Christmas Stocking Traditions

[MinnesotaMike]

The other thread got me thinking. What has always been your family tradition as far as stockings go? I read that some people actually open them last. I've also heard of people who never wrap stocking stuffer presents. Some people take turns, while others all tear into them simultaneously. Tell us how YOU do it.

For us, we always do stockings FIRST. We take turns. The presents are always wrapped, and sometimes (but not often) there are nicer, more expensive gifts that end up in them. With kids, it is a foregone conclusion that the gifts in the stocking came from SANTA, not mom & dad. Also, our tradition has always been that if you were "bad", you might find an onion in the bottom of your stocking...not a lump of coal.

[*Snowflake*]

We're putting stockings for Saint Nicholas on 6 December and the presents are always just for children,unwraped. Christmas presents are always under the tree, (wrapped)never in stockings and those presents are for everyone

[ornamentmaven]

Stockings are opened first, before the gifts. I do them for my husband and two daughters - who are 26 and 17! I never wrap the stocking stuffers and they are usually just little items like: hair accessories, lip balm, candies, nuts, razors, lottery scratch-off tickets, etc. My husband will also often place an expensive small gift in my stocking!

[MinnesotaMike]

We're putting stockings for Saint Nicholas on 6 December and the presents are always just for children,unwraped. Christmas presents are always under the tree, (wrapped)never in stockings and those presents are for everyone

Interesting, so in your tradition, Santa doesn't bring gifts for adults? We have stockings for all of us, plus Santa also leaves some presents under the tree too. Once filled, the stockings just get set in front of the tree.

[*Snowflake*]

Interesting, so in your tradition, Santa doesn't bring gifts for adults? We have stockings for all of us, plus Santa also leaves some presents under the tree too. Once filled, the stockings just get set in front of the tree.

Saint Nicholas is not Santa, or at least I never thought so. He really existed,he was a sailor and has reputation as a bringer of gifts to children. Usually yes, he brings presents just for children, in my family he brings gifts in stockings. Santa Clause, he brings gifts for Christmas and he it's some kind of a fiction, although I believed in him when I was yoinger.He brings gifts for children and adults under the tree.

[MinnesotaMike]

Cool. In America, we interchange the name Santa Claus and St Nick.

[ornamentmaven]

The tradition of Santa Claus was based on the life of Saint Nicholas. Yes, here in the US we use the names interchangeably -along with Kris Kringle.

[cujiine]

We used to get stocking stuffers. They were always un-wrapped things like, little toys, candy, markers, stuff like that. The stuff was always from Santa and it was just for my brother and I. We'd pull everything out of the stockings and get excited about it. Every once in a while we'd get something big to go with our stocking but that only happened once or twice when the thing was too big or odd shaped to wrap. One year we both got brand new mountain bikes with out Stockings. This year my parents have decided they wouldn't be doing stockings because my brother and I are "too old". We're only 22 and 20 respectively.

[*Snowflake*]

Cool. In America, we interchange the name Santa Claus and St Nick.

The tradition of Santa Claus was based on the life of Saint Nicholas. Yes, here in the US we use the names interchangeably -along with Kris Kringle.

yes I know, but here in Croatia we celebrate Saint Nicholas day on 6.Dezember separately from Christmas

[SammieDsMom]

Cool! Interesting to hear that they are seperated... I have a kind of advent calander and Big stockings. I have 24 little stockings that I hang in the tree. I have numbered them and at the end of a day, My son gets to look for and open the stocking from the tree. It usually holds a hotwheels car, or sticker, or some little prize. He knows it's from Mom and Dad. Then, on Christmas Day Santa fills all of the big stockings with knicknacks. Little stuff like tooth brushes, lotto tickets, nuts, slinkys, etc. Our dogs get stockings too....Usually filled with flea meds, treats, bones, etc. Santa also leaves presents for the dogs! Spoiled, I know! A couple of basketballs, tennis balls, chew toys, jackets... We never wrap stocking stuffers, or Santa's gifts. The gifts are on "display". It sometimes takes me hours to set up just right. I get a pic of them before I go to bed. Gifts from Mom and Dad are wrapped and underneath the tree. There is nothing like capturing my son's face as he is awed at the sight of Christmas morning...priceless...