Our Top Five Tips For Simple Christmas Stocking Stuffing!

For many, opening stockings on Christmas morning is such an important time of the whole day. It sees a culmination to the whole of advent for the younger members of the family and holds great nostalgia for us adults, too.

Stockings can, though, add to the seemingly endless to-do list in the run-up to Christmas. It needn’t be stressful, however, and with a bit of planning can be magic! The ‘elves’ at Bramwell Brown have complied their top tips…

1. Start planning your stockings early

We all love to hate the organised people capable of having everything bought and wrapped by the start of November and we know that’s far from realistic for everyone. However, starting early needn’t mean actually buying things for your loved ones. Simply start a list in January that you can add to with ideas as they randomly occur to you in the coming months. Forget scraps of paper that you’ll lose (or worse, will be found!), instead keep it on an email to yourself or a Pinterest board then you always have it to hand and can add to it as you go.

2. Give gifts that can be shared

One of the lovely things about Christmas is obviously families coming together, meaning that stocking fillers that can be enjoyed by everyone, all together on the day are great! It can be as simple as a pack of cards, DVD, or a packet of early spring flowering seeds. Our personal favourite for something that can be enjoyed by the whole family is ‘The World’s Smallest Kite’. Suitably small for a stocking but big on entertainment value for Christmas day and then any time during the year, it’s sure to go down a treat.

3. Avoid too much nonsense and bric-a-brac!

While a bit of silliness is always welcome, unless there’s some degree of usefulness in a stocking filler it will inevitably be confined to a drawer or, worse still, landfill. If ‘Santa’ is buying for someone particularly difficult, foodie treats are often a good option. A waxed cheddar cheese, miniature liqueurs and pots of jams or marmalade are often featured amongst our team’s treats. Yum!

4. Gifts that keep giving

Christmas is always over far too quickly so keep the stocking-generated enjoyment running throughout the year. A pair of socks or magazine for Christmas day itself, followed by a monthly subscription, is a perfect solution. Our friends at Look Mate socks are a great option here. They will deliver one pair of jazzy socks a month to your lucky friend or family member. Or, alternatively, think about a year's membership to a cinema or gallery.

5. Keep with tradition

The tradition of an orange in your stocking is supposed to have originated as a representation of gold coins dropped down the chimney by St. Nicholas. Similarly, Victorian stockings would often feature a lump of coal as as sign of good luck. While coal would be unlikely to go down very well these days, developing your own, more popular, traditions can make your shopping considerably easier. Simply make a note of what’s gone down well in years gone by, repeat with something similar the following year, and gradually build on this list until you’ve developed a magic formula!

Whatever Santa brings you this year, have a fantastic festive season!

Take a look at what people have said when they've received their own Bramwell Brown clock!