Stocking Stuffers: 3 Copies “The Reluctant Entertainer” Giveaway!
Traditions can be started any time, and any place, with any person.
Thirteen years ago, the night before Christmas Eve, a knock came at my door. There stood our friend, Paula, with a beautifully wrapped silver Nordstrom box. Inside was a hand-knit Christmas stocking for our new baby girl, Abigail Ellen Rose.
“Here’s the sock! I worked all night to get it finished so you’d have it for Abigail’s first Christmas,” Paula told us, as she handed us the box.
My two other kids already had their own knit “sock,” as Paula called them. Paula felt the pressure to get Abby’s finished for her first Christmas. (By the way, these socks are about 2 1/2 feet long!)
What we didn’t know was, only a few short months later, Paula would be gone from our lives, as she died suddenly after a heart procedure.
Walt and Paula were dear friends of mine for many years. I had met Walter when he started on dialysis at my longtime workplace, and our friendship grew outside of a professional relationship. In fact, he and Paula were “designated grandparents” in my wedding almost 20 years ago, as my husband and I didn’t have any living grandparents.
My story today is about the tradition of our family’s Christmas Stockings.
It started with Elliot.
And then Garrett came along.
And then our little girl, Abby.
Their names are on the front side of the socks.
And the year they were born on the back.
Over the years, I’ve filled these large socks with toys, socks, underwear and toiletry items, cologne, lip gloss, video games, gift cards and music. Now my kids are teens, and we’re feeling the crunch of the economy just like everyone else. A sock this size can cost a lot to fill!
I want to be more creative this year, so this is where I need your help!
How should I fill up these stockings?
What to WIN:
3 winners will each win ONE copy of The Reluctant Entertainer.Answer at least ONE of these questions to WIN:
What items do you fill Christmas stockings with?
Do you ever feel wasteful?
Do you fill the socks with useful items or “fun” items?
Do you have any happy memories of Christmas stockings from when you were young?Tweet, Facebook, or sign up for NEW RSS Feed:
Do one of the above for an extra entry or two, and come back and tell me.WINNER ANNOUNCED:
The 3 winners will be announced on Wednesday, December 22nd.
Thank you friends for the great “stocking stuffing” advice! I can’t wait to read all of your comments. And there’s still time to order from Amazon, your own copy of The RE. (However, it is too late to get a “signed” copy from me, in time for Christmas.)
What precious stockings those are! I’m sure they are treasured.
If I were in your shoes, and considering that your kids are older, I’d get just a few TRULY needed/wanted items and put them in the stockings with lots of styrofoam peanuts. Maybe even wrap the individual items as well, to add to the “treasure hunting” fun on Christmas morning.
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Our stockings often have some candy or yummy food we don’t typically get to have. I usually put a book and/or DVD in the kiddo’s stocking, maybe a magazine or something in adult’s.
I always start with an orange in the toe. mostly the stockings have little useful things and a fun item or two thrown in. useful things like gum, chapstick, guitar picks, hair accessories, scissors, nail clippers, pens and pencils. fun things like shaving cream (for bath time when they were little), silly string, hacky sack, scrapbook glue, stickers. I find it harder to do stockings now that some of my kids are away at college. the things I used to put in stockings they now get in care packages.
I always start with an orange in the toe. mostly the stockings have little useful things and a fun item or two thrown in. useful things like gum, chapstick, guitar picks, hair accessories, scissors, nail clippers, pens and pencils. fun things like shaving cream (for bathtime when they were little), silly string, hacky sack, scrapbook glue, stickers. I find it harder to do stockings now that some of my kids are away at college. the things I used to put in stockings they now get in care packages.
When I was little, it was fun to open all our gifts, and then find that there were more in our stockings.
My Christmas stocking usually contained coloring books and crayons, watercolors, and Play Dough. Today, the smell of Play Dough takes me back to those times. Now I buy those things for my little nephews whenever I visit them.
My parents never had much money and have 5 girls – and yet our stockings always seemed to be bursting with fun things. There would always be: a “Christmas” orange (ie. Cutie type), a little can of juice, a little box of cereal…in addition there might be some clear nail polish, underwear or socks, stationary, gum etc. The stocking was always my favorite part.
One year I found out my grandma was spending Christmas Eve alone – she just lived down the street from us. I decided to forgo my little Christmas morn at home and spend the night with her. I quickly made up some little stocking with stocking stuffers for her and went over to her place.
I continue the tradition with stockings for my 2 children…there will always be a “Christmas” orange like I had – but instead of a juice I usually put in a can of soda and I usually include the mini cereal box. I like to put in consumable items such as special candy or chocolate that they like…a Christmas ornament that I write their initials on and the year – so that when they move out they will have a little set of their own ornaments they can bring with them.
Like many of the others, I fill my kids stocking with sugar-free gum and some little chocolate goodies. They also get a new pair of boxers each year and a new pkg of socks (it’s tradition)!
We have five sons and the tradition they love most is hockey cards in their stockings. They open their packages and make trades and take their time. And marshmallow santas are a must. Beyond that, we do things like guitar picks and chapstick and socks and small tools etc… And of course the big candy cane. Oh and comics for Marcus. he always has to have new comics rolled up in their. Such fun!
Anything tiny! :) lip gloss, novelty candies, tiny dolls, trucks, paper dolls, pens and pads of paper, JEWELRY(my favorite when growing up–my mom always included some new precious sparkly in my stocking!–i was SPOILED!). fun socks, hair thingies, chocolate, little coffee bags, mini train sets, dollhouse furniture, mini nativity scene. . . hobby items. i pick up lots of little things throughout the year, so it doesn’t all hit me hard financially at Christmas!
Great giveaway Sandy!
We fill the kids stockings with practical items that they need, especially now that they are on their own. But some other fun stuff too. And they always make sure I wrap all the stocking items too.
They love the stocking gifts!
Since there are no kids here we no longer hang stockings but if I did I’d hope to find a copy of your book in mine.
Back in the day when we hung stocking for the girls an orange always went in the toe. That was a tradition from my childhood. Other things that have been mentioned went in… socks, lip gloss, etc. Handmade gift certificates are something you might consider. Like “One lunch out with Dad all by yourself”, that was a huge treat for me as a child. Or a family trip to the snow. Things you might want to do anyhow and the gift certificate is then basically free.
Darla
first of all what an awesome give away!
to answer your question/s: I still do stockings and my children are all grown and out of our home, I asked them a few years ago if I should still keep the stocking tradition going and it was a HANDS down favorite…they would rather have the stockings than anything else! So I do a lot of gift cards, for the guys I do beef jerkey, and nuts. This year I am even making my homemade chex mix and putting them in some rubbermaid containers. I do small perfumes, chapstick…I go to the ‘travel section’ at Target and get small things like: deodorent, shampoo, toothpaste…
I have two favorite stocking memories. The first is when we were growing up and we could get up as early as we wanted to open the stockings and then we had to wait until my folks were up, to open the rest of of it. My brother went to bed with a flashlight and woke us up at 4am and we snuck down to open our stockings!
The other stockign memory is of my middle daughter…I told the kids the same thing: you can get up as early as you want to open stockings but you need to wait until Mom/Dad are up and have made coffee etc. to open gifts. I woke up at 2am to rustling, my middle daughter was getting into her stocking! Her and I sat on the floor in front of the furnace vent while she opened her gifts, then I talked her into taking a ‘nap’ with me!!! LOL
Blessings this Christmas,
melody
melody-mae.blogspot.com
I usually go with practical items; new work socks and workouts socks, body wash, lip balm, tire guage, etc., but I like to throw a few fun things in there too, like an iTunes gift card (used to do a CD back in the day) a DVD or a video game.
The big sock is always a challenge! I found growing up (and have started it with my own kids) that fun and funky socks were always fun (and they don’t have to cost a ton while they do take up space!). My daughter will get a book in hers (she is my book worm) and some mad libs books. My little guy will get small lego sets ($5 at Lego) that are holiday-ish. And they always get money – gold coin chocolate money ;) These are just a few ideas. I tend to overbuy for the stocking and then whatever doesn’t fit, I hang onto for little surprise gifts throughout the winter months – when we could all use a pick me up. ;)
I fill up my boys’ stockings with practical things. Each of them get a new toothbrush, a few packs of sugarless gum, gloves, hat , hand-warmers, chapstick, and socks. Nothing extravagant!
Lanzaelizabeth77 at gmail dot com
Small grooming items – mini bottles of hand sanitizer, emery boards, hand creme, lip balm; school supplies – cute sticky notes, pens, pencils, erasers, note pads. We don’t do stockings (just my husband & I), but I always buy our grandkids an ornament. I may start the stocking tradition with them and my stepsons and their wives. I think they would love it!
We have stockings like this although without our names on them, we get all sorts of useful things in them – packets of tissues, shampoo, lip balm, an orange, hair ties, a hairbrush etc. They are usually things which aren’t very expensive and often things which are on offer – 2 for 3 or BOGOF etc. They’re sometimes full and somtimes only half full, it doesn’t really matter it’s more the fun of waking up to a stocking at the end of our beds – my parents still sneak in and leave it there during the night!
Stocking stuffers—useful things perhaps? Like colored gel pens, flavored lip gloss/chapstick, sock slippers.
I love your book, I got it from my library, then I bought 2 of them, one for myself and one for my daughter-in-law. I am going to purchase 2 more, for my daughters. I am thinking your book would be a wonderful bridal shower gift, ideas and encouragement for young wives.
I would love to win a copy of your book. Thank you and God bless.
My boys (4 of them) are still little….so, in addition to putting a few fun things in their stockings this year (mini boxes of favorite sugar cereal!), I decided to write each of them a “love note from mommy”, telling them about our year and reminding them of how special they are to me! They love when I write them notes- even though they can’t read yet!
For our three grown girls I usually carry on the tradition of placing a “filler” fruit in the bottom and then with girly things, like new mascara, favorite polish and some good ‘ole chocolate. I try to place a $ limit because it can get away from you pretty quickly.
Most of my stocking stuffers come from the dollar store. Although yesterday while at the grocery store my daughter was eyeing these beautiful red apples….much more expensive sold individually than the big bag of apples I buy from a farm…..but I think I’ll get one for her sock this year.
I have a stocking that is similar made by a lady who is no longer living either…..I treasure it! Stockings weren’t huge in our family but my husband’s family does them Christmas Morning and we’ve started the tradition with our kids. We do a balance of fun and practical and then always include one orange because that’s what my grandma always used to do!
I haven’t even thought about what to fill in the stockings this year. I usually include toothpaste and a toothbrush; as well as small items. My boys are too young for candy; so maybe a fun pair of socks or slippers. I was also considering taking the smaller items out of packages we’ve received from far away family.
My daughters are now grown,,,but they still and always will get Lifesavers Story Book candies. One daughter recently married, and at Christmas, I overheard her tell her husband that it’s okay he will get the lifesavers every year…just pretend you love it. :) This year I have told them to just let me pack them away with the Christmas decorations and I will “regift” them in their stockings next year since they don’t eat them.
I can’t wait to hear what others have to say. I am at a loss.
Usually I just fill with fun stuff. But my kids, like myself, are growing tired of dollar store trinkets.
My daughter asked for gum, SPICY gum (cinnamon). Past that, I don’t know what either of them will get.