There’s nothing quite like the unbridled thrill of waking up on Christmas morning to see a stocking that’s spilling over with presents in the corner of your room. Even those among us who’ve outgrown the ritual still feel the rush. Father Christmas has been! And he’s filled his boots with chocolate, face masks, socks, lip balms and supermarket candles!
Though most people experience stocking magic for the first time as children – when the contents sit roughly at 50 per cent plastic, 49 per cent sugar and one per cent clementine – the tradition has followed a significant chunk of the population into adulthood. A 2024 survey found that just over half of adults give a festive stocking to their partner at Christmas, at a cost of roughly £62 a pop. And the contents are grown-up too. Unlike the gifts under a tree, these little luxuries are simple, small and sought after. Or, if we’re using the official term, “bits and bobs” collected by the giver over the course of the year as an extra treat before the main event. You know, just a small something to make life a little nicer.
