Christmas stockings and well-loved toys

I am pouring over these Christmas photo from 1986 and seeing so many delightful things which bring back wonderful memories. We were in the UK, at Marlow-on Thames with Henk and Janet and Hans and Flora.

The cousins, Xmas 1986, Barry, Dirk, Jason, Lexi and Shawni

Firstly, Flora embroidered two Xmas stockings for the kids with their names on them, and they are hanging in the photo. She did 10 in total. These stockings have become integral to our celebrations each year, I fill them with all sorts of practical and fun little things, we sit down to open presents and always start with the stockings.
Shawni's stocking has moved with her to Wellington, New Zealand and I still have Barry's one and it is still in use.
I love this tradition. Thank you Flora!



Then there is Pinocchio, hanging top right.
Mom sent us a Christmas parcel with handmade treats. Her Pinocchio was a gem, 'adorable, he is hanging from one of the lights in the kids room. I've taught Shawni to answer 'Why has he got a long nose?' with "cos he lies".' 
He has a fabric body, twine legs, a huge ball of a head with a bright green felt hat over his yellow wool hair and sits on a swing. Even the feather in his cap has survived all these years.

He hung in Shawni's room until she left home, he is still loved, also packed up with Shawni's things and gone to New Zealand.

Barry and his Footballer doll.
My letter mentions that Barry was sitting from Boxing Day while we were in Marlow-on-Thames, but when he got tired he would slump forward and look more and more like his soft toy. Precious indeed.

An update for Nan on the 'littleys'.