Christmas Stockings Tips
Read these 21 Christmas Stockings Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Christmas Decoration tips and hundreds of other topics.
Felt Christmas Stockings
Felt Christmas stockings are a great option for people who want something a bit more decorative than red velvet stockings. These stockings are often used for special themes, such as pets or baby's first Christmas.
While velvet stockings do not pill up, a felt stocking that is well used or is not cared for properly may have some pilling. Luckily, you can easily remove any of those unsightly little fuzz balls by using a special defuzzing tool or by carefully cutting them off so that your stocking is ready to be used again the next year. Felt stockings are ideal for an heirloom first stocking that is used for just one Christmas and then carefully tucked away in a hope chest or memory box, since the felt will not become crushed or crumpled as easily as some other fabrics.
With their colorful, soft fabric, felt stockings can have some fun uses. One of the easiest things you can do with a stocking is to stuff it firmly with polyester stuffing and whip stitch the top shut. Now, you have an adorable Christmas throw pillow to use to add some color to a chair or sofa that needs a bit of Christmas cheer.
Hanging Christmas Stockings
Once you have the Christmas stocking sewn or bought, you will need something to hang it up with. After all, those Christmas stockings don't just hang themselves. You will need a Christmas stocking holder to show off the stockings that are hung by your chimney with care.
You can display your Christmas stocking with a weighted base and a hook to hold the stocking from your mantle or other display area. These types of Christmas stocking holders come in all shapes, sizes and prices. Choose from literally hundreds of different styles, from your favorite NFL or college team to a cute reindeer or pine cone, or even a frame that you can place your favorite photo in year after year.
If you would rather not hang your stocking from a hook, consider a stocking holder stand. These stands are especially useful if you have no fireplace mantle or stair rail to hang your stocking. Christmas stocking stands do exactly what they sound like they should; they are a standing display for your Christmas stockings. Most stands hold up to six Christmas stockings, and add a decorative look to your decor. A Christmas stocking stand is an innovative way to display your stockings.
If space is a real issue for you, consider a stocking holder that hangs over a door. This type of stocking holder holds around four stockings and is a festive way to hang stockings, especially when space is tight.
Where to Hang Your Stocking
Not everyone has a fireplace mantle to hang his or her beautiful heirloom stockings on. It doesn't matter if you have a needlepoint Christmas stocking, a felt Christmas stocking or knitted Christmas stocking, if you don't have a mantle to hang your stocking on, you may be in a bit of a quandary about what to do with that darn stocking.
Relax! You don't have to hang your Christmas stocking on a mantle, especially if you don't have one! People these days are finding all sorts of unique ways to display those great stockings for Christmas.
If you have kitchen or dining room chairs, why not hang your Christmas stockings on the back of the chairs? Not only does it look super cute, it also dresses up your dining room or kitchen. If that doesn't trip your trigger, do you have a banister or a stair rail? If so, you can always hang your Christmas stockings from these two places. If you have an entertainment center where your television sits, you could easily hang your stocking from the top of the entertainment center and decorate that piece of furniture up!
People are also known to hang Christmas stockings on Christmas trees, doorknobs and even bookshelves. The point is, you don't have to have a mantle in order to display a Christmas stocking and you don't have to hang your stocking from a fireplace mantle if you have one. There are many creative and fun ways to display those Christmas stockings!
Christmas Stocking Patterns
If are able to sew, or even if you can't sew and want to give it the old college try, you can purchase a Christmas stocking pattern and sew your own stocking.
Using a Christmas stocking pattern gives you the guidance to create your own stocking but the more tedious work is not done for you, work such as measuring and cutting out fabric. In addition, a Christmas stocking pattern allows you to choose your own fabric design as well. A pattern costs little money and many times you can sew your own stocking for much cheaper than you can purchase one at a store.
Christmas stocking patterns are available in all sorts of styles, including personalized Christmas stockings, Victorian Christmas style patterns, and traditional patterns, all the way to whimsical and wild. What's so fantastic about using a pattern to create your own Christmas stocking is that you get to use your own ideas and vision to sew what will surely become a much-loved Christmas display year after year.
Of course if you prefer a ready made stocking, there are many choices available in stores and online at Bronners.com, and they can be personalized for you.
Once you have purchased or made your own stocking, don't forget to get a stocking holder to display your new decoration. Stocking holders come in a variety of great themes, including nativity scenes.
Christmas Stocking Kids Can Make
Has your child ever expressed interest in making his or her own stocking just for fun or something to do? Well, this next holiday season, why not let them get a bit messy and make their Christmas stocking.
First, a parent must be present because it will require some assistance, especially if you have young children. You will want paper grocery sacks and you will want to draw matching stocking shapes on two different parts of the paper sack. Your child can then cut out the shape or you can help, depending on the ability level of the child. Once the stocking shapes are cut out, you can take a large needle and some red yarn and you and your child can put the two stocking shapes together by sewing them with the red yarn. Your child can then decorate the stocking anyway he or she wants and by adding a ring of brown paper that is glued to the top of the stocking, you can hang the stocking right next to the others on the mantle.
This entire Christmas stocking craft is cheap and fun!
Christmas Stocking Decorating
Christmas stockings are an integral part of the Christmas tradition for many families. Many people choose to purchase a plain Christmas stocking in order to add their own embellishments, thus creating their own personalized stocking, and a beautiful Christmas heirloom as well.
Start by determining who will be creating the embellished stocking and who they will be personalizing the stocking for. If your child is creating the stocking and it is for a dad, brother or uncle who loves sports, then choosing simple appliques that have a cute sports theme works perfectly. Add some glitter, sequins or puff paint to the mix and your child will have a field day creating a beautiful personalized stocking for someone special. These gifts are also great for secret Santa gifts, gifts for teachers, coaches or babysitters.
In order to keep things simple, check out the huge array of great Christmas stockings at Bronners.com. With a rainbow assortment of colors, styles, sizes and shapes, the world is your oyster for choosing stockings to personalize.
What is a Christmas Stocking Kit?
Many people are interested in making their own Christmas stocking but aren't sure how because they have no sewing ability or can't knit. So, people just go out and buy one that is premade.
If you want to make your own Christmas stocking, but just don't see it happening because it appears too difficult, think again. You can purchase a Christmas stocking kit, which will give you step-by-step instructions and in many cases, you simply cut out the stocking that is prestamped on the material. In most cases, these prestamped Christmas stocking kits have stockings made with felt, but if you want easy, then a felt kit may be for you. You simply purchase the kit, cut out the stocking from the material and follow the directions for putting it together, either with stitching or glue. Many of these types of kits come with glitter, sequence and beads in which you can decorate your stocking once you have it together. If you are really lucky, you may even be able to find a kit in which the stocking is already cut out for you, you just decorate and put together! It doesn't get much easier than that!
There are other types of Christmas stocking kit, usually ones that involve a pattern that must be followed and involves some sort of ability to do stitch work. Counted cross-stitch, stamped cross-stitch, crewel and needlepoint are the most common types of Christmas stocking kit that involve stitching. These are a bit more complex and if you have no ability with a needle and thread, you may want to stick to the felt stocking kit.
Depending on the type of Christmas stocking kit you purchase, they generally run around $20. It is important to keep in mind when you are hoping to make a Christmas stocking either for yourself or someone you know, that you choose a kit that fits the personality of the person you are making it for. Kits come in all different Christmas scenes, so do some research before making your choice.
History of the Christmas Stocking
Have you ever wondered as you were hanging your stocking on the mantle, where did the concept of the Christmas stocking originate?
Legend has it, that years and years ago, a man who was in deep despair over the death of his wife spent their fortune and left his family without a penny to spare. Because of this, his three daughters would not have a dowry to take into a marriage, meaning they would not get married and would be labeled spinsters.
Evidently, a man known as St. Nicholas got wind of the widower's predicament and one night he rode by the widower's home and threw three bags of gold down the widower's chimney. Little did St. Nicholas know that the widower's three daughters had hung stockings on the fireplace to dry after washing and the three bags of gold dropped into the stockings that the daughters had hung.
This is how the legend of the Christmas stocking supposedly began and why people continue to hang stockings each Christmas in hopes Santa Claus will fill them with special treats, just like what happened to the widower many years ago.
Patterns for Christmas Stockings
If you are up for the challenge, you may want to consider following a pattern and making your own Christmas stocking. As previously mentioned, Christmas stocking kits often come with patterns, material and supplies needed to stitch a Christmas stocking.
If you don't want to purchase a kit but would rather purchase or use a separate pattern because you want to pick your own colors and supplies, then you may want to find a pattern for Christmas stockings that don't come as part of a kit. You can find Christmas stocking patterns at sewing stores or online. You can find patterns for cross-stitching or needle pointing your Christmas stocking or patterns for knitting your Christmas stocking.
The real bonus of purchasing a pattern for a Christmas stocking is that you can individualize your Christmas stocking to your liking. If it is needle point you want to use, you can pick your own thread colors if you don't like the recommendations given to you, the same goes for cross stitching and knitting your own Christmas stocking.
Patterns for Christmas stockings can often be found for free on the Internet or purchased for very low prices at sewing stores or online. Just make sure you have some knowledge of cutting and following patterns, because there is a lot of measuring and following directions that go into using a pattern.
Filling Christmas Stockings
If you've been filling Christmas stockings for any length of time, you probably already know that all those little goodies you stuff into each one really can add up to a very costly set of knick-knacks. However, with some careful shopping, you can cut down on some of the expense of filling a stocking without skimping on the goodies. To fill your loved ones' stockings without emptying the piggy bank, you should:
- Consider shopping year round for small items, such as fake tattoos, silly putty, hand-held games and action figures. Often, the only difference between little toys you buy after the Easter holiday for 75 to 90 percent off and toys you buy for full price two weeks before Christmas is the packaging. If you are going to open the packaging anyway to divvy up the toys, no one will know that you got the toys on sale but you.
- Think about using some healthy alternatives to expensive traditional candy snacks, like apples, boxes of raisins, bananas, oranges or pomegranates.
- Look for low cost, fun items like coloring books, stuffed toys, hats and mittens and craft kits that are small enough to fit in the stockings.
Heirloom Christmas Stockings
You want your child's Christmas stocking to be used year after year. You want it to bring back memories of wonderful holidays of the past when you hand it, filled to the brim, to a 30-year-old adult, who insists for all of 20 seconds that he or she is too old for a stocking before giving in to the temptation to turn it upside down in search of the silly putty that is always stuffed into the toe. When you plan on having a stocking that is this important, you'll want to shop for top quality heirloom Christmas stockings.
Velvet is usually the fabric of choice when you are going to be using a stocking over and over again. Velvet holds up well and doesn't crease or wrinkle easily. A good quality velvet stocking will rarely pill up, which means it will look great after decades of use.
Of course, a plain red velvet stocking, while it can hold many memories, is maybe not quite special enough to be that heirloom stocking. Why not look for special details, like personalization or decorative touches such as tassels? You can also find patterned velvet stockings, such as a stocking embossed with snowflakes.
Christmas Stockings for Pets
In today's world, more and more people consider their dogs and cats to be more than just pets. These beloved companions are treated as members of the family. And why not? Their unfailing love and ability to listen to our stories without passing judgment are qualities that few human friends and family members offer. With all that pets give their owners each year, it is no surprise that they are being included in Christmas festivities. Christmas stockings for pets are a great option for entertaining your four legged friends while the kids are ripping open their own stockings.
You can find stockings designed just for pets, such as a charming personalized velvet stocking with a dog on it, or you can choose a traditional red stocking that is personalized with your pet's name. No matter which stocking you choose, you should make sure you make the experience safe for your pets.
- Avoid items that are toxic for pets, such as chocolate, onions, apples or raisins. A few tasty dog bones or cat treats are sure to be appreciated by your pet and won't turn a happy celebration into a heart breaking trip to the emergency room.
- Unwrap any toys that are prepackaged in plastic before putting them in the stocking so your pet doesn't tear into the plastic and accidentally swallow some of it before you can grab the toy and unwrap it.
Remember the Reason for Christmas With Mini Jesus Christmas Stockings
If you are getting frustrated with how much your children are buying into the commercialization of Christmas, you may want to consider adding another stocking to the ones you already have on the mantle. Mini Jesus Christmas stockings are a constant reminder of why we have the Christmas holiday. When your children check to see how full their Christmas stockings are each day, they will see the mini Jesus stocking, too.
Reminding your children of the reason for the Christmas season is a wonderful idea. However, why not take things a step further and use the stocking to do some good this year? To help your children experience the joy of giving, you may want to:
- Encourage them to do chores around the house. For every chore they do, give them their standard allowance, but add some extra money to put in the stocking. At the end of the month, take the kids and the money from the stocking to a grocery store to buy staple items for the local food pantry or for a needy family you know of. Help them pick out nutritious choices and then take them to make their food delivery.
- Fill the stocking with slips of paper with good deed suggestions on them. Each day, have your children pull a slip from the stocking and do something kind for someone else.
Be Creative With Christmas Stocking Holders
When you were a child, Christmas stocking holders were probably no more than nails or cup hooks fastened to the fireplace mantle. Today's stocking holders are extremely decorative and can do a lot more than hold stockings for a few weeks. Try some of these ideas for decorating your home with Christmas stocking holders:
- Mantle clips are the perfect way to hold stockings securely without damaging your beautiful mantle. However, these stylish and functional clips also are great for holding other things. If you don't have wall space for a hook for your hot pads or kitchen towels, a mantle clip can conveniently hold these items on the nearby butcher block or kitchen island. If your child needs a coat hook at her or his level, a clip on one of the shelves on your bookcase creates a temporary hook that can be moved up a shelf when he or she has a growth spurt.
- A stocking hanger can be used to hold ornaments, small wreaths and other great Christmas decorations. Place the hanger on a window sill, a book shelf, or a cabinet shelf to display your decorations without having to put holes in your home or furniture.
Hang Christmas Stockings on an Artificial Fireplace
Your children have spent weeks fretting over your home's lack of a fireplace and your reassurances that you don't need one are falling on deaf ears. The story of Santa Claus reduces them to tears, because they are sure that there is no way that he will be delivering gifts without a fireplace. As Christmas approaches, their distress gets worse. You need to do something to console your children, but you aren't going to be able to afford a major house remodel right before the holidays. What you need is an artificial fireplace.
Artificial fireplaces look extremely realistic and are perfect for families that don't have a mantle to hang their stockings from, since they come with stocking hooks. With one of these fireplaces, you can reassure your children that not only will Santa be visiting your household with some gifts; he will also be stuffing their stockings with goodies on the way out.
For people with a small home, the great thing about an artificial corrugated fireplace is that it can be disassembled and stored away when the holiday season is over. Next year, you can pull it out and reassemble it for some instant Christmas cheer.
Differences in Christmas Stockings
You need to buy Christmas stockings for the entire family. You thought the task would be a snap until you discovered that there were so many different types of stockings. Now, you aren't quite sure which type of stocking will work best for your loved ones. To choose stockings, you should:
- Think about the number of times you'll want to use them. If your kids and their families tend to take their stockings home each Christmas and never bring them back, you may not want to shop for the biggest, most elaborate options. If you'll be using the same stockings for the next twenty years, your decision should be all about the durability of the fabric.
- Consider time constraints. If you are going to have to personalize stockings yourself, you will need quite a bit of extra time. People who are short on time will probably want to shop for Christmas stockings that are already personalized.
- Remember to think about stocking sizes. An infant may do best with a very small first Christmas stocking that will be filled up quite quickly with just a few treats, like booties and a holiday bib. Pre-teen children will probably need larger stockings, as a coloring book, crayons and treats are just a few of the things you'll want to fit inside.
Applique Christmas Stocking
One other type of Christmas stocking that hasn't been mentioned is a very popular type, appliqued Christmas stockings. An appliqued Christmas stocking is one that has a design or a cut out that is applied to another material, which is in the shape of a stocking. This design or cut out can be glued or sewn onto the material that is the stocking.
When you are looking at applique Christmas stockings, you may find a felt stocking that has an embroidered snowman sewed onto it, or you may find a stocking made from micro suede and an embroidered Santa Claus on it made from cotton. You can even find stockings in velour with a velveteen applique.
Applique's on stockings are very popular choices and are found in homes throughout the country hanging on mantles during Christmas time. You can find these popular Christmas stockings at retail stores and on Internet websites that sell Christmas items. Because these stockings can be personalized they may cost you over $20.
Personalized Christmas Stocking
Nothing says Christmas like the hanging of the Christmas stockings and of course, to keep track of whose stocking is whose, you must make sure to have personalized Christmas stockings. If you have your name on a Christmas stocking no one will have any doubt whose stocking is it, including Santa Claus when he comes to fill it! Most often you will find the name of the person embroidered or stitched onto the stocking, but you may find them painted on as well.
Personalized Christmas stockings are a great idea to purchase when a child is born, a couple gets married or a new addition is added to a family in some way, shape or form. And don't forget a stocking for your favorite pet! When shopping for personalized Christmas stockings, whether it be online or in a store, you will surely come across stockings made of felt, stockings that are knit, stockings that are cotton or stockings that are embroidered. You will find choices of Santa Claus on a stocking, a snowman, a reindeer, elves, Nativity, or even just a plain red stocking that can be personalized.
Personalizing a Christmas stocking is quite easy. If you are ordering online, follow the directions for the website you are on. Most likely you will be asked to type in the first name of the person you want the stocking personalized for and that is that. If purchasing at a store, you will need to write down the name so the person who is personalizing your stocking spells the name correctly.
Personalized Christmas stockings will range in price, but average about $20 or less for the stocking. Certain stores will charge an additional fee to put the name of the person on the stocking for you, but in the end it is worth it.
And of course, don't forget a stocking holder and stocking stuffers!
Make Christmas Special With Personalized Christmas Stockings
Personalized Christmas stockings are very popular, and for good reason. They make it easier for people with a large quantity of stockings to stuff to keep track of which stocking goes to which recipient, which makes the process of filling them go much faster. Personalized stockings also can be handed out to the right people very quickly at a large party.
For people who adopt needy families, ordering a set of personalized stockings for this year's family is a wonderful touch. Those stockings show that you didn't just run out and buy some items that happened to be on sale at the last minute. You actually thought about your needy family far enough ahead of time to order personalized stockings and then fill each stocking with special items for each member of the family. The stockings are also a smart way to be sure each person gets the items you selected for him or her.
If you are throwing a kids' party during the holidays, why not substitute personalized stockings for swag bags? If you are concerned that filling up the stockings is going to be much too expensive, stuff them almost completely with crumpled paper and stick a standard treat bag of treats in the remaining space.
Use Christmas Stockings as a Holiday Decorating Theme
Christmas stockings are such a big part of decorating for Christmas. As you are hanging the stockings on the mantle, you have a great idea. Why not make stockings the theme for your entire Christmas decorating scheme this year?
You can start with your tree. Have fun with a white artificial tree or go with a traditional green tree. Either color will look great with the red and white colors of your stocking decorations. Strings of stocking-shaped lights are a good foundation for your tree's decorating scheme. Next, add white and red balls. Finally, you have to deal with the big challenge of deciding which of the many wonderful ornaments that have a stocking on them are going to go on
the tree. You can find stocking ornaments with pets on them, balls with stocking images on them and stockings stuffed with golf clubs.
To add festive touches around the home, look for figurines with a stocking theme. You can use a figurine holding a stocking to quickly dress up a side table, a buffet, or a book shelf. An entire group of figurines can make a big statement if you set one on each stair tread, close to the wall.
Finally, don't forget to hang velvet or felt stockings on the mantle, on doorknobs and on empty wreath hooks.
Christmas Stockings for Your Pet
Do you have a pet cat or dog? Do you want to include your beloved pet with a Christmas stocking just for them? Of course, you could purchase a regular Christmas stocking and have it personalized just for your pet with his or her name on it. Or, you could actually purchase a Christmas stocking just for your pet.
If you have a pet dog, try doing an Internet search for "Christmas Stocking for Dog" and many sites will appear. You will find cute stockings with dogs on the outside. You can even personalize it with your dog's name. You will see similar stocking choices for a cat. If you have a specific breed of dog, such as a poodle, you can actually get a stocking with a poodle needlpoint on it and your dog's name stitched at the top.
Personalized Christmas stockings for pets cost about the same as other personalized stockings, from $13 to more than $20 for one stocking, but it is such a neat way to include your pet in your Christmas celebration. You may also be able to find Christmas stockings for your pet at large nationwide pet stores!
| Guru Spotlight |
| Susan Sayour |
