Where to Hang a Christmas Stocking when You Have No Fireplace

But what if you have no fireplace, no mantle, no chimney?

Not everyone has a fireplace mantle, but with a little creativity you should be able to come up with several suitable locations to hang your family's Christmas stockings.

Do you live in a 2-story home? If so, an obvious choice would be to hang the Christmas stockings going up the stairway banister. That's the way we did it when I was the child awaiting the arrival of the jolly man in the red suit, always arranged from youngest to oldest.

My boys had bunk beds when they were young, which provided the perfect place to hang their Christmas stockings when we didn't have a fireplace. With two boys, we hung one off each corner of the bed posts at the foot of the top bunk. Stockings were allowed to be delved into before breakfast, so having them hung right in the bedroom for sleepy eyes to see upon waking was a real treat.

If you would rather have all of the family Christmas stockings in place in a common area, consider using the entertainment center, or perhaps a sofa table. Decorative stocking hangers that sit on top of a flat surface with a hook hanging down are readily available at most department and discount stores. They come in a wide variety of characters and themes, so pick up a different one for each member of the family.

Ladies, does your husband have a home office? A desk, credenza or bookcase can be a stand-in for a fireplace mantle by using one of the sitting hangers mentioned above. If you'd like to be a bit more secretive about it, hang his Christmas stocking from the workbench in the garage.

Guys, do you fill a special stocking for your lady at Christmas? You know she's the first one up and puts your coffee on every morning, so hang her Christmas stocking from the handle of the cupboard where she won't miss it. Is there a hook on the back of the bathroom door? Sneaking her stocking there just before going to bed will guarantee that she'll see it first thing in the morning.

Figuring out where to hang your Christmas stockings when you have no fireplace mantle doesn't have to be a chore. Use these ideas to spur more creative locations of your own.

¹The Night Before Christmas - Clement Moore