A couple of weeks ago, my cousin Patricia (aka Ninang Pat)
surprised Antonino and Audrey with their very own Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse
Christmas stockings. The moment they saw them, they squealed with delight and
began shouting "Mick-eeeeeey!" and "Min-nieeeee!" while
hugging their stockings. Ninang Pat then explained that mommy and daddy will
fill their stockings with small gifts for Christmas. Although I'm pretty sure I
can get away with putting crinkle paper in those stockings and they will still
feel like they won the lottery because they're Mickey and Minnie stockings!
I remember when I was 10 years old, my mom made me a
cross-stitched angel Christmas stocking. Well, I'm not as artistic as my mom so
thanks Ninang Pat for getting the twins their Mickey and Minnie stockings!
Anyway, my mom used to fill my Christmas
stocking with fun little gifts until I became a teenager who, like many other
teens, preferred cash gifts. But I still remember the excitement of going
through my Christmas stocking because it gave me the feeling that I received
lots of bonus gifts.
The past 2 Christmases, we didn't do stockings for the
twins. In 2016, they were still in the NICU and in 2017, we felt like they
still didn't understand the concept of Christmas gifts. They were happier
playing with gift boxes than actual gifts. But this year, LaMom was able to
teach them that Christmas is the birthday of Jesus and that there will be a
party with gifts so I feel like it's also the right time to introduce them to
St. Nicholas who leaves small gifts for well-behaved children.
I just can't wait to watch Antonino and Audrey go through
their first Christmas stockings which is why last week, I decided to get
organized and shop for their stocking stuffers. Here's what I came up
with:
Orange
No Christmas stocking would be complete without an orange.
According to the story of St. Nicholas, he gave 3 bags of gold to the daughters
of a poor man which served as their wedding dowry. He tossed the bags of gold
through an open window and they landed in stockings which were drying by the
fireplace. This is where the the tradition of hanging Christmas stockings came
from. The oranges symbolize the gold from St. Nicholas. Thankfully, oranges are
one of the twins' favorite fruits so I'm sure they will be delighted to find
this citrusy treat in their stockings.
Mickey/Minnie Toothbrush
One trick to keeping stocking stuffer costs low is including
items the recipients use on a daily basis and will have to buy anyway. The
twins have been using Level 1 Oral B toothbrushes since they started brushing
their teeth but since they're turning 2 soon, they will be due for an upgrade.
When I saw that the Level 2 Oral B toothbrushes came in Mickey Mouse designs, I
knew right away I had to include them as stocking stuffers.
Mickey Mouse Board Books
I was able to buy a boxed set of 4 Mickey Mouse board books
on sale a few months ago. I put them away for future distribution so now I'm
adding one book each to Antonino and Audrey's stockings. A board book with
Mickey Mouse and Minnie Minnie Mouse, what's not to love?
Mickey Mouse Stickers
Yup, I decided to go with a theme for majority of the items since the twins love Mickey and Minnie so much. I got these stickers
for P5 per sheet from Shopee! As I've shared before, stickers can keep the twins busy for half an hour. That's quite long for toddlers!
Bubbles
The twins can never get enough of bubbles. They provide
great fun at bath time, keep them still during haircuts, and most recently,
made them stay in one area during a family photo shoot. Bubbles are affordable
yet provide plenty of opportunities for play and development. Chasing bubbles
helps toddlers develop plenty of muscles as they run, stretch and jump for them. How cool is that?
What are you stuffing in your kids' Christmas stockings this year?
What are you stuffing in your kids' Christmas stockings this year?
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