There’s Still Time To Deck The Halls With These Festive Christmas Stockings for the Holiday Season
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With Christmas just around the corner, there are a few must-have items you need to celebrate the holiday season right. A Christmas tree is undoubtedly at the top of the list, along with lights, ornaments, and, of course, a star to put on top. Outdoor Christmas decorations also help keep up appearances in the neighborhood and turn your house into a sparkling grotto once a year. Some nutcrackers, a nativity scene and other Christmas ornaments, such as snowmen and Santa, are always a plus, but one decoration you don’t want to forget (unless you want to end up on the naughty list) is one of the best Christmas stockings.
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When hung from the fireplace, Christmas stockings make a gorgeous addition to your holiday decor. Every time you see them, the anticipation for Christmas morning will grow a little stronger. No matter where you put your stocking growing up — the foot of your bed, on your doorknob, or even under the tree — Christmas stockings are always Santa’s first stop after coming down the chimney.
Whether you’re a firm Santa believer or the man himself has recruited you to help deliver gifts to stockings in your home on Christmas Eve, you’ll need some festive Christmas stockings on hand. Often, Christmas stockings are used for many years, and you might grow to have a sentimental attachment to your family’s stockings. If you’re replacing Christmas stockings, starting a new tradition, or buying new stockings for a growing family, you can find plenty of fun options for sale online. Personalized Christmas stockings are also quite popular, and if you plan ahead, you can order custom stockings in time for Christmas. To help you find the perfect family Christmas stockings set, we’ve included both personalized options and ready-to-order sets.
Keep reading to find our favorite Christmas stockings for the holiday season. And if you need some gift-giving inspiration, be sure to check out our guides to the best Christmas gifts of 2022 and the top stocking stuffers.
The Origin of Christmas Stockings
Christmas stockings seem to be about as old as the holiday itself, and they’re one of our oldest Christmas traditions. What are Christmas stockings? They’re essentially giant socks that hold all of your “stocking stuffers” or little presents which complement and add to your regular haul underneath the tree.
Christmas stockings are so pivotal to the holiday itself that they are explicitly mentioned in the classic Christmas poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas” — where St. Nick “fill’d all the stockings, then turn’d with a jerk,/ And laying a finger aside of his nose/ And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.”
One of the most popular origin stories of Christmas stockings tells the tale of a recently widowed man who was having trouble raising his three daughters on his own. Santa Claus heard about his plight and decided to help him by descending the chimney and filling all of the girls’ socks that just happened to be drying by the fire with gold coins. Thus the tradition of stockings was born, and many people still celebrate it to this day.
Traditionally, many people also put oranges in Christmas stockings, and few know why. Some speculate that it’s because there was a Great Depression-era time when fresh fruit was more difficult to come by than it is today. Another potential reason is that St. Nick gave gold balls instead of coins in the tale above, but bright, juicy oranges were the next best thing since gold balls were much more challenging to come by.
L.L. Bean Personalized Christmas Stocking
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We love everything about these traditional L.L.Bean Christmas stockings, which can be personalized with every member of your family’s name. The needlepoint embroidery will add a personal touch to each one, and these festive stockings all come with fun wintry themes like snowmen, Santa Claus and gingerbread houses. Mom and dad will appreciate the fact that they cost under $30, and kids are sure to appreciate that they come with plenty of room for goodies and toys.
Aitey Christmas Stocking
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These Christmas stockings take regular ol’ stockings to the next level, literally, by adding larger-than-life plush decorations to the front and being large enough to stuff with all sorts of goodies come Christmas morning. If you aren’t quite ready for personalized Christmas stockings (or if you’ve run out of time to have them made), then this is a great starter set of stockings for your family. These generously sized socks are approximately 18 inches long and 10 inches wide, have a 3D appliqué design, and are made of high-quality cloth that will last you. The sturdy hanging look ensures a safe and secure hanging, even when filled to the brim with presents.
Hangright Deluxe Christmas Stocking<br>
If you’ve ever experienced how annoying it is to hang something one way, only to have it spin the other way, you need The Holiday Aisle Hagright Christmas Stocking. Not only is this traditional stocking made of luxury quality, but it also features a hanging loop with the ability to spin 360 degrees so that the boot always sits precisely as you want it. Additionally, the plain design of pure red and white areas offers a customization opportunity using your favorite badges or pins.
LUBOT Buffalo Plaid Silhouette Christmas Stockings
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This set is an excellent option if you’re a design-oriented household and want all stockings to follow a uniform pattern. They’ve got a rustic, buffalo plaid design with various Christmas-related items on the fronts of the six included stockings. They’re made of cotton quilted fabric and are 20 inches long, so there’s plenty of room for gifts. Each one has a sturdy loop for hanging, and they’ve got 8-inch openings, so filling them with stocking stuffers is easy.
Lillian Vernon Nutcracker Personalized Heirloom Needlepoint Christmas Stocking
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This Lillian Vernon Needlepoint Christmas Stocking is adorable, and it comes with the option of personalization in the form of an embroidered name. The needlepoint face is made of wool and has a velvet cuff up top, where you can easily add a name. The toe and backing of the stocking are velvet for solid construction. Although this Christmas stocking is more detailed than some alternatives, it’s still a good size to ensure plenty of room for presents.
Fun Express Giant X-Large Christmas Stocking
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This oversized stocking is great for larger toys and gifts. It’s nearly 4 feet long, measuring 45 inches in total, and can hold several smaller items or a few larger pieces. Designed in a traditional red and white stocking motif, this felt option is soft and easy to hang on your mantle.
Pottery Barn Quilted Christmas Stocking Collection
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This Quilted Christmas Stocking Collection from Pottery Barn Kids is an excellent option for families that want matching stockings for each person. There is a vast range of designs to choose from, including Disney characters, traditional snowflakes, cute dinosaurs, and more. Once you’ve added your designs of choice to your basket, you can then personalize them with your names before paying.
Target Wondershop Knit Monogram Christmas Stocking
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This cozy-looking Wondershop Knit Christmas Stocking has a warm winter feel. The ribbed top of the stocking is a knitted continuation of the boot itself, highlighted with a decorative letter of your choice. You can select which letter you want on your stocking at the point of purchase, so why not order one for each family member to correspond with your names? Alternatively, you could spell a Christmas-related word like “Noel.”
Kunyida Burgundy and Ivory White Knit Christmas Stockings, 4 Pack
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If you want to appear as if you knit your Christmas stockings during quarantine but would rather buy them instead, we got you. These knit stockings are super affordable and come in warming, festive burgundy, white and ivory colors. They’re a bit shorter than other stocking options but don’t require a liner to hold in all the gifts. They’re handmade and come ready to hang on the mantel.
PGYFIS Unicorn Christmas Stocking with LED Light
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This Christmas stocking for kids takes the traditional stocking design and turns it on its head, adding sparkles, rainbow colors and a unicorn horn for extra flair. It’s made of decorative, fluffy nylon fabrics and has a ribbon loop for easy hanging. It’s also got LED lights built in for actual sparkle that’ll light up the room and your surprises inside the stocking come Christmas morning. This is a perfect stocking for kids or festive adults who love mythical creatures.
Aitey Christmas Stocking
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These stockings are a hoot and a holler and certainly on-brand for Christmas. They’re similar to a previous option on this list, with a beige and plaid theme that makes them coordinate well. They’ve got a significant opening up top for stuffing in gifts and will match green holiday decor well, like a tree. Each is crafted from burlap material and fleece fabric with fluff for the plush additions. This triple pack sets you up for the season, and you can always double or triple up on orders depending on how many people you’ve got in your family.
Adurself Grinch Christmas Stocking
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You usually wouldn’t want the Grinch to be near your Christmas presents, but with the Adurself Grinch Christmas Stocking, you might find he helps you get more gifts rather than less. It’s adorned with a classic Grinch cartoon pattern that’s perfect for your mantle and has a red loop for easy hanging.
Faylapa Christmas Stocking, 4 Pack
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If you’re tightening your purse strings this Christmas, as so many will be, you don’t have to go without festive stockings. These plush stockings come in a pack of four for less than $15.
The Holiday Aisle Sequin Christmas Stocking
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Add sparkle to your mantlepiece this Christmas with The Holiday Aisle Sequin Christmas Stocking. The intricate detailing of the attached sequins means you can’t put this Christmas stocking in the washing machine. However, you can dry clean it if need be. It features a faux-fur white cuff which adds to the luxury feel and has dazzling sequins covering the entire boot area. Plus, it’s available in navy or red, so you can select more of your Christmas style color or have a mix of both.
Kurt Adler Star Wars Baby Yoga Christmas Stocking
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The Kurt Adler Star Wars Baby Yoga Christmas Stocking is a must-have for any Star Wars fans. Whether it’s for treating yourself or starting your young Jedis out from a young age, this cute cartoon stocking combines a love for Christmas and Star Wars into a practical piece of decoration. This is slightly larger than a standard Christmas stocking, giving you plenty of space to stuff it full of other Star Wars goodies.
Target Wondershop Plush Faux Fur Christmas Stocking
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You might consider the Wondershop Plus Christmas Stocking somewhat of a Christmas miracle due to its great value. This Christmas-style stocking which we automatically think of, come December 25th. It’s a faux fur red boot topped with a luxurious-looking white trim and a hanging loop. Despite the premium appearance of this stocking, it’s the most budget-friendly Christmas stocking in our round-up at the fantastic less than $10 dollar price tag.
C&F Home Gold Foil Snowflake Stocking<br><br>
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These snowflake Christmas stockings are soft and cozy, making them a great option if you’re going for an all-white theme in your Christmas decor this year. The gorgeous ivory fabric uses printed foil snowflakes to highlight for a subtle hint of winter style. These Christmas stockings are machine washable, so you can chuck them in for a spin to keep their brilliant cream color for years to come.
The Holiday Aisle Plaid Dog Bone Personalized Paw Stocking<br>
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We can’t forget about our furry friends! These dog Christmas stockings are adorably paw-shaped and come in festive plaid colors of red and green. They measure 10 inches wide and 17 inches long at their widest point, and you can choose between nine different fonts for the embroidered name. They’re perfect for stuffing with treats, toys and your pup’s favorite thing on Christmas Eve, and each stocking comes with a bone-shaped charm for an added decorative element.
Kunyida Burlap Christmas Stockings, Set of 4
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Go a bit alternative with this four-pack of burlap Christmas stockings. These non-traditional stockings feature a plain silhouette that can be accentuated with decals, paint or monograms as designed. Designed in a muted tan burlap, each has a white top and loop for easy hanging.
Natural Fair Isle Christmas Stocking Collection<br>
These Christmas stockings harken back to the origin story where the vessels for the trinkets, candy and small goodies were actual socks with an elevated twist. These stockings sport a sophisticated, warm holiday look with an option to personalize the top with each family member’s name. The stockings are made from a polyester wool blend of red, white, blue and charcoal grey tones that sets the mood perfectly over the fireplace. Plus, the socks are pretty long despite being a bit more narrow, with plenty of room for gifts.
GEX Christmas Stockings, 6 Pack
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These six velvet Christmas stockings are enormous — 22 inches long to be exact, so there shouldn’t be any concern about being able to gift all the stocking stuffers you wish. They’re hand-sewn using velvet fabric and include decorative message elements on the front. Each pack has six stockings of various colors and designs so each member can choose their favorite.
Wintry Cheer Personalized Santa Christmas Stocking<br><br><br><a href="https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/wintry-cheer-santa-personalized-christmas-stocking/5260171?writeReview=true"></a><br><br><br>
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Many Christmas stockings you can buy online come with an option for personal embroidery, but I like this one the best. The design is cozy, and the name in white at the top stands out against the plaid. The Santa has a buffalo check cuff as an accent detail and an attached loop for easy hanging. The material is thick and high-quality, and the long stocking is big enough to hold the number of gifts everyone wants.
MONOBLANKS Canvas Christmas Santa Sack
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The MONOBLANKS Canvas Christmas Santa Sack is what you need when generosity takes over. If you find that you’ve bought presents too big for a stocking or simply too many gifts, a sack is a go-to option for additional space. The front of this sack boasts a traditional, red Christmas truck carrying the all-important Christmas tree. It also has a text box for you to fill in the name of the lucky receiver. This Christmas stocking alternative is made from durable canvas with a drawstring closure. It’s both eco-friendly and great for keeping what’s inside a surprise until it’s time to open presents.
DON'T FORGET
Reindeer Christmas Stocking Holder, Set of 4
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These Reindeer Christmas Stocking Holders keep your stuffed goodie bags mounted on the mantel on display. These Christmas deer holders are made of brushed steel and are weighted, so they’ll stay in place. They’re weighted and don’t require nails or any permanent fixtures which might damage your mantle. Each pack includes two deer, but you can order more than one and create a family.
Related: Shop More Christmas Stocking Holders
Christmas Stocking Alternatives
While the best Christmas stockings are an important tradition in many homes, they aren’t necessary for a merry Christmas. In fact, there are many similar gift-giving traditions that don’t require the use of a stocking.
In other countries, like Iceland, Hungary and Germany, children leave shoes out for Santa Claus in addition to, and sometimes instead of, Christmas stockings to be filled with candy and goodies by the big man. In the Netherlands, children leave hay and carrots in their shoes for St. Nicholas’ horses, and in Spain, children leave shoes by the fireplace for gifts from the Wise Men instead of Santa Claus.
Filling stockings with goodies at Christmas is a widely held tradition in the USA, adding to the day’s excitement and cultural significance. To help you prepare for Christmas this year, we’ve gathered our favorite Christmas stockings from around the web for you to check out. Whether you prefer something old school that closely resembles a sock from your dad’s drawer or you want something intricately embroidered; we’ve found a stocking to suit your tastes.
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