Christmas Stocking

It is far too early to think about Christmas stockings.  It really is.  However darling, darling father has brought home a Christmas stocking from the Church sale. 

Perhaps it is just as well.  Last year I forgot about the Christmas stocking.  DH airily assured me that bear wouldn't think of a stocking.  After all, bear had been remarkably silent over the whole stocking thing, it would be fine.  Bear remembered just as we were putting him to bed on Christmas Eve so we ended up putting a pillowcase at the end of the bed and switching it with a personalised minecraft bag stuffed with stocking fillers which rather saved the day.  Perhaps it is just as well that father brought in the stocking..

I have two minor objections to this particular stocking.  On the one hand I believe Christmas stockings should be in pairs.  I used to have a football sock of my father, the other sock mysteriously absent.  It was mysteriously absent because my mother was stuffing it with goodies elsewhere and so she could just sneak it and switch the sock without worrying about waking me.  I don't think I would be able to find a match for this easily, though I could pretend I had lost it, provide a pillow case and then do the switch at midnight, as is traditional. 

The other problem I have with this stocking is that it is massive.  It is huge.  Not only is it larger than most of my pillowcases, it is not that much smaller than a single duvet.  I exaggerate, just not by much.  It is sooo big.  DH looked at it and remarked that it would take more than two satsumas to fill that.

And that's another thing.  This year we are muttering about a PC for bear.  We are reluctantly getting him a PC because ours is on the way out and DH and I still have laptops (or I do when it's back from the lovely repair man).  A PC can't be moved up to his bedroom, as I am not allowing any electronics in the bedroom at the moment.  He can do his homework on it - likely to be necessary in a year or two.  He can research Doctor Who and do his laborious typing of cast members.  It is still a big, big present for a seven year old, which he will be just a few days after Christmas.  Last year most of the toys he got for Christmas from us would fit into this new stocking.  Not just the stocking fillers - all of them.  Obviously he also had a shed load of books, but I feel very challenged.  I wasn't planning on getting him that much.  It was looking like PC for Christmas, possibly games for his birthday, large quantities of books and then just a few other bits.  Bear has two huge boxes full of cars, he has far more pens and pencils than is needed, he has all sorts of odds and ends and bits and bobs.  I am scrabbling around for inspiration.  He has a bike, he has a scooter, he has everything.  He will be seven. 

What makes it worse is that there is a birthday and Christmas so close together.  I have to get inspiration enough to fill both occasions.  I don't like him having less because of the accident of his birth.   So filling the stocking and getting enough presents for both Christmas and birthday is going to be a bit of a challenge. 

I think I will start going around the charity shops now.