Phones, not satsumas, now Christmas stocking treat

THE cost of filling a Christmas stocking has rocketed as parents replace the old favourites fruit, nuts and sweets with fashionable gadgets, says a survey.

Smartphones, tablets and fitness bands are squeezing out traditional presents like satsumas, walnuts and chocolate coins.

Families are set to shell out an average of £71 on an infant or junior age child’s seasonal stocking.

But the figure hits a staggering £119 once the youngster reaches 15, the research showed.

Just over a quarter of parents will put a gadget of some kind into their child’s stocking.

And one in ten 11-year-olds can look forward to a smartphone on December 25.

However, just 20 per cent of adults will give a satsuma, despite 45 per cent getting one for Christmas as a child.

Stocking present spending has risen steadily over the years, with the average figure in the 1940s just £15 in today’s money.

The most generous decade was the 1990s, with the average cost of presents put at £72.

The research by Barclaycard showed that we still spend money on Christmas stockings even after our loved ones grow up. People in Britain typically stop receiving a stocking at the age of 19, but 12 per cent of over-30s still get one.

There is also a gender split, with 53 per cent of men getting a stocking but only 39 per cent of women receiving one from their partner.

Barclaycard’s managing director Paul Lockstone said: “The tradition of the stocking may be hundreds of years old, but contents have kept pace with technology.”

Anne-Marie O’Leary, editor-inchief of the parenting website Netmums, said: “If children are used to seeing smartphones and tablets at home they’re bound to want to get connected themselves.”