Do you keep stockings?

[SOnotLayuh]

So my mother has DH, myself, and DH's parents to her house for every Christmas. DH and I are both only children (and childless), so this seems to be the easiest way to keep the families together.

Last year my mom gave the DILs stockings on Christmas morning, and they took the stockings home with them. At our house it's always been normal to return them and then next year they would be full again, since Mom usually likes to have nice stockings hung.

Now, my ILs do some weird stuff that's not always socially acceptable... I like to call them socially slow , but I don't know what the typical social protocol is for something like this - Mom asked me this morning if we were the weird ones and I had to tell her that I wasn't sure!

What do you guys think?

 

[VAfamily1998]

I don't think it would be unreasonable for your inlaws to assume the stockings were "part of the gift" and take them home--kind of like if you give someone a giftbasket filled with stuff, you don't expect the recipient to leave the basket with you, kwim?

ETA: But yeah, we re-use the same stockings each year. My mom hand made (needlepoint) our stockings when we were kids, so we used the same ones each year. She still has them, I think?

I'm not talented enough to hand make my kids stockings...but they are nice needlepoint stockings (store bought) and we re-use them each year too.

 

[msjprincess]

I'm just trying to figure out if you and DH are only children and childless who the DIL's are

 

[VAfamily1998]

I'm just trying to figure out if you and DH are only children and childless who the DIL's are

I had to think about that for a second too!

I think it stands for "Dear In Laws", not "daughters in law"

 

[msjprincess]

I had to think about that for a second too!

I think it stands for "Dear In Laws", not "daughters in law"

ahh okay

 

[Handbag Lady]

My husband has the same stocking he's had since he made it in Boy Scouts in the 1960's.

I have a childhood stocking but it is lost in my mom's house (She's a hoarder.) I do have the same stocking my boyfriend (now husband) gave me on our first Christmas together.

But, I can see how they think they shouldn't return them as nothing was explained when the gift was given. In my family, a new member would be told that the sock stays there as they are now part of the family and their presence would be loved next year.

 

[Swimnoid]

When I give stockings I expect them to take the stocking too. Last year however, I made DD's boyfriend leave his since I expected to be refilling it this year. It's hanging with all the rest of them!

 

[laurie31]

I think it's "Dear In-laws" and not daughters-in-law.

I've never heard of keeping a stocking, but then we only do stockings at our own house. DH and I have store-bought needle-pointed stockings, and the girls have stockings I cross-stiched for them while I was pregnant.

Oh wait, my parents still do stockings for the grandchildren, but not for us grown kids. They are very nice, personalized with their names. The kids empty them out and keep what's inside, but the stocking isn't part of the gift. They reuse them every year.


ETA - wow, a LOT of people posted while I was writing this! LOL!

 

[msjprincess]

As a kid I had the stocking that stayed at my grandmother's house. But if another adult gave me a stocking now I would assume I was to take it home. I wouldn't expect them to keep it and keep refilling it every year

 

[crz4mm2]

Yes, we keep them.

 

[scdak]

I provide stockings for 14 family members, and asked them to return them each year, but over the years many were not returned and lost, they were handmade quilted stockings. I started buying new ones each year and they were still not coming back to my house after they were emptied out. I finally starting putting a 2 gallon ziplock bag in the bottom of the stockings to put the treasues in on christmas day and then everyone was reminded I needed the stockings back so that Santa could come the next year! Well, when they all started making fun of me............. so NO more nice stockings! I put everything in inexpensive gift bags and they can just keep them, its alot easier that way and I don't have to listen to them!

 

[monkeyboy]

Not what I thought this was about....continue on

 

[Acklander]

We keep the stockings in our personal home for our personal family, however if someone gave me a stocking filled with presents, I'd probably take the stocking with me , figuring that the stocking was being used as a type of gift bag or basket. I look at it this way - I have a son who is married, If I went to his in-laws for Christmas I would consider it a one time invitation (which may or may not be renewed in future years) I wouldn't consider it, me joining their family traditions and therefore in need of a stocking to be filled every year. Make sense?

 

[Meriweather]

We use the same stockings every year....since my adult children were small.
Santa fills them, so they stay and go up again next year.
If I gave a stocking to someone, I would consider it part of the gift.

 

[Kasmooth]

We keep the stockings in our personal home for our personal family, however if someone gave me a stocking filled with presents, I'd probably take the stocking with me , figuring that the stocking was being used as a type of gift bag or basket. I look at it this way - I have a son who is married, If I went to his in-laws for Christmas I would consider it a one time invitation (which may or may not be renewed in future years) I wouldn't consider it, me joining their family traditions and therefore in need of a stocking to be filled every year. Make sense?

This is what I was thinking as well.