Friday, December 10, 2010

The Great Stocking Dilemma

Here it is- The great 6 year dilemma of the Christmas Stocking.

(This is a 6 year dilemma because TODAY is our 6th ANNIVERSARY!!-- Making it 6 years that I have struggled with this problem)

THE CHRISTMAS STOCKING DILEMMA

I try to not be this person- but sometimes I am. The person who wants things to be just right- and if they aren't just right- then I will just WAIT to do it until it can be just right.

Examples:
I will not go to Disneyland with my kids until I can afford to pay for it all in cash- and be able to buy the toys I want and stay in the cool hotel.
(which is why I am not planning this trip for at least two more years, this isn't about money- it is about doing it right)

I will not put socks on that don't match. I would rather have barefoot, cold feet than two different socks on. (not because of the matchy thing- it is a texture thing-- don't ask)

I would rather NOT have Christmas Lights on my house than to have funky lights flipped different directions.


SO-
The issue with the Stockings:

I have SEARCHED the internet, every Holiday store, every possible sale for "the RIGHT Christmas Stockings"

Christmas Stockings are difficult. They are kind of like the centerpiece of the Christmas Decorations. (ok, I just reread this- and realized that OF COURSE- Your Nativity is the Centerpiece of Christmas...)Anyways, Your tree changes every year (at least it SHOULD- accept for all of you Fake Tree People), other decorations are more subtle, you can even change WHERE in the house you place your other decorations. (Ugly Angel can go on that shelf over there this year) But the STOCKINGS are HUNG by the CHIMNEY with CARE.

Right there- the mantle- the middle of the Living Room. You hang up your Stockings every year. Which means there is no Freedom to Change Styles. Luckily I did not buy them when we were Newly Weds. I would have bought plain red and white stockings and then added Felt Green Lettering with our names on them BECAUSE that is what I HAD GROWING UP. Now, mom, before you get all offended, I LOVE THOSE STOCKINGS. (I love the picture of Beth and me in our bare bums just out of the bath tub admiring the long line of stockings over the fire place) But the point is- that was MY FAMILY'S TRADITION, not JT's, and not OURS.

If I would have bought them two years later- I would have bought the Pottery Barn ones with Snowflakes that I like and paid the extra money for them to be personalized with our names on them. Therefore spending WAY too much money, and then I would have discovered the next year (when it would be time to buy Blake's) that they would discontinue that line of Stockings leaving me with 3 matching and a new one for Blake!

(as we know by now, I CAN NOT do the NOT MATCHING thing)

THEN if I bought them that year, I would realize how much my style would have changed. I would have bought the crazy sassy ones I saw at Pier 1 with high heals and sparkles and crazy colors. I would have loved that they were unconventional and crazy.

But then I would have had ANOTHER BABY! And I would have gone back to Pier 1 and tried to buy a 5th one in that style and found that they have changed their designs too and don't have the same line. And if they did have one close enough to appear match- it would still look like Macie was our After Thought child!

SO I have still NEVER BOUGHT Christmas Stockings.
I have never seen the PERFECT STOCKING that really matches my style. That isn't going to go out of style by the next Christmas.
But that isn't the ONLY PROBLEM...
(because I DID see the PERFECT STOCKINGS the other day for $30 each!! And could not BARE to spend $150 on STOCKINGS!!)
But the other problem is: I have never known HOW MANY TO BUY.

Do I just buy 5? WHAT IF we have ANOTHER CHILD IN 5 YEARS? Am I suppose to buy EXTRAS JUST IN CASE??- and then have the Monogrammed with the names they MIGHT be?? (maybe this is why my mom used Green Felt)

WHAT IF I BUY THOSE PERFECT BUT EXPENSIVE ONES AND CHANGE MY MIND AND DECIDE I LOVE THE VICTORIAN STYLE INSTEAD? (I can't even write that without cringing and laughing a little, that will never happen)

WHAT IF I BUY HEALS AND SPARKLEY STOCKINGS AND BLAKE IS TOO EMBARRASSED TO EVER HAVE FRIENDS OVER TO OUR HOUSE BECAUSE OF OUR STOCKINGS AND HE BECOMES FRIENDLESS BECAUSE OF ME?? (ok, I actually already ruled out the sparkly ones)

so, here we are, 6 Christmases together and No Stockings.

oh, maybe I should just SEW them.... I never thought of that...
just kidding

I Just ReRead this and realized that I am DEFINITELY MISSING THE REAL MEANING OF CHRISTMAS!! WHERE IS THAT CHARLIE BROWN SPECIAL WHEN YOU NEED IT???

10 comments:

  1. We have gotten lucky. We bought our stockings when we were newlyweds. Cartoony stuffed santa and snowmen on top. Then we had Ryan. I went to the store, and they had another santa one that looked pretty darn similar, but with a chalkboard name tag thing. Emily came along. Found another snowman that matched Ryan's. Three years later Allie came along. No way they'd still have the same style stocking right? Wrong! We got a reindeer one that matched the other kids'. So each year the kids stockings my change hands, but they each write who's it is for the year on their chalkboard. They love them. I still love them. Like I said, we've been lucky. And we cannot have any more kids because I'm sure there's no way that they would still be making them by the time the baby would be born.

    So I realize that's not really giving you any advice as much as saying "neener neener." I'm a great friend, right?

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  2. I haven't worried much about the stocking dilemma. Ryan brought like 4 stockings with him when we got married. Red, white, and fuzzy. I bought the girls stockings a few years ago...Kallie's is Lightning McQueen and Whitney's is Pricess. I realize they will grow out of the styles eventually--which is when I will buy the matchy-matchy stockings. Because by then, the character stockings will have fallen apart anyway. And hopefully by then, I will know how many stockings I need. Then my kids can take a couple of stockings with them when they get married--and can choose which ones to use until they buy their own matchy-matchy ones.

    (Notice how I didn't mention Clayton? Yeah--he just gets whatever is left in the Christmas bin. Someday he'll have his own!)

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  3. I made ours (of course..because I'm to picky!) and I bought a little extra of all the material and have it in a bag and make a new one with each new baby. it's simple and they are super cute.

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  4. I thought I was the only one with the dilemma! Ha ha So I broke down and got 4 stockings BECAUSE we are the host for the BIG all family Christmas Day dinner party and I didn't want them to not see stockings. I absolutely know that we are going to have more children, but I figure that in a few years these stockings that I bought will then be out of style so I will have to get new ones anyway.
    I got classic crushed velvet 2 red and 2 green stockings with silk lining, Target $10 a piece (I walked past the isle at least 6 times because I didn't want to spend $40 on stockings, I'd rather buy more things for people) And my mom has an embroidery machine and will be sewing our names on for me. Done. Perfect. I'm happy.
    Good luck! ;)

    I'm sure my mom would embroider your families names on yours if you should choose to buy them. Anything for Nancy's daughter =)

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  5. I've never really thought about stockings (maybe because we don't have a mantle?) We just have cheap ones with the fuzzy tops from Chris' parents. We wrote our names with silver glitter glue on them. :) When I was growing up we all had cute different ones and I loved that.

    I say cheaps ones are good until you know you're done having kids (if you really want them to match) and you find "the one."

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  6. And that picture of your fam is soooo cute up there.

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  7. So, I made ours, and decided that they match by having the same pattern, but all the fabrics are different- same color family, but I can just go back to JoAnn's at Christmas to get the same type colors if I need to make another someday.

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  8. loving all the comments! I am glad I am not the only one who sees the crisis in this.. but I am impressed that some of you can be so easy going about a topic that is earth shattering to me!!

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  9. I still use the stocking from my childhood. Then made a coordinating one for Chad, and Jenna and now I get to make one for Leah! Similar to Shelbi, my Mom has a bag of extra material that I just pull from to make the stockings. I'd be happy to share the pattern with you, but will not be offended if it is not what you are looking for.
    I completely understand the importance of the right stockings. I look forward to hanging ours every Dec.
    Good luck!!

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  10. Check out Bucilla stockings (I think they are cheapest on Amazon) I grew up with these, Even when my little sister came along 10 years after me, our stockings all coordinated. We each have a different pattern but they look good together.

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