Christmas would not be the same without those special holiday stockings hanging on the mantle piece over a glowing fireplace. Filled with nuts and tangerines in addition to little gifts for each family member, personalized holiday stockings are looked forward to as much as the gifts under the tree, instead of lumps of coal for naughty little children.

An old-fashioned favorite is crocheted holiday stockings, which can be made into tree decorations, bookmarkers, and a crocheted holiday stocking itself. Due to the fact many are hand made holiday stockings, it has a history that goes back to 16th century Holland which makes a hand made holiday stocking part of the Christmas culture. Today, hand made Christmas gifts and holiday stockings have made a comeback due to the overspending for personal gifts that are unappreciated, unneeded, and unwanted. A handmade gift means something special for that individual person, whose thoughts they are in and where the gift came from—nothing is as beautiful as a home made holiday stocking as compared to a mass production line that thousands of people have on their mantel.

A pattern which makes a Christmas holiday stocking can be located almost anywhere on the Internet or in pattern stores, so making a holiday stocking is part of the holiday fun regardless which type is chosen—each person h as a different idea about what is the best holiday stocking to make. Hand made holiday stockings are always unique as they are always individually made, resulting in unique holiday stockings that are special.

Some ideas for unique stockings can be holiday dog stockings or holiday cat stockings for the favorite pet, or navy holiday stockings or other military branch stockings for someone overseas who is spending the holidays away from family and friends. The thing to remember is that unique refers to either the design itself or who it focuses on. Unique holiday dog stockings can refer to one stocking hung on the dog house with Fido’s name on it with his photograph on it, or unique in that it has Fido’s favorite toys or treats inside. Unique refers to an individualized item, with examples consisting of many patterns cut out the same but individually designed and put together by separate designers or artists.