This is OP and I'm amazed that there are children who are sitting down to eat a breakfast before opening up Christmas gifts! There is no way my kids could do that calmly, even with a stocking. They are excitedly flying down the stairs to the tree the second their eyes open.

Anonymous wrote:Kids get stockings. They open them before breakfast, which used to be before 7 and now is blissfully closer to 9. Small gift items, candy, some useful things like socks. Santa used to leave bigger presents with the stockings but we gave that up at some point when the kids were teens.

In DHs family stockings meant a shopping bag filled with various sample size products, paper products, snacks, etc. that his parents had collected over the course of the year. Each item was wrapped. Kids and adults got them. These were usually distributed after gifts were done. Could be things like bags of pretzels, travel size toothpaste, Halloween cocktail napkins, etc. Bonus points if the clearance price was still on the package.

Awesome! A reason to buy cadbury eggs after Easter and then eat them at Christmas!

Kids get stockings. They open them before breakfast, which used to be before 7 and now is blissfully closer to 9. Small gift items, candy, some useful things like socks. Santa used to leave bigger presents with the stockings but we gave that up at some point when the kids were teens.

In DHs family stockings meant a shopping bag filled with various sample size products, paper products, snacks, etc. that his parents had collected over the course of the year. Each item was wrapped. Kids and adults got them. These were usually distributed after gifts were done. Could be things like bags of pretzels, travel size toothpaste, Halloween cocktail napkins, etc. Bonus points if the clearance price was still on the package.

We had stockings to hang on the mantle but never put anything in them. We never really understood that. Toys go under the seasonal conifer for us.

Aww this is cute! My stockings were always pretty lackluster as a kid. Normally there was like one or two gifts in there and they were only in the stocking because they were the small gifts that would fit easily.

My MIL fills all our stockings before we arrive so I haven't had a chance to do them for our family yet. I'm hoping when kids get older we can fill our own and stay home. I filled our stockings one year and brought them and everyone looked at me like I had brought the Thanksgiving turkey to a host's house and was trying to compete. lol

Anonymous wrote:

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?

You didn't read what you quoted, did you?

I did. Did you?

The wrapping paper indicates the recipient. But with no tags you won't know the giver. PP responded and said that all gifts were all from Santa do that's not a problem for that family.

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?

You didn't read what you quoted, did you?

We do stockings first thing on Christmas morning - kids can rip in while parents are stumbling around looking for coffee. Then there is a lull before the general present opening as parents wake up and eat something and open stockings. I love stockings. My mom (aka Santa) used to always put little wind up toys and plastic dinosaurs in our stockings. When we hit the pre teen and teen years the same little wind ups started getting recycled into stockings year after year, and it became this really funny thing. Finally the tradition ended in my late 30's when my parents moved and the little wind ups didn't make it to the new place.

We do them first at breakfast. My mom left them on the end of each bed to buy some more sleep.

I love stockings! They're the best part of the gifting tradition because it's truly a delightful surprise. The presents under the tree are covered by what's on the wish list and necessities.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"HOLIDAY STOCKINGS" PLEASE.

Grow up. Some people want to be inclusive of others (in the spirit of the season I'd say) and you get all pouty and make up things to complain about? Coal for you, brat.

Pretty sure she is joking.

Oh good. I hope so! An elderly family friend just posted a huge rant on FB about how everything is Holiday This and That now. Sorry! My response was really meant for her!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"HOLIDAY STOCKINGS" PLEASE.

Grow up. Some people want to be inclusive of others (in the spirit of the season I'd say) and you get all pouty and make up things to complain about? Coal for you, brat.

Pretty sure she is joking.

Anonymous wrote:"HOLIDAY STOCKINGS" PLEASE.

Grow up. Some people want to be inclusive of others (in the spirit of the season I'd say) and you get all pouty and make up things to complain about? Coal for you, brat.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Ah ha! We have pretty much one gift from everyone to everyone.

I sometimes do color code paper for our family vs others though. To make it easier to find the gifts for people who pop in.

Anonymous wrote:"HOLIDAY STOCKINGS" PLEASE.

Call them what you like.