The 15 best Christmas stockings that you can hang year after year, per design experts
Original Article Featured on CNN Underscored
November 18, 2025
Maxwell Shukuya and Rachel Dennis
Unless you want to be Ebenezer Scrooge and skip decorations this year, you should start decking the halls with your favorite Christmas stockings soon. Because, come Thanksgiving and Black Friday madness, you’ll have a lot less time to think about what color velvet looks best on your mantel.
Don’t get too stressed, though. With the help of four interior design experts, we’ll guide you through a list of the best Christmas stockings of 2025, plus a few home and decor design pointers to ensure your space is festive and cheery. Since we do our best to be thorough at CNN Underscored, we’ll also point you to our fantastic guide to stocking stuffers, so you have something unique to put in every stocking on your mantel.
Best Christmas stockings
Wondershop Knit Monogram Christmas Stocking in Red
"For growing families, Target's classic red knit monogram stocking has been a long-standing favorite," Natalie Biles, founder and co-owner of Shine Interior Design Studio, said. The same style returns yearly, she added, so you can keep your decor cohesive if you add little ones or fur babies.
Pawliss Farmhouse Knitted Personalized Christmas Stockings, 4-Pack
Megan Nelson, founder and co-owner of Nest with the Nelsons, said she typically shops for stockings at HomeGoods or Hobby Lobby but will search Walmart and Amazon "in a pinch." This set, which comes with four stockings in different earth-tone colors and cable-knit designs, is one of her top picks for 2025. They come with customizable adhesive name tags, so you can personalize each stocking.
Hearth & Hand With Magnolia Tree Knit Stocking
Nelson's number-one pick from Target is this knit stocking from Hearth & Hand With Magnolia, a Target-exclusive brand that was a favorite among experts in our budget home-upgrades piece. Grab it in festive red or green, both of which come with a decorative tassel.
Molly Jolly Design Personalized Needlepoint Christmas Stockings
"For a more laid-back or handmade look, Etsy is full of beautiful, artisan options from cozy cable knits, quilted collections and modern boho styles," Biles said. Popular seller Molly Jolly Design offers made-to-order needlepoint stockings, earning 5-star reviews across the board. On top of personalization, you can choose from 10 holiday-themed designs, ranging from snowmen to nutcrackers.
Mark & Graham Hand-Hooked Stocking
Featuring one of artist Laura Megroz's holiday designs, this embroidered stocking with a cotton velveteen cuff is the perfect way to add a festive touch to any fireplace mantel. It's made from New Zealand merino wool, and it can be customized with a name, making it a great under-$50 gift. Mark & Graham knows how to make high-quality goods, and the brand has earned praise in our beach towel review and many of our gift guides.
Related articleThe 19 best artificial Christmas trees that look convincingly real
Terrain Knitted Holiday Icon Stocking
For vintage styles, Morgan Olsen, a senior brand manager and interior design expert at Thumbtack, turns to Anthropologie. We've selected this stocking from the brand's lineup, as it reminds us of the wildly popular, editor-favorite Icon Glass Collection. Pair it with a matching Juice Glass, and you've got a gift everyone will be after.
Crate & Barrel Quilted Velvet Christmas Stocking
If you're looking for "modern twists on the classics," Olsen recommends Crate & Barrel. We appreciate how simple yet sophisticated this quilted stocking is. It's available in three classic Christmas colors, and we like that you also have the option to personalize it with up to nine characters.
Joan Anderson Arctic Friends Wool Christmas Stocking
For another Crate & Barrel find, look no further than this design from Joan Anderson. Made from a wool and nylon blend, the stocking is available in five animal designs, including a bunny, fox and polar bear, and it can be customized with a monogram or name for an additional $15.
$43 From $34 at Crate & Barrel
At Home Gingerbread Lane Gingerbread Stocking
You'll find "traditional and timeless" styles at At Home, Olsen said. The retailer's selection also has the advantage of being quite affordable, with most stockings falling in the $5 to $15 range. For something fun and different, snag this gingerbread-shaped stocking, which is covered in a fuzzy bouclé-style fabric.
Rifle Paper Co. Embroidered Stocking
This lush green stocking from editor-loved brand Rifle Paper Co. beautifully depicts the characters from "The Nutcracker." If you fancy this cute design as much as we do, pick up the brand's matching embroidered velvet tree skirt as well.
Pottery Barn Classic Velvet Bone Pet Stocking
If Fido manages to avoid Santa's naughty list this year, he needs a stocking too. Pottery Barn offers three stockings in this fun bone-shaped design (faux fur and plaid are also options), which can be personalized for an extra $16.
Steele Canvas Christmas Stocking
Our associate editor Jillian Tracy's mom hand-painted her children's stockings over 20 years ago, and the kids still use them to this day. "I'm not sure exactly where she got hers from," Tracy said, "but they're made of durable, thick canvas like these styles from Steele, which you can paint, embroider or leave plain to usher in the holiday cheer!"
West Elm Faux Mohair Ombre Stocking
When we think of Christmas, mohair and ombre aren't exactly top of mind. But West Elm, one of our associate writer Maxwell Shukuya's favorite home goods stores, manages to make it work. You can also pick up the retailer's faux-mohair tree skirt to match.
Quince Cotton Velvet Stocking
Whether it's a $50 cashmere sweater or an alternative to the Away suitcase, Quince continually impresses us with its affordable yet luxurious products. So while we haven't tested its velvet stockings firsthand, we trust the brand to deliver high-quality goods for cut-rate prices. This simple stocking comes in Spruce, Ivory and Red.
Pottery Barn Lit Embellished Stocking
Want your next Christmas party to be — dad joke incoming — lit? Invest in one of these illuminated stockings, which come with eight built-in LED bulbs. They're great even without the cozy, glowing lights, thanks to four festive styles. Buy a few now while they're on sale.
How to choose the best Christmas stockings
“There’s nothing better than grounding your holiday traditions in the same memorable decor items each year,” Olsen said. “Stockings are something you and your family can use every year and create core memories over.”
If that matches your design philosophy too, choose “timeless, solid colors or subtle patterns in heavier, well-made fabrics such as velvet, quilted cotton or wool,” Biles said. Olsen echoed those recommendations, adding embroidered and knitted designs to the list of timeless designs.
However, you can also use Christmas stockings to set the tone for your other decorations, Nelson said, selecting a new style each year. “Set the theme, and lean into it with every detail, starting with the stockings.” For those who enjoy refreshing Christmas decor yearly, Biles recommends Walmart, where you can find fun stockings on the cheap.
In either case, though, you don’t necessarily need to buy anything. “Don’t be afraid to use what you have,” Stacey Breezeel, the CEO and co-owner of Shine Interior Design Studio, said. “Embrace the nostalgia and repurpose your well-loved stockings … Sometimes the mix of colors, textures and memories are what make your home feel the most like Christmas.”
FAQs
To answer the following FAQs, we consulted interior design experts Natalie Biles, Stacey Breezeel, Megan Nelson and Morgan Olsen.
Where should I hang Christmas stockings?
“While the mantel is a classic choice, it’s not the only one, and sometimes it isn’t the most practical,” Breezeel said, adding that stair railings, bookshelves, doors and console tables also work.
Olsen agreed that there’s “no right place.” Wherever you place them, you’ll want somewhere you can “create a focal point with the stockings,” she said. “If putting them around the fireplace or stairs, decorate the space with some garland to create a more festive look.”
Meet our experts
For this guide, we interviewed four interior design experts to gain their professional insights.
Natalie Biles, founder and co-owner of Shine Interior Design Studio
Stacey Breezeel, CEO and co-owner of Shine Interior Design Studio
Megan Nelson, founder and co-owner of Nest with the Nelsons
Morgan Olsen, senior brand manager and interior design expert at Thumbtack
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Here, associate writer Maxwell Shukuya and associate editor Rachel Dennis tapped four interior design professionals to learn about the best Christmas stockings.