Christmas morning

For the 26 years I have been a mother so far, Christmas stockings have been the lynchpin of our family event.

Even now, four young adults bigger than me pile onto my bed first thing on Christmas morning clutching their bulging stockings. It's the only day of the year the dogs are allowed upstairs and they scoot frantically around my room, thrilled by the unfamiliar smells and presence of all of their favourite people in one place.

The challenge of course, is filling the stockings. And that has got harder it seems, with every passing year. What does my badass, left-home-nine-years-ago daughter really want in her life? Every year I strive to make sure I end up with a balance between all of the kids and not just buy for the ones who are the easiest to choose for.

I'm not a big fan of shopping malls, so I've always tended to gather the necessarily tiny gifts through the year, tucking them away in a drawer for the special day. That makes for a more eclectic mix and the odd hiccup, but mostly it works.

Late on Christmas Eve night, I tiptoe around collecting the empty stockings from bedroom doorknobs. The brightly coloured felt stockings made by my grandmother - her continued presence in our event, more than twenty years after her death. Only my daughter-in-law's is more recent - a much more basic version stitched by me when she joined the family.

I'm going to share with you this year's choices for my youngest daughter. (If you bump into her be sure not to spill the beans!).

She is studying ecology at university and keen on taking care of herself. She loves anything that is green and clean. I wrap her gifts Furoshiki style (https://www.musubi-furoshiki.com/pages/chrismas-gift-wrapping). We have had the same fabric for a few years now, carefully folded away after each Christmas or birthday ready for its next outing a year later. I've never been one for perfect neat parcels tied up with shiny ribbon and this approach gives me the perfect excuse to wrap any odd-shaped items quickly - without getting any sticky tape in my hair!

Down in the toe goes the satsuma of course. Old habits die hard. A handful of foil wrapped chocolate coins is still acceptable since we collect and recycle the foil. She is rigorous about her skin care routine so I know she will enjoy the pretty little washable alternatives to cotton wool pads that I picked up from online store Make It Wild. Still on the beauty theme I know she will enjoy the ayurvedic face mask I got her from Gomata - and the idea that she is helping street cows while becoming more radiant!

Two more eco gifts are waiting to be wrapped... both from Mon Tresor de M - a small woman based business in Bali and Japan. Pretty, eco and interesting, I know she will enjoy the matching panties and washable pad (guaranteed no VPL) and her food and drink items in the communal fridge at university will stand out in their beeswax wrappings - no more plastic or aluminium wrap for her. For both items I choose from the many fabric designs on offer, tuning in to what will appeal to her.

There. Job done. Four perfect small gifts. The right size, the right look and most importantly the right philosophy. What better way to celebrate the spirit of Christmas than with gifts that also help the planet.

Happy Holidays!