If you want to hang up a stocking or leave a boot by the tree this year, knowing what to put in a Christmas stocking saves you last-minute shopping. The idea is simple: small, inexpensive, fun little things that don’t compete with the main present. Here are ideas by age, for adults and for pets, and how to fill it so that nothing falls out.
What to put in a Christmas stocking: three simple rules
- Make sure it fits. A stocking holds less than you’d think. Try putting everything in beforehand.
- A fixed budget. For example, €10 per person. With several children in the house, it saves comparisons at breakfast.
- A bit of everything. Something sweet, something to play with or use, and a personal note, even if it’s only two lines.
Ideas for children by age
- Up to 3 years: board book, finger puppet or bath toy. Check the age shown on the packaging and avoid small parts and hard sweets: young children can choke on them. And whole nuts are best avoided before the age of 6.
- From 4 to 7 years: small storybook, modelling clay, stamps, stickers, coloured pencils, hair clips or a toy car.
- From 8 to 12 years: pack of cards, puzzle book, puzzle cube, torch, gel pens or a diary with a lock.
- Teenagers: lip balm, cosy thick socks or a gift card for the cinema or their favourite café. Here it’s less about the contents and more about the thought.
Would you rather it wasn’t all sweet things? A voucher you’ve made yourself costs next to nothing: baking biscuits together, an afternoon’s skating or staying up later one day. It usually lasts longer than the third chocolate bar.
Little treats for adults
Adults love a full stocking too, especially when they’re not expecting it.
- Your partner: good chocolate, warm socks and a handwritten voucher for breakfast in bed.
- Parents and grandparents: homemade jam, a tea blend or a recent family photo in a small frame.
- Work colleagues: hand cream or a few pieces of Christmas shortbread on their desk. If you’re a big group and there’s a draw, take a look at these Secret Santa gift ideas instead.
A stocking for the dog or cat
For a dog, a chew treat the right size for them or a sturdy toy works well; for a cat, a toy mouse or a catnip cushion.
Important: chocolate is toxic to dogs and cats. Keep stockings with chocolate in them out of their reach, including overnight.
For people who live with pets, a practical gift is welcome too. Our self-cleaning, reusable pet hair remover works without batteries, sticky sheets or refills, and stores the hair in its compartment. Leave it next to an adult’s stocking: it isn’t a toy and must be kept out of children’s reach. And if the problem is clothes, here’s how to get cat hair off clothes.
How to fill it so that nothing falls out
- Heavy things first. The book or toy goes at the bottom; the mandarins and, if the children are old enough, the walnuts, in the gaps.
- The best bit on top. A chocolate figure or a sweet peeking out of the top builds excitement before it’s even opened.
- Won’t fit? Put it alongside. Whatever doesn’t go in gets wrapped and left beside the stocking.
- Choose the spot carefully. Away from the radiator, or the chocolate will melt. If you hang it up, check that the hook can take the weight.
No stocking? A clean wellington boot, a cloth bag or a big woollen sock does the same job.
Frequently asked questions
When is a Christmas stocking opened? Usually on the morning of 25 December. If presents come later in your home, as with the Three Kings in Spain, you can save it for 6 January.
How much should you spend? There’s no fixed rule. A few euros will do, as it’s a small extra and not the main present.
What goes in traditionally? The classics are nuts, mandarins, chocolate and a Christmas sweet or two.