set was crocheted ones that my grandma did and another set was some commerically bought ones. My mom still fills sotckings for us. This year Carrie is getting toothbrushes ( at 2 she loves to brush her teeth, she would brush 10 times a day if we would let her!), a Pez dispenser, some other Christmas candy (no chocolate!) and a few small toys and dvds. I have no idea what to put in Molly's stocking, she is turing 10 months tomorrow. Maybe a few small toys.
 
We would put out our stockings out for a while before Christmas for decorations sake, but they wouldn't get filled until the night before Christmas. It was usually Santa (Mom) who would fill them, and they would always have a fresh orange at the bottom and then other knick knack and small gifts. When I was a kid, these were usually felt stockings with our names on them. As my mom got older she got more into sewing and she has since sewn names on some stockings for the dogs, and I have a cross-stitched one with my name on it. My husband had one with his name on it, but we can't find it. Nowadays, my mom fills my stocking (DH adds a York peppermint patty) and some of DH's and the dogs', and I fill my mom's, some of DH's and the dogs'. This year I'm putting a jump drive in my own, saying it's from DH since he was the one who told me to get it for myself. :p
We always opened them in the morning, while breakfast was cooking. Once we had breakfast and got dressed for the day, we would open the regular presents. Of course I also opened the presents the night before from my grandparents if we were over there for church service - by that time I would be in my jammies.
 
We do stockings for St. Nick, and for Christmas. As the boys get older, it's harder to find things to put in there. For my teens, I usually get gift cards to fast food places.
 
Our stockings go up when the tree does, they are part of the decor. Santa fills my DD's stocking usually with a DVD, a small amount of candy (this year just a kinder surprise shaped like santa), and whatever small things I find.

Hubby and I fill each other's stockings, DD is told that Santa just brings things for kids.

The stockings are opened first, just like when I was a kid. Then we kinda go round robin for opening gifts, taking turns and thanking the gift giver. My DD loves giving us the gifts she helped pick out and wrap almost as much as opening her own gifts.
 
As a kid, my brother & I were allowed to open our stockings as soon as we got up before our parents. My brother was always that wake up early with excitement kid, while I prefered to sleep in. He wasn't allowed to open his unless I was awake, so he always woke me up super early. After we checked out our stuff for a while, we woke our parents. Both my mom & my dad (long since divorced) still stuff a stocking for me Christmas night after we go to sleep. I love that. Its one of my favorite parts of Christmas. We also always got a wrapped present from Santa. This year N will be getting his stocking stuffed with 2 DVDs (Up & Yo Gabba Gabba), candy, toothbrush, toothpaste, undies, bubble bath, Cars crayons & notebook, a Lightning McQueen Christmas car, Cars socks and a couple of books.
 
Well my kids have to be WOKEN UP on Christmas Morning!!! Every single year ... and they are 14, 15, and 21!! Santa fills the stocking and they open it first on Christmas morning.

There is usually candy, playing cards, little candy dispensers (i.e. Pez), little cars, pokemon cards ... course now they are teens it is more like a small video game, candy, gift card to Itunes, and the 21 yo is getting a couple of those Monster like drinks because it fills up his stocking faster and he's harder to buy for. lol
 
Santa fills the stockings of the kids and the parents fill for each other. LOL... I know that is really crazy. It use to be that Santa filled them all but when my hubby went shopping for my stocking stuff he had Logan with him. So Logan realized that Santa didn't fill the parents stocking. But he absolutely believes that Santa fills the kid's stockings.

Stockings are opened before anything else. Then the adults go shower and make breakfast. After breakfast we open the presents under the tree.
 
Ours are hung above the fireplace (unless we have a fire of course). They go up when we put out all the decorations and Santa (ahem, Mrs. Claus) fills them... And they are the first thing opened Christmas morning! That's tradition for both of our families. :)

This year the older one gets miniature lego sets, a HUGE lollipop, a box of mini chocolate Santa's, 2 card games, 1 pk of Pokemon cards and 2 pks of Club Penguin cards. Oh, and a ornament with Now & Laters in it.

The mini child will have a Mickey cell phone, a Buzz cell phone, a few little candies and I still need to get him some mini stuffed Disney characters to fill it up. He gets an ornament with Tootsie Rolls in it too. I know there's something else but I can't remember what off the top of my head.

DH's usually consists of little knick knack stuff for his garage or truck. :)

Mine is going to have an SSD GC this year.... :D
 
OMG...this is my FAVORITE part of XMAS!!! my kids sooooooooo make out when it comes to their sotckings....my MIl has Made ALL of our stockings and they hang above their fireplace in Orgeon~then I fill them with so much stuff they can't go back on the wall!!! I usually add gift cards, matchbox cards, stuffed animlas, candy {of corase}, socks {funny ones}, life saver books {this is one of DH's favorite memories of his stocking!} and all kinds of other goodies! but they are hing until XMAS eve and Santa fills them~it is the 1st thing my kids do on XMAS morning!!! it was the 1st thing me and my brother did on XMAS morning and it was ALWAYS my favorite so I gues it is something I always want my kids to remember!
 
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