Today, I want to share something our family does every year during the holidays: a felt stocking Christmas calendar. This was all inspired by a photo a few years ago in Real Simple magazine, created by A Beautiful Mess. Now it’s one of our favorite traditions!

I made our felt stocking calendar in 2020. That was the year that everything shut down and we all readjusted our priorities and dug deep into new & old hobbies. I sewed each stocking and embroidered little details onto them to make each one unique. I felt like I was tapping into my childhood years of sewing projects for this one, and I spent many November nights at the dining room table working on these little stockings so that we would have them ready in time for December that year. Making these was very fulfilling and I loved knowing that this was going to become a core childhood memory and a magical holiday tradition for our family.

Felt stocking holiday tradition shared by family photographer and mom Nicole Starr of Nicole Starr Photography

Starting on December 1, each stocking holds a little treat, trinket, or note with an activity on it. We do one stocking each day from December 1 through December 24. I don’t fill them all up at once because I have a four year old who would peek ahead and spoil the surprise, but I do keep a list of what I want to put in them so that I know and can do it quickly without too much effort. Most of what we do are little holiday activities that do not take much prep or time, and every now and then I will include a treat or a toy. Tossing in a chocolate or two is a super easy one if I do not have time for an activity that day! If the items do not fit inside the stockings, I use a clothespin to pin them to the back side of the stocking.

I do this instead of Elf on the Shelf because I wanted to start a tradition that was extra special to our family, and one that would let me make lots of fun holiday memories with our little ones. Also because the idea of moving an elf into different spots and creating scenes for him every single night for 10-15 years is completely overwhelming to me, but sprinkling fun and traditional holiday activities and joy throughout the month of December is much more fulfilling to me.

Felt stocking holiday tradition for Christmastime shared by family photographer and mom Nicole Starr of Nicole Starr Photography

Because of this, my four-year old LOVES “Christmastime” and he understands that there is a difference between Christmas Day and Christmastime. He spends all year looking back through our photo albums and flipping through the pages filled with activities from previous Decembers, and as winter approaches he asks me what I think we’ll find in the stockings this year. He knows that “Mama does the little stockings but Santa does the big stockings”, and I love that I am able to pass my love of the holiday season on to him – and eventually on to our daughter when she is old enough to understand, too!