Stockings-Only Christmas

What are your family’s Christmas gift-giving habits? Do you gift one gift per person? Do you set a price limit to spend on each person? Does your family skip gifts all together?

In the past, we’ve followed a set-budget-per-person gifting guideline, and in addition to gifts, each person gets their own stocking. But this year, we’re doing something a little different…

We’re doing a stockings-only Christmas. And our stocking game can get out-of-control; stockings stuffed so full they’re overflowing and distorted and don’t even look like stockings anymore! So, in an effort to be a bit more budget conscious, I suggested that we follow a few guidelines.

Here’s how we set it up:

• Each person contributes one gift per stocking.
• Each gift should be around $10 and not exceed $15.
• To have some fun with this new tradition and make it a group gifting effort, each stocking must include:
  • 1 food gift (think: gourmet chocolate or fancy olive oil)
  • 1 homemade gift (like these or pretty garland)
  • 1 home-y gift (think: candle, bud vase, water bottle)
  • 1 beauty or fashion product (think: SmartWool socks or pretty nail polish)
  • and 1 other gift

What do you think? Would you try it? It’s a great way to do Christmas if you’re on budget or just looking for a change. On my side of our family, there aren’t any young children yet, so that magical, Santa Claus-y feeling hasn’t come back around. We focus on quality time with family and friends, delicious food, and taste-y adult beverages, and this is the perfect complement to that type of Christmas celebration. xo

PS. My holiday shopping guide with recommendations on great places to shop for gifts.

(Photo from Hannah Queen’s beautiful Instagram feed.)