The Tradition

Welcome to Bauble Stockings™! My name is Kate Stice Stewart, and I have a special tradition I want to share with you. I hope you make this annual memory your own- everyone does it a little bit different- but the outcome is always the same, a special ending to a wonderful holiday that leaves you with memories for a lifetime. So "save the best for last" with your loved ones, and join the Bauble Stockings™ tradition. Bauble Stockings™, are a family tradition that matters!

A Bauble Stocking™ contains, or has a clue to, the final present of Christmas, a grand finale to the holiday.

The impact of the Bauble Stockings™ tradition is twofold:

• First, the recipient's final gift being the most thoughtful, chosen gift for them, gives them a sense of belonging and feeling understood and seen by the gift givers. This is so important for our mental health and as a family, we always want our family members to feel and know how much we care for them.
• Secondly, it brings together the gift givers- for my family, my children shopping with my husband for something special just for me, to let me know how special I am to them, is huge for them. My husband talks with them about all the special things I do for the family and what makes me special and what I would like as a person, not just a mom, or a cook, or a chauffeur, or a "worker" as my kids call my job. It makes my kids think about who I am and this brings so much more appreciation in our home.

The History

Growing up, my mom always received the last gift of Christmas as a thank you for all she'd done that year, and it, or a clue to it, was found in her needlepoint stocking that hung on our tree.

My dad called it her "Bauble Stocking™" because on a good year it was a bauble, a piece of jewelry. The tradition of brainstorming for this gift with my dad and older brothers was always my favorite part of Christmas- seeing mom's face was an added bonus!

When we got engaged, I asked my fiancé Peter, "So when do I get my Bauble Stocking™?" and he said "Your what?" and I said "You know, what the good gifts come in!" He looked at me like I was crazy. Immediately, I got on Google to show him and I couldn't find anything!

Every year it's different: be it jewelry, concert tickets, even art lessons! We've done scavenger hunts, hobby lessons, love notes, riddles, trips, heirlooms, puppies, meal delivery services, you name it.

The fun thing is hearing how different families make this tradition their own. I've met newlyweds in Raleigh who planned to switch years planning a trip and the other would find out where they were going, a set of parents who planned to get a new experience membership for their kids each year, and grandparents who love it as a classy envelope for handwritten checks. 

All Bauble Stockings™ are hand-stitched needlepoint made for fair trade in Jacmel, Haiti. Our manufacturing partner, Good Threads Needlepoint, is BCorp Certified. Creating this meaningful tradition in your home creates meaningful work in another.

Our original artwork is by Sarah Waton, a SCAD graduate and Alabama native. We also have guest artists, who in exchange for their work choose a charity for which to donate an additional 10% of profit from the sale of their design.

Since launching in June of 2018, we've donated over $127,000 to organizations making the world a better place.

None of this would be possible without orders like yours, so THANK YOU for ordering. You are creating a wonderful tradition in your home while supporting families in several others.