Bucilla makes more than ninety felt-applique Christmas stockings. If you’ve already decided you want a Bucilla stocking (and if you haven’t, start with the complete buying guide), the next question is the only one that matters: which theme.
This article cuts the catalog into eight themes — Santa, snowman, nativity, animals, gingerbread, Nordic, vintage, whimsical — and surfaces the three to five strongest picks in each. Every SKU below is a real catalog kit. Every recommendation includes a one-line “best for” so you can decide in two minutes.
How to use this guide
The themes below are organized the way Bucilla buyers actually shop. If you know the look you want, jump to the right section. If you want more context on what makes a Bucilla felt stocking different from a generic one, the main stocking guide covers the felt-vs-cross-stitch decision, what’s in the box, the 18-inch standard, and the vintage/discontinued market. For realistic time estimates per kit, see the time and skill guide.
Quick note: this article is focused on felt-applique stockings. The vintage / sampler section below includes a few cross-stitch SKUs and they’re clearly labeled — if you’re specifically looking for cross-stitch, the imagery and finished look are noticeably different from felt-applique.
Best Santa stockings
The biggest theme cluster. Father Christmas in his many editions — from mid-century retro to modern whimsical to traditional toy-train American Santa.
- Santa’s Festive Frolic (89784E) — modern Santa with rich color saturation. Best for: a coordinated modern Christmas mantel.
- Lollipop Santa (89705E) — playful, candy-themed Santa. Best for: kids’ rooms, whimsical decor.
- Retro Santa (89740E) — mid-century Santa aesthetic. Best for: vintage-leaning decor without going full sampler.
- Toy Train Santa (89485E) — Santa with a toy train, the classic Norman Rockwell energy. Best for: traditional American Christmas.
- Jolly Pups Santa (89556E) — Santa with puppies. Best for: dog-family households (also fits the animals theme).
Honorable mentions: Fly Fishing Santa (89724E) and Grilling Santa (89313E) are excellent personality-gift stockings for the angler or grillmaster in the family.
Best snowman stockings
Less specifically Christmas, more “January-friendly” — snowman stockings stay relevant past the 25th and look right through New Year’s.
- Dapper Snowman (89530E) — top-hatted, sharp-looking snowman. Best for: a modern, slightly formal mantel.
- Winter Wonderland (89540E) — silver-bearded Father Christmas beside a bowing white reindeer in glacier blue and dove white, scattered with sequins. Best for: the highest-detail snowy scene in the lineup. (Technically Santa-and-reindeer, but the palette and snowy composition put it firmly in the snowman/winter aesthetic family.)
- Frosty Family (89683E) — multiple snowmen scene. Best for: family groupings.
- Frosty Bright (89796E) — vivid snowman palette. Best for: kid-bright winter decor.
- Golfing Snowman (89474E) — personality stocking for the golfer in the family. Best for: themed gift.
Honorable mention: Polar Bear Buddies (89465E) and Snowman’s Quilted Delight (89765E) round out the snowman/winter cluster.
Best nativity & religious stockings
Smaller cluster but consistent. These stockings have been in print for years and serve a buyer who often returns to Bucilla specifically for the religious imagery.
- Nativity (89531E) — the classic Bucilla nativity stocking. Best for: a religious mantel as the primary stocking.
- Peaceful Nativity (89601E) — softer, more contemplative nativity. Best for: paired with 89531E across a multi-stocking family setup.
- Sacred Night (89785E) — atmospheric Holy Night composition. Best for: when you want the religious anchor without the explicit manger scene front-and-center.
- Yuletide Chapel (89797E) — chapel-scene stocking, religious-adjacent. Best for: stitchers who want the church / hymn aesthetic.
Honorable mention: Treasure of Kings (89787E) for the three-kings angle, and Peaceful Doves (89625E) for symbolic-religious without explicit nativity imagery.
Best animal stockings (dogs, cats, bears)
For families where the pet has its own stocking, this is the section.
- Jolly Pups Santa (89556E) — Santa surrounded by puppies. Best for: the family dog’s stocking.
- Doggy Treat (89315E) — dog-focused stocking with a treat theme. Best for: a stocking for the actual dog (yes, dogs get stockings).
- Bears (89622E) — classic teddy bear composition. Best for: a kid’s stocking with a comfort-toy angle.
- Storytime Bears (89328E) — bears reading. Best for: kids who love books.
- Santa’s Polar Bear Ride (89596E) — Santa with a polar bear. Best for: a kid who likes the Arctic / animal-fantasy crossover.
Honorable mention: Bear-y Merry (89597E) for a punnier, warmer bear stocking.
Best gingerbread & candy stockings
Warm browns, candy details, family-baking energy.
- Gingerbread Santa (89312E) — Santa in gingerbread context. Best for: anchor stocking in a gingerbread-theme family set.
- Jolly Gingerbread Snowman (89782E) — gingerbread snowman crossover. Best for: bridging the gingerbread and snowman families on one mantel.
- Peppermint Santa (89592E) — candy-cane palette Santa. Best for: a brighter, red-and-white candy aesthetic.
- Santa’s Peppermint Express (89611E) — peppermint and locomotive themes combined. Best for: kid stocking with detail-heavy composition.
- Santa’s Candy (89766E) — Santa surrounded by candy. Best for: candy-shop aesthetic.
Best Nordic & modern stockings
The contemporary corner of the line. Cleaner palettes, Scandinavian influence, less American-rococo Santa.
- Nordic Noel (89758E) — sage-green Fair Isle Father Christmas with a wooden staff, a reindeer, and an arctic fox curled at his feet. Best for: the single most contemporary stocking Bucilla makes.
- Gnome (89473E) — Nordic gnome stocking, on-trend with the gnome ornament line. Best for: matching to the Gnomes ornament set (89298E).
- Jolly Top Hat (89615E) — a snowman with a top hat, sleek modern composition. Best for: a coordinated minimalist mantel.
- Nordic Noel ornament-stocking pair — pair 89758E with the Nordic Noel ornament set (89754E) for the cleanest coordinated look in the catalog.
Best vintage & sampler-look stockings
This is the cross-stitch cluster. These stockings are stitched on Aida cloth, not felt — the visual effect is finer, more painterly, and the technique is different.
- Victorian Sampler (82830) — counted cross stitch on 14-count Aida. Finishes at 19″ diagonally. Best for: a serious counted-cross-stitch project; the heirloom-grade pick.
- Santa Collage (83035) — counted cross stitch with multiple Santa vignettes. Best for: stitchers who want a deep multi-scene project.
- Down the Chimney (83053) — stamped cross stitch (pre-printed on fabric, no chart-reading required). Best for: cross-stitch beginners who want the look without counting from a chart.
- Vintage (89457E) — felt-applique with vintage-poster aesthetic. Best for: vintage look without the cross-stitch commitment.
Important: 82830 and 83035 are counted cross stitch and require chart-reading skill. They look beautifully different from felt-applique but they’re not interchangeable kits. If you’ve never cross-stitched, start with 83053 (stamped) or a felt-applique alternative.
Best whimsical & contemporary stockings
For buyers who want a Christmas stocking that doesn’t look like 1985.
- Sugar Plum Dreams (89629E) — pastel, dreamy palette. Best for: a kid’s stocking that grows into adulthood.
- Peaceful Doves (89625E) — symbolic doves on a soft background. Best for: a religious-adjacent piece that reads as modern.
- Posh Poinsettias (89565E) — botanical-elegant. Best for: a formal mantel.
- Blossoms & Birds (89554E) — birds and flowers, less explicitly Christmas. Best for: a buyer who wants a winter stocking, not a Christmas stocking.
How to coordinate stockings across a family
A real question that comes up every November: do the stockings on the mantel need to match?
Two valid approaches:
Same theme, different design. Pick a theme — Santa, snowman, nativity, gingerbread — and choose a different SKU from the theme for each family member. Mantel reads as coherent without identical stockings. This is the most common path; the theme-based sections above are designed for it.
One-per-personality. Each family member gets the stocking that fits them — Dad gets Grilling Santa, Mom gets Posh Poinsettias, the kid gets Lollipop Santa, the dog gets Doggy Treat. The mantel reads as a portrait of the family rather than a coordinated set. Works best when the stockings share at least the same length (the 18-inch Bucilla standard means most felt SKUs match).
What doesn’t work: mixing felt-applique stockings with counted cross-stitch stockings on the same mantel. The technique difference is too visible. If you want the cross-stitch look, commit the whole family to cross-stitch.
For coordinating beyond the stockings, the felt ornament kits guide covers which ornament sets pair with which stockings.
FAQ
Are all of these stockings currently in print? Bucilla refreshes the line annually, so some designs rotate out of print over time. For retired and vintage editions, the main stocking guide covers where to find them.
Can I mix felt and cross-stitch stockings on one mantel? Honest answer: no, not well. The technique difference shows. Pick one family or commit.
Do these stockings come pre-lined? No. Pair them with the Bucilla Snowflakes Stocking Liner (89673E) if you want a fabric-lined interior.
Where can I find more Santa / snowman / nativity options? The full catalog is at /product-category/seasonal-felt-kits/stockings. The themes above cover the strongest picks; the full theme cluster has more depth than this article covers.
What to choose next
The full lineup is at the stockings category. For the deeper buying context, return to the complete buying guide; for honest time estimates per kit, see the time and skill guide.
Pick the theme that fits your family. The stocking comes later.