A Christmas morning question

[klpca]

Our family has had a Christmas morning tradition for ever - Mass, followed by opening gifts while our Christmas breakfast casseroles are baking. My "kids" especially love their stocking gifts. Then we eat breakfast and the rest of the day happens. We started this when the kids were little since we were usually heading to someone else's house for the rest of the day. Even though the kids are grown up now, they still love this tradition, and even though we may not have their company on Christmas day, we almost always have everyone here for Christmas breakfast. Everyone is happy about this.

This year is a new wrinkle. My married daughter has both her mother in law and sister in law staying with her for the holidays and of course wants to bring them over for Christmas breakfast. So I am wondering about the gift opening/stocking gift part of the morning. I was planning on getting something for both the MIL/SIL but do you think that I should buy a couple of stockings so that they can be in on that as well? FYI stocking gifts are usually stuff like candy, chapstick, movie tickets etc. I have no idea why the kids get such a kick out of them, but they do. It's a big deal and everyone makes a fuss about their stocking gifts. I am trying to figure out if it is more awkward for my guests to *have* a stocking with gifts or watch everyone else getting their stocking gifts. I am leaning toward getting them stocking/gifts but wonder if it will make them feel uncomfortable? It's our weird thing. They will not be expecting this.

 

[MULTIZ321]

My vote is get them stocking gifts.


Richard

 

[dayooper]

I would. If you don't know them very well, it might be a great way to make a connection. If you do, how would they feel if they were left out? Hopefully, your daughter and SiL can prep them before they come over and talk about the traditions that you had growing up.

 

[DaveNV]

Get them stockings, but keep gifts generic.

I remember being invited to the home of my ex-wife’s sister one year, and watching while her kids opened gifts with my daughter, who was visiting her cousins and Aunt for the holidays. I was given a small gift to open, that had a small book of jokes in it. The gift meant little, but being included in their Christmas was nice.

Dave

 

[b2bailey]

I would definitely feel like an intruder if I wasn't included in the stocking gifts.

 

[Patri]

Don't put their names on the stockings, in case next year it is someone else. I'm sure they would appreciate being included, and not care that anything inside was inexpensive.

 

[magmue]

Perhaps your daughter and/or son-in-law could pick up a few more personal items for each of them and bring those with surreptitiously to help fill their stockings?

 

[clifffaith]

Stocking stuffers are so much easier to buy than real gifts. Just head down the candy/snacks aisle at CVS -- Walker's shortbread singles, Lindor chocolate singles, bags of Cheeze-its or Goldfish, sunflower seeds. That's what you'll find in our stockings. And since Mom is pretty much house bound, I'm the only one filling the stockings so I fill mine with the same. Oh -- you don't need an actual stocking for the extra guests, small gift bags set on the hearth under the stockings work just fine. I even bought a set of a dozen "papery" Christmas bags from the Dollar store that are more low key than shiny gift bags with handles (great for cookie giving too).

 

[WinniWoman]

I say yes- get them stockings and some gifts- lottery tickets, whatever.

 

[klpca]

Good - thanks for the confirmation everyone! Sometimes I over worry. My inclination was to just go buy more stockings but I was worried that they may think that it was too much. As far as I'm concerned, more fun this way. The stockings are in the small family room so we are always squished on the sofa in there but somehow it's the most fun.

Truth be told, I rue the day that I started this, lol. It's extra shopping errands for me, but luckily we don't wrap those gifts. Btw, I love the lottery ticket idea Mary Ann! For some reason I have never thought of those. They will be perfect!

 

[silentg]

Good - thanks for the confirmation everyone! Sometimes I over worry. My inclination was to just go buy more stockings but I was worried that they may think that it was too much. As far as I'm concerned, more fun this way. The stockings are in the small family room so we are always squished on the sofa in there but somehow it's the most fun.

Truth be told, I rue the day that I started this, lol. It's extra shopping errands for me, but luckily we don't wrap those gifts. Btw, I love the lottery ticket idea Mary Ann! For some reason I have never thought of those. They will be perfect!

We do this every year too. When my parents would come for Christmas we had a stocking for each of them. We had one for the cat, and also have one for the Grand dog.
This is a favorite of DH he goes shopping for stocking stuffers as part of the tradition. We also put lottery scratch tickets in sometimes too. We try to keep the family traditions especially this one.
Silentg

 

[pedro47]

Yes! Please include them with stockings and some small generic gifts.
Welcome them into your family bond

 

[Quiet Pine]

I say yes- get them stockings and some gifts- lottery tickets, whatever.

My hand is raised for this too. When I was a child, Christmas Eve was with Granny & Grandpa, and we opened the gifts under the tree. During the night, Santa came by and filled the stockings. On Christmas morning, I was allowed to go downstairs when I woke and open my stocking back in bed. Gifts were basic (new toothbrush), but I loved it. (How did Santa know I needed a new toothbrush?) When I was 21, I formally converted to Judaism. When I married a Jewish husband and we had children, we did Hanukkah candles, a little Christmas tree, and stockings for Christmas morning. Lots of gifts! As long as no one expects lavish presents, it's fun to shop, wrap and open.

 

[DeniseM]

You can buy cute lunch-sack style bags made out of Christmas wrap at places like Wal-Greens for less than a dollar - they would be perfect faux stockings. *After Christmas I always buy 2 dozen of these on sale for about 20¢ each for the next Christmas.

*You should let your daughter know your plans and invite her to join in the fun of providing some of the little gifts. One of you could provide edibles and the other one non-edibles, to avoid duplicates.

 

[geekette]

Don't put their names on the stockings, in case next year it is someone else. I'm sure they would appreciate being included, and not care that anything inside was inexpensive.

ha, yes, we had a Guest Stocking! Over the years, it became 4 guest stockings that were used for more people than I can count.

I always went for the stocking first, cuz you never know! the year I put silly string in all of them for Christmas at sis' was fun, as it was warm there for outdoor silly string fight.

 

[geekette]

My hand is raised for this too. When I was a child, Christmas Eve was with Granny & Grandpa, and we opened the gifts under the tree. During the night, Santa came by and filled the stockings. On Christmas morning, I was allowed to go downstairs when I woke and open my stocking back in bed. Gifts were basic (new toothbrush), but I loved it. (How did Santa know I needed a new toothbrush?) When I was 21, I formally converted to Judaism. When I married a Jewish husband and we had children, we did Hanukkah candles, a little Christmas tree, and stockings for Christmas morning. Lots of gifts! As long as no one expects lavish presents, it's fun to shop, wrap and open.

Yes! Dollar Store is one of my last stops Christmas Eve for all the useful stuff folks forgot to buy themselves!

Bungie Cords! how did Santa know! deck of cards? Yay!

 

[Talent312]

For stockings, we use mandarin oranges and a ziplock of Lindt chocolate truffles.
DW orders from Lindt online (lindt.com) or visits a Lindt store in an outlet mall.
Then we throw in some other trinket, like key rings with their initials.
,