Stuffing the Christmas Stocking

I love to hang Christmas Stockings on the fireplace and have done so for years! ,They do look incredibly Christmasy, but it's the filling part that is kind of hard! My kids are all grown up now and filling the stockings with crayons, coloring books and markets, just won't work any more. So, in January of last year, I  came up with a new idea. I would keep a small notebook in my handbag and the minute I thought of something that would make someone in my family happy, I would jot it down!

• My daughter once cut an entire year's worth of cartoons from the Saturday paper and made her dad a little booklet. Actually, it was a very BIG booklet, but you could use the same idea. I think that it was his favorite Christmas present that year!
• Cookies... if you have flour, sugar and butter in the house, you have the ingredients to whip up some cookies!
• If someone in your household loves footrubs, give them a handmade gift certificate promising the follow through the next time they ask.
• Offer free baby sitting services when needed.
• Invitation to dinner once a month. I would love the kids to do something like this!!

• hand lotion
• emery boards
• shampoo (her favorite)
• chocolate
• lip balm
• miniature beauty products
• gum (Orbit contains something to strengthen your teeth)
• pencil lead for clickable pencils
• chop sticks... hey she likes them.  
• bookmarks (she loves them too)
• fancy sticky notes

•  special coffees (miniature packs)
• sports magazines
• lip balm
• gift certificates
• tooth brush (they never buy their own)
• scarf
• gloves
• chocolate 
• dental floss
• shampoo (doesn't work for my son... he's a hairstylist)
• picture frame... he has a new daughter soon to be born!
• ious... he used to make them for me when he was little. I wonder if he knows that I still have them lol!

• cleaning cloths for his glasses. He's always losing his!
• calendar... we usually look for the funniest one we can find.
• hand sanitizers (small enough to fit into his pocket)
• whisky stones (no diluting really good scotch)
• gift certificate to a vintage wine shop
• anything from Dr. Who
• travel alarm clock (he hates relying on someone else to wake him up)
• fingerless gloves

• candles
•  air fresheners for closet
•  candle melts
• nothing with peppermint (she's allergic) Keep allergies in mind while shopping)
• fancy teas
• she loves picture frames
• fancy tea towels
• spoons dipped in chocolate (for hot chocolate)
• Wonder Cloths (they take off makeup and rinse clean)

I have found two different stories about the origins of the Christmas. Which one is the most accurate, who knows. :)  I like them both.

Story #1

It seems that Christmas stockings can be traced back to 3 sisters who were extremely poor and had little money for dowries.  St Nicholas apparently heard of the plight of these unfortunate girls and tossed coins into the stocking that were hanging on the fireplace drying. In the morning, the girls awakened to find enough money in their stockings to ensure full and happy lives for each. 

Story #2

Another story goes in a slightly different direction. Santa apparently dropped some coins from his pocket as he was climbing down the chimney one Christmas Eve.  If they hadn't landed in stocking hanging to dry, they would have dropped through a grate in the floor. The next morning, the children found the coins in their stockings. The word spread around the village and from that time on, children around the world began hanging stockings in hopes that Santa would leave small treasures to be found on Christmas morning.