The £50 cost of filling a Christmas stocking - no apples or tangerines will do

The £50 cost of filling a Christmas stocking - no apples or tangerines will do

Last updated at 23:52pm on 25th November 2007 Comments (2)

Only 16 per cent of stockings are likely to contain traditional fruit

There once was a time when children thought they were lucky to find an apple and a tangerine hanging at the bottom of their bed.

But this year parents will spend an average of £50 per youngster on stocking fillers alone – not counting their main presents.

A survey suggests that 78 per cent of stockings are likely to contain chocolate, 62 per cent novelty stationery and 50 per cent toiletries. CDs and DVDs (18 per cent), action figures or dolls (16 per cent) and computer games are also a popular choice.

However, only 18 per cent of stockings are likely to contain nuts and even less, 16 per cent, the traditional fruit.

In the survey of 2,000 parents, commissioned to mark the launch of the Rupert Bear toy range, 60 per cent said they planned to spend more than £150 per child on Christmas presents, and 3 per cent more than £500.

Some 88 per cent of children aged five to 16 will be providing their parents with a Christmas wish list this year and 32 per cent of those aged five to ten will be writing to Santa.

Children in Scotland are the most optimistic, according to their parents, with 36 per cent leaving out pillow cases or even black bin bags to hold their stocking fillers.

Despite their high spending, parents did not expect youngsters to return their generosity, with 34 per cent saying they did not expect to receive a present from their children and 33 per cent believing their children would spend less than £10 on them.