What's the Christmas stocking tradition?

[Anonymous]

We celebrate Christmas but have never had stockings. Obviously I get that you fill them with small things, but when do you open? How does it work in relation to the actual Christmas gifts? Just an additional thing to look through or does it happen at a different time? What's your tradition?

[Anonymous]

Every family has a slightly different tradition. When my sister and I were growing up, we only received stocking, but when we were in MS we decided to do stockings for our parents and adults have received them ever since.

We open the stockings when we get up and everyone opens them up at their own pace. Then we make a big breakfast. After breakfast we have the presents under the tree and everyone one opens them one at a time.

Everyone contributes to the stockings and the gifts are generally very inexpensive things to maybe a $10 item and at least one Christmas ornament.

[Anonymous]

We always did stockings on Christmas evening, so when post-Christmas let-down was settling in there was one more fun thing to do.

[Anonymous]

We do the stockings after the presents. They have inexpensive things in them, some fun (brain teaser puzzle, treats) some useful ( hand lotion, Chapstick).

[Anonymous]

Santa puts stockings at the end of your bed so you have to fumble at them in the dark and guess what everything is! It buys the parents maybe 1/2 hour in the morning!

[Anonymous]

One tradition that some people do (but we don't), is to put the wrapped presents under the tree without name tags so nobody knows which ones are theirs. On Christmas eve, a scrap of wrapping paper is placed in each person's stocking. Each person's presents are wrapped in the paper that is in their own stocking. I'm enamored by this tradition but I don't have it together enough to pull it off.

[Anonymous]

In DH's family, we do stockings first thing on Christmas morning, then breakfast, then presents.

(I didn't grow up celebrating Christmas, so this is the tradition I know. )

[Anonymous]

We are Italian and stockings get filled on Epiphany. I like this tradition since we usually travel for Christmas, so there is one celebration that happens at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One tradition that some people do (but we don't), is to put the wrapped presents under the tree without name tags so nobody knows which ones are theirs. On Christmas eve, a scrap of wrapping paper is placed in each person's stocking. Each person's presents are wrapped in the paper that is in their own stocking. I'm enamored by this tradition but I don't have it together enough to pull it off.

Wow. That is very cool and something I will never achieve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Santa puts stockings at the end of your bed so you have to fumble at them in the dark and guess what everything is! It buys the parents maybe 1/2 hour in the morning!

This is how my dh's family always did it, so this is how we do it with our kids now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One tradition that some people do (but we don't), is to put the wrapped presents under the tree without name tags so nobody knows which ones are theirs. On Christmas eve, a scrap of wrapping paper is placed in each person's stocking. Each person's presents are wrapped in the paper that is in their own stocking. I'm enamored by this tradition but I don't have it together enough to pull it off.

How do you know what is from whom with no tags?

[Anonymous]

In our family, stockings are opened first, while everyone is having coffee/hot cocoa and a little bite to eat. Then we open the wrapped presents.

[Anonymous]

"HOLIDAY STOCKINGS" PLEASE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One tradition that some people do (but we don't), is to put the wrapped presents under the tree without name tags so nobody knows which ones are theirs. On Christmas eve, a scrap of wrapping paper is placed in each person's stocking. Each person's presents are wrapped in the paper that is in their own stocking. I'm enamored by this tradition but I don't have it together enough to pull it off.

How do you know what is from whom with no tags?

All our gifts come from Santa.

[Anonymous]

We have no set traditions for when stockings are opened. Sometimes right after the big "Santa" gift. Sometimes during a lull in the day. Sometimes filled with trinkets/socks, sometimes fancy little gifts.

Laissez faire Christmas here.