After 22 years of hanging stockings in my own house, I’m finally happy with our stocking situation.

For some reason, the first 15 years of being the Chief Stocking Hanger, I thought that whatever random stockings I stumbled upon the first year we got married and had babies were the only stockings I was ever allowed to own and use. That somehow, our original stockings were so tied to the true meaning of Christmas, and our boys experience of Christmas that switching it out would be some type of holiday treason.

Five years ago I got rid of our old 1995 random stocking that I hated and have been experimenting with different socks and guess what, no one cared! I’m happy/sad to report that as long as you continue to actually fill the stockings, your teenage boys and husband care not if they have pom poms and tassels on them.

We don’t even have personal stockings. Whoever has the biggest stocking gift in any given year gets the roomiest stocking. And at my house, we only do stocking gifts, so there’s extra significance for the stockings, and still, no one cares which stocking they get or how they look.

I’ve finally landed on a ragamuffin crew of stockings that feels just right for our house. I took a weekend last year and intentionally shopped around town for mismatched neutral, textured stockings that felt like they were collected over time. It’s all lies–I found them in one weekend!

Also, I’ve learned that I like our stockings to look relaxed when they are hanging. There’s no wrong or right of course, I just don’t like that starched, ironed look of flat stockings–but many people do and that’s great. However if something feels off about your stockings, maybe you need to switch up the style–relaxed or at attention.

I found two or three of our stockings at HomeGoods, but I wanted to share some online sources for you as well, here are some of my favorites:

faux fur from anthro

 

World Market faux spotted cowhide stocking

tassel stocking from world market

 

chunky knit stocking from LL Bean

I’m in LOVE with this handmade knit stocking from Lauren Aston Designs on Etsy

pom stocking from anthro

knit stockings on amazon

 

If you have some plain stockings and want to add some texture you can hot glue on some faux fir, pom poms, fringe, felted wool, tassels or cut some bits off a chunky sweater.

LAST CHANCE

PS, if you’re Christmasy home just doesn’t feel right, it’s the last day to join us in the new Winter Class (just takes one hour to go through but will change your holiday home for a lifetime!) find out more at The Cozy Minimalist Welcomes Winter.

Wondering what sparked the class–read how I packed all our Christmas decor away the same day I got it out here.