In my old house, I simply tapped in a couple brad nails on the mantle, but I’ve bought a new house now, and the mantle is exquisite-- gorgeous wood I can’t bring myself to mar with even a tiny nailhole.
So, how does one hang up a stocking these days? Surely, there must be some kind of invention for this purpose, but not knowing what it’s called, I don’t know where to start. What do you guys do?
Pick major dept store (Walmart, Target, etc).
Look/ask for 'stocking hangers"…they are weighted and decorative and sit on the mantle with a lip and hook that holds stockings. Some are figures, some are brass scultpures.
I just built a custom maple mantle and I ain’t got no hooks/pins/tacks…just the decorative stocking holders.
By the chimney, with care. Duh! 
Yes, Virginia, there is a way to hang up your stockings without ruining your lovely mantel. Look for stocking hangers, which are usually a weighted sculpture of some sort (Santa, angel, whatever) with a hook below. You set it on your mantel and the hook hangs down. Hang your stocking on it and hey presto! I’m too busy right now to find a link for you, but I’ve seen them everywhere.
Yes, quite a number of available stocking hangers, (operating on the cantilever principle, perhaps?).
I swear there were no replies to this when came in here . . . :smack:
Gotta type faster than 12 words per minute, Scarlett.
Those things look like they’ll only work with empty stockings, though. A couple lumps of coal, and I fear the thing would be on the floor…
You could also try some of those stick-on hooks which, when the adhesive backing is stretched, release. I’ve used them to hang stockings on a cement-block wall and they worked beautifully. No adhesive residue or anything.
Here’s an example of what Otto is talking about.
We hung 5 huge stocking off those last year (hooks were adhered to a wooden picture rail) and they were filled to the brim with gifts for about a month and never came loose.
I suggest the very large ones. And in SILVER if you can find them! 
Brilliant!
The stocking hangers are very heavy and they have felt on the bottom so as not to damage your mantel. My mother uses them and they hold up well with full stockings dangling off of them.