What a wonderful idea! Our kids are grown and not all of them are able to visit on Christmas as some of them live in other states/too far, etc.

Our youngest son and his wife will be here and I've been trying to thing of something to do for them that is kind of special - I'm going to put stockings together for them...thank you for the reminding me how fun stockings can be....I'm searching for some boxes right now :-).

That's a great idea Agertz. Takes the pressure out of finding things during the last minute rush and lets you spread out the expense over a longer period too. I think that idea would be good for regular gifts too--if only I could figure out what I want to get for each person ahead of time! ;o) Luvs

Now that's pretty brilliant, and sure a stress-saver!
Thank you for the great tip on stuffing stockings.

hugs, Karen

That is a great idea. I have always done a stocking for my DD (she is 29 now) LOL. I think she enjoys the stockings even more than the "other" presents sometimes.

My gang loves stockings too, so I always have a labled paper bag in the closet for each one! I like your box idea better, and will be searching for some right away! Thank you for the idea!

My boxes are full! Now I've got almost two months to think about gifts. I'm really into Christmas this year....

I buy all year long and put in a bin. I made stockings, huge, for each child when they were born. Which reminds me, have to make another one for the new baby coming the end of the month!

Growing up we never had stockings. I'd like to do stockings for the children and grandchildren. I haven't a clue what to put in them. Can y'all suggest the sort of things you put in your stockings? :)

I love the box idea to collect stocking stuffers. I have to try that instead of my plastic shopping bag filled with everyones stocking stuffers.
suzy, my boys are 17 and 20 and only one grew up with me. When my youngest was little i would get him his favorite candy, little pocket games, crayons or markers, funny erasers, gift cards to favorite toystore, coupons to videogame rental place etc.
Now that he is 17 he'll be getting a gascard, a cellphone case, bluetooth headset, i-tunes card, air freshners for his car, chapstick, and a lump of coal I found at the dollar store because he has given me a run for my monwy this year...lol...teenagers...lol

Thanks for your great suggestions, tamgypsy. I'm making my list and checking it twice. ;)

That is a good tip. I usually start buying for the stocking in September because one year I waited and then the brian gets overloaded and doesn't work well. I just put mine in a shopping bag.

Things that I usually put in stockings. Makeup, travel size things, lotion, toothpaste, etc., candy, note pads, jewelery, phone cards, pens. The other day I was in Target and they had there dollor stuff 75% so I got the kids alot of "the office" stuff because they love that show.

Great idea! I have always been a great shopper... and even a better "hider" of the presents so the kids wouldn't find them... and would you believe that sometimes I wouldn't be able to find them also!! *I know no one else has ever done this!!

The shoebox will save part of my sanity!

Thank you

We love stockings too. The kids care more about them than the big presents. So we put lots of time in to the process too.

Suzy, some suggestions, just small stuff-walk through the stores thinking small and the ideas will start rolling. Example, travel size personal items work great if they travel for work etc. Toothbrushes and paste, small hair brushes, detail brushes to clean their car, armorall wipes, any kind of cleaning wipes, gift cards, movie passes, favorite gourmet candies, ornament with name for next year, socks, hairbows, shoe laces, bandaids and neopsporin, chapstick, nuts, jacks, batteries (everyone always needs batteries!), generic sunglasses, screwdrivers, airfresheners, bubbles, playdoh, lighters, seeds, small can of wd40 (we always use that product in our house), clothing repair kits, toenail clippers, magnets.

I could go on, but the point is obviously to make it as specific to the indivual as possible. At our house most everyone travels for work (the adults anyway)so all travel stuff is welcome. Their favorite candies and nuts are always a hit 'cause we only eat that stuff around the holidays(the adults anyway). Everyone is also very into the grandkids(our kids are the only kids in the family)so the kids make small stuff like the magnets or draw pics that we laminate etc and the adults eat that up! It has taken me a few years to get to where the stockings are easily done. You can get as frugal or expensive as you want. We do stockings for everyone we know and we LOVE it!!

Agertz-thanks for the tip. All our stuff winds up in one bag and we have to rethink who gets what! The boxes are much easier and will work all year long! Thanks for sharing!!

Last year I gave my two daughters two gifts each, a digital camera and an I-pod. Both liked their gifts but when I asked if they were disappointed, said they would have rather have lots of little gifts. So this yrear I'll definitely do stockings. I keep two bags hanging in my pantry. I try to buy gifts in twos-one for each,just like when they were little and oh so jealous of each other. Hers is bigger than mine-I'm mad. She got one more gift than me-I'm mad.

Try giving your children something from their past in their stockings. I saved a lot of things from my kids through the years and have lots of Christmas pictures of them in Boy Scouts, School activities, church groups, family group and neighborhood pictures of Christmas activities. I have framed pictures and include something personal to them from their past, e.g., #1 son edited his high school newspaper and I have saved all the papers. One year I gave him his first edition as editor, a picture of him going on a trip as a congressional representative from his district; #2 son had forgotten that he had gotten the John P. Sousa award in high school because it seemed unimportant but coupled with his first picture in his band uniform in junior high and the award it took on importance. #3 wrote a Christmas essay Christmas, 3rd grade and won the newspaper sponsored contest for his age group. They gave him an award, his picture was in the paper as well as the monetary award which was 5 silver dollars. It was not a big thing, but it was important to him that I had saved it to give him at Christmas, the picture, the original essay and the 5 silver dollars.

I am running out of things to give. I had saved their favorite stuffed animals to use as gifts to their wives at their first pregnancy. Now we are down to some GI Joe's and baseball bats from significant games (to them). LOL.

Two years ago #2 son received a baseball jersey he wore in 7th grade. His 9-year-old son loved it and is wearing it out!

Incidentally, I made all their stockings of felt and sequins when they were young and they are getting threadbare now but this year, they get them as gifts and their wives can take care of them from here on out.

Of all the things they get, they seem to love getting the memoabilia more.

My kids still have their stockings their aunt made for them. They don't "open" their stocking until after all the gifts are open and they get so excited - mind you they are 37 and 41 years old. I have put back scratchers, make up and cologne, nail clippers, chap stick, their favorite candy, drill bits, serving spoons, etc. The grandchildren get small toys, things for their back pack, CD's, kids chapstick, sock clips, hair clips, etc. They also have a stocking my sister made them when they were born. I also had my old home movies recorded on a tape/DVD and gave it to them one year. Since the movies had no sound, I narrated what was going on while the movies were being transferred. This was a real favorite.

I haven't been able to give away their pictures or the little booties I saved (my children and their children wore them home from the hospital - caused a problem when my daughter had twins, had one on each twin's foot.) My grown children as well as the young ones love opening a lot of gifts, so I wrap everything individually - or I get a lot of gift bags after Christmas when they are on sale.

Thanks dd50, sunshine_funshine, patricia43 and paintingfool for your great ideas. I've made note of all of them and keeping the list in my purse for reference over the next few weeks.

Patricia and paintingfool I'm a sentimental fool and LOVE your ideas...thank you! I appreciate y'all taking the time to share your ideas with me. :)

I am definitely getting the boxes. Great idea! I usually have the gigantic plastic bag that I keep putting the stocking stuff into. Very disorganized and usually I have enough for 2 stockings for DD. Hopefully not this year!

Tam - I have a 17 too. DD just started driving all on her own. Ugh, how I wish for the days of sippy cups. She is agreat kid and an excellent student, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that this new privilege doesn't change things. I am assuming it gets less worrisome with time?

I also like the idea of giving your child something from their past. I give DD framed pics and things from throughout the year, but I think this year I may dig out the memory box.

Lots of inspiration, thanks!

I love so many of the stocking stuffer ideas.
My DD's, all in their 30's and my GD's love them as well

One of the things our family does, is each person with a stocking, has to spend at least $5.00 for each of the others.

We have received everything from electric toothbrushes, lottery tickets, and my husbands favorite is to give all the adults, car wash gift cards.

Since my family loves getting ornaments every year, I also take a picture from their past, either when they were young or doing something special, and I frame it in an ornament frame. I also gave all of my sisters and brothers (10 altogether) a transparency picture of our mother and father inside a clear ornament ball one year. They loved it so I also had to do their children the next year. You can find some really pretty ornament frames at Hobby Lobby.

Oh paintingfool I love the idea of the transparency picture inside a clear ornament ball! What a great idea for a family tree!

With agertz's idea of separate boxes for the stockings and all of the great stocking stuffer ideas I'm set!

Thanks a bunch!

When we got married, MIL gave me a small sweater and pajama set that my husband wore as an infant, also a baby silverwear set. They are treasures to me.