s/o of Homemade Christmas Stockings- updated on second page

[rashea]

Stockings are just for kids? Then I guess my Mom was right, none of us ever really grew up.

[yellowpineapple]

We still do stockings in our family, and all of us kids are grown and on our own.  (My sister and I stuff each other's as well as the ones I decorated for our parents)  When we were little, my mom made each one of us a stocking.  They were out of felt, hand stitched, opened pretty wide(hehe) and had little felt and glitter designs that were glued on.  These decorations had special meaning for each of us kids.  The stockings also have our name in felt letters across the top.  When my brother got married, my mom and I made one for my sister-in-law their first Christmas together so that she would have a stocking at our house just like all of the "kids."  We kept up this tradition until they moved out of state and my mom sent hers, my brother's, and the kids' stockings with them.

[Squishygirl]

I'm glad this was resolved for you. If my MIL had made/bought me a stocking I would not have felt welcomed to the family, I would have felt uncomfortable. This may be in part because I have known since day 1 that MIL believes that her way of doing things is the only way of doing things. But at the time, over 15 years ago, I did just think she was a nice and family centered lady and would have been incredibly wigged out - my mum has my stocking, not my MIL.

But then again, we fell out the year that we spent Christmas at the PIL and I found their method of opening Christmas presents, (each person is allowed to open one and all admire before the next person is allowed to open one of theirs and so on) insane. It wasn't my tradition and apparently my family's 'dive in and yell coool!' was unseemly.

DH and I have managed a combination of the two and have our own traditions and neither of us go 'home' for the holidays - we have our own home and our own traditions now. Our childhood stockings and traditions remain neatly and in nostalgia at both parents' homes.

[rashea]

I'll throw in the idea that it can add to the closeness of a family. I'm not saying you have to make one (and from the update she would be uncomfortable with it). Asking someone who would know (the fiance or spouse) seems like the safest bet.

My sister got engaged about this time last year. Our (mine and my sister's) stockings were made by a close friend of the family. They are works of art. My parents have stockings that are special to them, but were not handmade. I have offered in the past to make them stockings, but they declined. I mentioned the idea of making a stocking to my sister. She almost cried (this would be odd for her). His family was never close, and he feels like the failure of his family. To be welcomed into our family was huge for him.

I made him a fairly simple, but generally cute stocking. No where near the same style or complexity of the ones our friend made, but still special. His eyes lit up when he realized he had his own stocking. They lit up even more when he realized he had a fair number of presents under the tree. My sister later told me that it was the first time he felt 100% accepted by our family and he was very grateful.

It worked in this situation, BUT, I cleared it with my sister first. I knew it wouldn't bother him.

[grinningcomb]

Glad things worked out for you and your family and that there were no hard feelings on any side.

I'm also glad to know my family and I are still kids (please don't take it as a biting remark it is said with good intent only).  We have a stocking for everyone in the house (that's 3 adults) one for each of our dogs (they get christmas presents in them).  And our family from out of state is coming to visit so they have stockings too (2 SIL, 1 FIL, and my mom).  And my BIL and SIL who live in town will bring their stockings over to our house when we celebrate Christmas as well.  So we have currently 10 stockings on my wall and will have 2 more by our christmas this year.  And they all hang on the wall because we don't have a mantle.

[Mammavan]

I know you've already settled the matter, but I just wanted to add that no way would I ever put that much effort into a stocking for DD's DF before they were married!  Suppose they called off the wedding?  We have traditionally exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve but opened our stockings on Christmas morning before Mass so DSIL wasn't around to feel excluded.

Last year, the first they were married, his stocking appeared.

(I wouldn't share any of my recipes until they were married either! )

[MOM21SON]

I just wanted to add my 2 cents

Dh has a stocking his mother made for him when she was pregnant with him.  When we got married she knit me one.  It is so special to me. When DS was  born she knit him one.  Unfortunately she made his too big!  LOL!  I think once they are married it would be a very nice gesture.

[Trisha]

My MIL made me one, and I was very happy. It made me feel wanted.

I think that you should get her her own.  Making her share may make her feel like she's not actually part of the family.  You don't even need to make her one.  Just buy one with her initial on it.  Target sells them for $10. 

POD, You can also get them at the dollar store for a buck.

[LissaR1]

I know it's resolved, but when we were little, my grandmother had stockings knitted for each of us.  They're HUGE (I don't use mine anymore), and they meant a lot to us.

A few Christmases ago, she commissioned them for my mom's husband, my brother's wife, and my husband.  It meant the world to both my husband and Mom's (SIL is a completely different and unrelated story), but hubby was almost overwhelmed by her gesture.  (I think my stepfather was too, but that was more because this grandmother was my dad's mother, so her having this stocking made was a HUGE compliment.)  The only thing that made my husband not freak out was the fact that, instead of "Howard", for some reason his stocking said "Howl."

(Mom got her hearing aids checked shortly thereafter )

However, I think he have been just as comfortable (if not moreso) with a bought stocking as a made one.

[Suze]

My Mom did a knit stocking for each child born in the family for years and years and as each child got married the new spouse got one too.

sort of a welcome to the family thing.

It really touched me when she sat down and made my friends each a stocking

I am glad the your issue is resolved

[Millicent63]

i don't think you need to handcraft one for her, but even spouses needn't share, nor need all stockings match -- in fact no one in my family had the same size/style.  get one just for her -- perhaps at a local craft mall?  otherwise she'll feel like an afterthought. 

[love2teach]

  In BFs family, the SOs share a stocking... she puts in fun things like gift cert, scratch tix, things we can share ect...... I love it.

[KenveeB]

When my parents were having their first Christmas at their new house (allegedly their last house, but we'll see!), Mom bought stocking holders instead of repeating our usual high-class "nails in brick" approach. <g>  She made a point of buying two extras so that when my brother and I get married, our spouses will have their own matching stocking holders.  She'll buy new stockings for said spouses too, generally matching the scheme but probably not the exact same because I don't think she remembers where she bought the current ones!  Our handmade stockings have long since been retired, although I rescued mine and it's on my mantle at my house now.