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Christmas stockings double in value

Published: 18/12/2009

The value of an average Christmas stocking has more than doubled in the last 50 years from £121.60 to £305.60.

Children's stockings, which were traditionally filled with socks, oranges, chocolates and sweets, now contain iPods, perfume and gym memberships, according to the study by AXA insurance.

Variations in the stockings of different genders and ages were also shown, with boys' love of computer games blamed for making their stockings more expensive than their sisters'.

Older generations were also more likely to want books and chocolate in their stockings, compared with younger people wanting gadgets and money.

Nick Kidd, head of home insurance at AXA, said: "The traditional 1960s sock stuffed with sweets, chocolate, toys and books has been replaced with a sack full of MP3 players and computer games, which, while fun, could be worth more than you think. So much so we have seen a significant shift in the value of gifts over the past 50 years."

He added: "Over the Christmas period most people will automatically benefit from additional insurance cover on their contents insurance to cover these gifts. However, this cover increase won't apply at other times of the year and we encourage people to ensure that their insurance cover is adequate at their next renewal."

According to the survey, 59 per cent of respondents said they believed a return to more simple presents would be a good thing.

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