Christmas Stocking Tree
In my family Christmas eve has always been just as important as Christmas day. We celebrated with my Grandma and Grandpa, having to much food; Sauerkraut, Sausage, Spaetzle and other German traditions. We would exchange gifts as well, but we always started with our Christmas stockings! The stockings were all red and white basic stockings but they each lovingly had a name tag with each of our names. The gifts inside these stockings weren’t really personalized but they were always fun and always stayed close to the same year after year.
Each stocking typically had the following, 2 or more small chocolates, a package of peanuts/cashews/almonds, a small notebook/tablet, and a scratch lotto ticket. For a few years there was always a can of de-icer for the adults, and a fun random toy for us kids.
With the extended family all together and the fireplace insert to hot to have stockings on the mantle, my Grandfather built a ‘stocking tree’ one year. It was pretty basic and he used a Christmas tree stand to hold it upright. Well the stand wasn’t secure enough so once the stockings were filled it would topple over. Grandma never allowed the ‘stocking tree’ to be used again.
Now that Christmas eve is held at my home and I have the traditional stockings I wanted to recreate the ‘stocking tree’. I needed somewhere to display these stockings that have been part of my life since I was born but my mantle is full with our personalized stockings for Christmas morning. So I set out to Lowes to buy materials to create my versions of Grandpa’s “stocking tree’. I have had a great response to this simple diy creation and I hope you too make a stocking tree!
You will need:
3 dowels each 1/2 inch x 36 inch ($2.50 each)
1 large dowel (think closet hanging rod) 1 3/8 inch x 6 feet ($12.00)
2 pine boards 3/4 inch x 2 1/2 inch x 32 inch ($4.00 each)
Wood glue ($4.00)
Green spray paint ($4.00)
Sanding sponge ($5.00)
100 ct. Christmas lights ($3.00)
1 9ft artificial greenery garland ($6.00)
How to create your Stocking Tree:
- First cut both of the pine boards in 1/2, you will now have 4, 16″ pieces. Sand cut edges smooth.
- Form the stand around the large dowel.
- Glue the boards together, DO NOT glue the dowel in place, you just want a tight fit. By not glueing the ‘trunk’ in place it makes for easy storage after Christmas!
- Let glue dry over night.
Next up form your branches!
- Cut your 1/2 inch dowels to form the branches, my tree has 5 sets of branches. So I cut the dowels so that I have a 24″, 20″ 18″ 14″ and 10″. These lengths gave me long enough branches to hold the stockings and have greenery around the trunk.
- Next drill the 1/2 inch holes in the trunk so you can slide your branches thru. I used a bit that was a 1/2 inch but I ‘wiggled’ the bit around to make the holes a bit bigger so that the branches can slide in easily but snug. My first branch is 26″ from the base and then each branch is then every 10″ after that.
Sand Paint Wrap!
- Sand the cut ends of each of your branches so that they are smooth, peal off any pricing stickers that may be attached.
- I painted my tree each piece individually first and then put the tree together and sprayed it with a second coat.
- Wrap the trunk with the garland and lights!
Lastly
- Lastly find a great tree topper, I used an Angel that my Mother made and was on every Christmas tree growing up!
- Hang your stockings and wait for Santa!
This stocking tree is perfect for those that don’t have a mantle or fireplace! It’s also great for those living in small spaces, you could decorate with ornaments too and it’s a Christmas tree and stocking tree all in one! Best part is you can build it for only $50.00!
