Christmas Stockings - Soldotna,AK

Let Grandma give the kids stockings. When I was a kid, I always got stockings from my mother AND her mother...with the understanding that Santa knew I would be at Grandma's for Christmas dinner, so he left some goodies for me there, as well!! Now that I'm a mother (to a 4 year old and a nearly-2 year old), my mother gives my kids stockings, in addition to what their Dad and I put together. (Ditto on Easter.)

Long live ANYTHING that gets Grandmas and grandkids closer!

the easter bunny always leaves presents for us at Grandma's, so I dont see why Santa couldnt do the same.

My parents give all the kids stockings. At this point (they are 1 and 3) it's not a big deal. If they get older (but not old enough to know the truth) I'll just tell them that Santa wanted to leave them an extra stocking for being good! I do not think it's worth a fight!

My MIL does the same thing and i just tell my kids that Santa stops at her house for them too. She brings gifts from Santa too that ended up at her house. See Santa gets confused sometimes and will leave presents at Grandma's house that are for the kids, or maybe he forgot when he was at your house and figured Grandma would get it to whomever it belongs. He is getting old you know ;o)
Good luck!

Santa always left my kids stockings at both home and Grandmom's. He's Santa - he can do anything!

My MIL is also loves the stocking tradition. So in our house Santa fills their stocking for Christmas. And when we see MeeMaw, we tell the kids that she filled it up for them. And she always hands them to the kids, they are not hung up by the mantle. I also asked my MIL once, not to overdue it. I was upfront. "Santa doesn't want to compete with you and grandma can't out do Santa." (She got a little carries away with the stockings in the beginning. ) Of course I told her this in the middle of the year, after Christmas. Not during or right after the holidays. I didn't want to upset her around the holidays or have her fretting about what she already bought. She has been wonderful about it...the kids usually get some undies, socks, one small toy, one type of candy, some cocoa and a coloring book. She always checks when she finds something before she adds it, which I think is incredibly considerate of her. It's been a nice compromise for our family.

Santa is magical and can leave presents everywhere! I decided to take that attitude when I got married and realized we would still be getting stockings at my parents and in-laws. This was prior to children so we incorporated it into the celebrations. I think this falls under the saying "choose your battles". If you wanted it to be only at your house you would have had to say something 5 years ago when your oldest was a baby. We also have 2 boys and at our house Santa leaves a special (unwrapped) present with the stocking. It's something that we wouldn't normally buy our kids so they "know" it came from Santa. Doesn't have to be expensive - we did $10 gift cards to a gaming store last year and the year before (when we were both employed) they each got a Wii game. It's just that little something that makes our house the special Santa stop.

Santa always made another stop at the Grandparents for us...stockings were a BIG deal to my Mother..and now that shes been gone almost 3 years...I wish she was s till here to continue doing that for the younger of my nieces and nephews who will never know Gram that way..or that surprise at Grams place for Christmas.

My Mother actually made us all personalized, giant mittens a few years before she died. About 20+ that year. We have added a few little ones due to birth and marriage since she died on Thanksgiving day in 2007. Christmas was a BIG deal to her. After her death I found a few of these mittens she made. I do not knit..but now need to find someone who can replicate her pattern, as we would like more to carry on her tradition. They are personalized with cross stitched name plates and buttons and a few patches specific to that family member (mine has a girl with books on her head as I love to read...and other things that signify ME...all of them are like this.

She loved finding or making little things special for all of us..some were generic and the same (soap for all the gals or lotion..smell good stuff)..lottery tickets for all the grown up guys, etc)...but the stockings were the highlight of our gatherings.

I urge you not to take this special thing away from the grandparents. Kids in our family will never experience this special tradition in ours....my experience and opinion is from a place of grief and hurt...but please consider it.....even as we approach the third year of holidays without her...it still hard to get the holiday spirit for me.

Gramma gives the BEST of everything. She has a stocking for all her grandkids at her house until they either have a baby of thier own. I accept her gifts warmly and in the spirit they are given. Maybe something you could try ... Our gramma doesn't pretend they are from Santa. She presents them to the kids from herself. So, there's no conflict. Rather than hurt her feelings, just emphasize how nice it was of gramma to give them a stocking.

Santa comes to our house and to each of the Grandparents' houses. He knows they love to see their excitement just as much as we do. I think he's more than happy to oblige.
Santa doesn't come to our house for the adults, only the kids..but he goes to the grandparents' houses for the adults. We're still their kids :)
He goes all over the place around here LOL

I would not have any problems with my in laws giving our son a stocking. That issue would not make it to my "pick your battle" list.
No harm/no foul is how I see it.
And I think you will hurt her if you make her stop.
They're only little once.

Santa has a stocking at every house in our family ~the grandparents and ours. Our kids are excited that Santa visits everywhere.

Well if you know by making waves here you will be a brat - you will be. It is Christmas, family members want to make this special especially for the kids. I had the same scenario, you just play along with it. So the kids will be thrilled they have double the treats - if they ask just say Santa brought the stockings at your home, and your situation with your MIL you can say one of two things, either that she put them out for the kids, or that Santa left extra treats there at her house for the kids because he knew they were coming there. Either way, you are lying to your kids....I personally wish I never deceived my kids with Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy - we want our kids to believe and trust us, yet we outright lie and deceive our kids and keep making more lies about these things with their questions....am I the only one who feels like this ? Anyways, just let your MIL put out her stockings, its not a big deal so don't make it into one - why upset the lady now before the holidays - and like I said your kids will be happy to get even more stuff....

My mom fills them for my siblings, spouses and our kids. We all love it, even though its usually just candy and socks for the adults. Its still fun!

I have never done this for my grans, but I don't think it will mix your children up. Actually, it has the potential of turning into a special thing between your little boys and their grandma. When they're a little older and understand about Santa, maybe they could surprise her with a little stocking, too, filled with drawings or other things they have made. (Oops - I'm giving Mama more work here!)

My parents have always had stockings for our kids AND us! It's a nice holiday tradition your MIL has. What harm does it really have? In the big picture, this really isn't an issue to worry about, don't ya think?

Looks like you have a lot of responses! But, here's another take. What if your MIL didn't even care to give your kids anything or even want to celebrate Christmas?? Look at it from that point of view. At least she wants to spoil your children... so let her. L. anyone that loves your kids that much!

Unfortunately, for me, my MIL does not spoil her one and only grandchild. She is too busy with her new life -- has a new boyfriend, recently converted to another religion and is not even going to celebrate her grandchild's 1st Christmas with her. So sad. But, I hope that this makes you see that getting L. from grandma is one of the best feelings a child can have. Don't take that away from your kids.

You might ask your MIL to send stocking stuffers that can be put in the kids stockings. That's what my family does. We all give stocking stuffers (yes even to the adults- Santa lives on) to each person and the stockings are then stuffed while either the kids are sleeping or snuck in while they are in another room when we get to the house in which we are celebrating.

I have never met someone that has never told a lie. So, don't listen to those nay sayers and do your own tradition. They can do things their way for their families. Just hope your kids don't go to the same school, the belief might be ruined.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. I'm 28 and still get a stocking at my parents house if we are there and at the in laws house, just part of the celebration with a couple of small items. Santa thought they were extra good and left them a present in two places.If it bothers you though talk to your mother in law about it.

My MIL does it too - so I make her keep the stockings at HER house and she puts gifts in them from her. I made my family's stockings - something my mother did for me and my brother when we were little, infact my mom asked me if I wanted to take my stocking with me one year after I had my son, I sad NO. It's supposed to stay here... I want it here.. Santa gifts are in our stockings at our house, and the stockings from ANYONE else are presents from them...

I feel the same way you do about the MIL & stocksings etc... I try to be polite but tactful in what I want her to understand... sometimes it doesn't work.. oh well.. :P

Awww, the dreaded MIL traditions. I feel your pain.
You can't take her joy away, you can only find a way to make sure its different. If MIL gives them stockings, make a big deal about how these are special goodies (maybe not even use the word stocking) from GMA cause she loves you so much...blah blah...then teach them about the majic of the special "stocking" that hangs above your mantel (or in our case on the wall) and about the wonders and surprises that Santa will leave for them on christmas eve.
Its really all you can do. You can't crush her spirit, trust me...I know this first hand. :)

I think you should do what you want to do for YOUR kids...she got to do what she wanted when she was a mom! It is a special time for us and totally understand why some traditions are importand to your family
Your husband should tell her!
She could make it just a present instead of a stocking.

We too still have stockings over at my parents house. Our rule is 'whichever house has a stocking for you' will get something in it.

We then place those things into a Christmas gift bag for us to take home and the stocking stays with Grandma.

I agree with Haven, that what makes this complicated is the lie we are trying to perpetuate about Santa. Otherwise, this is a non-issue. Give up the lie, and I promise it won't ruin Christmas. My brother and I when little, and now my two boys, all enjoy pretending about Santa. None of the magic is lost, because we encourage active imaginations and talk about what fun it is to make believe. We have stockings at three separate houses and no questions about the origins!

I am with you.

My MIL always gave my stepsons a stocking too, even after I made all of us our own "special" ones. I always looked at my stepsons as being more theirs (in-laws) then mine and always deferred to what they wanted as far as traditions were concerned, and it was fine.

But when I had my kids I respectfully asked that they no longer say that "Santa" filled her stockings for my kids. It was fine and all was well.

My family has a tradition of home-made stockings and I love each and everyone of them in my lil' familys'...I am so proud of them and treasure them immensely! *I still have my original stocking that my Grandma made me when for my first Christmas and I love it!*

This was tradition that I wanted to keep up and everyone understood. If you speak from the heart and be kind I bet your MIL will understand completely!

~I love Christmas time!

If they stay the night at grandma's, maybe they could get them for St. Nicholas day earlier in the month? If they never stay the night at grandma's, maybe she could be responsible for filling the stockings that they receive at your house.

How does she explain why santa left presents at her house?

Santa visits our house and my parents house. He gets my parents house a day early so we do them on Christmas Eve. But yes, they get stockings at both places.

My own mother has done stockings for the grandkids for 10 years. She loves it and so do the kids. Personally my parents go way to over board in gifts - way to over board! However, this is how they choose to love my kids, so I have learned to accept it - I'd rather have them at the activities that happen all year long, but that never happens even when I invite them.

My mom used to say that the gifts were from Santa, but I quickly said they were from the she and grandpa. 1. Santa came to our house 2. I wanted my child to thank the correct people. The stockings are also from Grandma and Grandpa.

Here come the holidays - oh, boy time to start my breathing exercises again.

M.

Does she give them to your kids like a present -from her? Or, does she give them to them from Santa? I would be fine with it as long as she gave them stockings from her as a Christmas present, but I would tell her they got their Santa stockings from Santa at their house and I didn't want to confuse them, so she needed to let them know they are from her at her house.

"Santa" visits our house and also my parents house for my daughter, as my mom likes to spoil her only grandchild. :-)

Get them their own monogrammed stockings to have at home. Give them early on Christmas morning, before your MIL comes. Keep them and use them every Christmas. Put them away before your MIL comes. Let her enjoy bring her stockings. It won't hurt your kids to have additional stockings. This way everybody wins.

Gramma should wrap her small presents and place them in the stockings the children have at your home.
That's what we do.

My MIL does stockings for my kids but we don't. I have stockings and I have 5 kids but we never do stockings here at home. Probably will for my grandkids. But we don't do the santa thing either so it's not an issue. We just have fun with our kids and our family during that time. Good luck to you!!

We do stockings at home of course but we do Christmas with my mom on christmas day and santa stops by there to leave stockings and presents for the kids as well as at home. it is easier with my MIL we do christmas eve with her so santa does not come.

we don't celebrate christmas, but would there be harm in having your stocking be "from Santa" and the kids just recognizing the one from your mil as an additional fun treat from her?

So I have to tell you that this is a pet peeve of mine. When my step son was younger, now 20, Christmas's were split between us and his mom. Every other year we would have him for Christmas morning, Santa would be there, but then he would be at his moms Christmas Eve (they celebrate christmas eve morning) and santa would show up. And then when he went to his grandmas on his moms side, Santa would show up there too. It drove me nuts, but I learned to let it go. Now that I have my own boys, they are 4yr old twins, I am trying to find traditions that I want to be incorporated in our family. I guess stocking would be ok from grandma as long as they were from grandma. We used to do a exchange with adults in our family. I had a stocking for each person. So as long is its not from Santa then it would be ok, I guess.

Ah, I think you're being a little too sensitive. My mom has given my kids stockings every year and they know they are from Grandma and not from Santa. She puts little toys and a coloring book in them. I think it's sweet. Let her have this one.