Ok guys, let’s talk  CHRISTMAS (and stockings)!!!!

My family has always been a little….intense about Christmas. I’m talking a three day decorating binge with a tree (or more) in every room, every holiday movie countdown series on tv, cutting down our own tree, and a yard display that can be seen from eight streets over.

No Christmas was complete, though, without stockings hanging full of tiny treasures by the tree. My mom had a special knack for finding the best stocking stuffers and was able to fit an unimaginable amount inside those tiny socks!!

 

Since I’ve been married and had little ones of my own, I’ve continued the stocking tradition with them. And, I have to say, my stuffing game has gotten better!

However, with little ones running around, setting them under the tree was not working out so well for me. I tried the typical stocking hangers you find in stores, but the heavy objects dangling precariously from the edge of a shelf or table set off my mommy anxiety.

So I came up with a better, more baby friendly solution.

DIY Stocking Hanger

These hangers are perfect for leaning against the wall next to the tree! The one I made holds up to four stockings but you could easily add however many panels your family needs.

Supplies:

• Pallet wood panels (or 1×4’s from the hardwood store)
• Wood stain (optional)
• 1″ screws
• Paint Sample from Lowe’s (I used white, but you could get whatever color you’d prefer)
• Paint brush
• Hooks
• Drill (with a drill bit that matches the size of your hook rods, if you went with ceiling mounted hooks like I did)
• Chop saw (optional)

Step One: Wood Prep

You’re gonna want to separate and clean your pallet wood (My entire cleaning process was just removing the nails. Keeping it super simple here haha). If you picked up 1×4’s instead of pallets, you will want to cut them down to about 4ft in length. (Optional: on my hanger, I cut off the corners of the pallet tops to give it a picket fence look. You can use a chop saw to get this look, or leave a flat top.) I chose not to sand mine because I wanted the rustic farmhouse look, but this is when you could sand it if you’d like a smooth finish. Next, you’ll need to decide if you want to stain your wood. I went the natural route and left my pallets outside for a couple months to get a weathered look, if you decide to stain for a different color, you’ll probably need to sand first so that the cloth you wipe the stain off with doesn’t get caught on the rough wood.

(Because I made my stocking hanger a few years ago and didn’t think to take pictures, these pallet panels are from a project I am currently working on. Which is why the wood color is a little different than the finished hanger photo. But I wanted you guys to be able to visualize the process.)

Step Two: Assembly

Lay out your boards face down evenly spaced. You can do whatever size spaces you want, but remember that you will need enough room to fit the size of your stockings. Once you’ve gotten them all laid out the way you want, take two of your extra pallets and run them across in the opposite direction to create the “fence” panel cross board. Screw down the cross board to the fence panels with two screws per intersection. I preferred not to see the screws, but if you would like your screw heads showing from the front you can do it that way too.

Step Three: Paint

Once assembled, you’ll want to paint the hanger. I chose to do a rustic dry brush technique. For this look you’ll want to dip your paint brush lightly into your sample jar and brush it on a paper plate until nearly no paint remains on the brush. Then, run the brush across your wood for a faded whitewash look. You can also do a full coat in whatever color you prefer.

Step Four: Attach Hooks

Now, all that’s left to do is attach the hooks. Instead of using a simple threaded screw hook, I chose to use a ceiling hook, typically used for hanging chandeliers, because I didn’t want the weight of the stockings pulling out the hooks. Not that we usually have crazy heavy stockings, but it doesn’t hurt to be safe. You can choose whichever hooks you would prefer. Either way, you will probably want to pre-drill the holes. (If your’re using the mounted hook, you’ll want to hole the same size as the threaded rod; otherwise you will want the hole smaller so that the threaded screw hooks can grab onto the wood and not pull out.) If the mounting bar for your hook sticks off of your wood panel too far, you will want to cut it shorter so you don’t end up punching holes in the wall when you lean the hanger against it.

That’s it! You’re done 😀

It’s a pretty fast and simple project, and you end up with a FANTASTIC looking stocking hanger!!!! I’ve been using mine for the past few years and I absolutely love it!!

Now all that’s left is to STUFF THOSE STOCKINGS!! If you’re struggling with ideas to put in those socks, I found an awesome list by Karli and Angie over at How We Do with 100 Stocking Stuffer Ideas. This is a great list put together by two awesome mamas with something for everyone in the family! Another great list I found for those green lovers in your family is 60 Green Stocking Stuffers for Adults over at Sunshine Guerrilla.

Well, thanks for following along! Comment below with the Christmas traditions your family loves; are you a stocking family or do you stick to under the tree gifts only?