Today I found myself topic-less with the end of the day rapidly approaching. Every writer’s nightmare.
So I did what every blocked writer does. I asked my sister for a topic. I think she intended it to be a much better outcome than it might actually be…but at least it spares you another cat or cooking story.
With Christmas a mere ELEVEN days away, the time has come to ponder…stockings. Do you do Christmas stockings at your house? Do you even know how they began? Apparently legend says that a man, distraught over his wife’s death, wasted all his money and had nothing left for his three daughters’ dowries. St. Nicholas rode by their home, threw some gold coins down the chimney, and they landed in the girls’ stockings, which were hanging by the fire to dry. And so…we now have stockings.
My stocking is one that a relative made for me when I was just a baby, I think. It’s a little felt angel with my name on it. And it holds something about the size of a tube of toothpaste. When I go to the store and see the six foot stockings that people could use as sleeping bags if they so desire…I think I got cheated. Nevertheless, Mom was always very good about making sure my stocking was filled to overflowing (since one item filled it) each Christmas morning.
My grandparents had some unique stockings. Grandpa’s looked like Santa pants and Grandma’s were Mrs. Claus’s bloomers. Those held more than a tube of toothpaste. Sign me up for a pair!
Anyway, I’ve learned that the quality of stocking stuffers varies from family to family. In our family, stocking stuffers were always the little trivial and/or practical gifts that really didn’t warrant a spot under the tree. We wrapped them…but they were the pre-gifts, so to speak. And of course half the fun was figuring each of them out before unwrapping them. Tic-tacs were always a no-brainer.
One year I remember unwrapping a bottle of shave gel (which I guessed before unwrapping) and Mom told me to wait a minute before I continued unwrapping the stocking gifts. She left the room and came back with about six more bottles. Someone had purchased them and then ended up allergic to that brand, so I got them instead. I was excited – because who likes to buy shave gel!?!? – and it was the good name brand stuff. Evidently it was only fun for her to wrap the first one, though.
But that’s how stocking stuffers went at our house. Underwear, socks, razors, gum, candy, chip clips, magnets, stuff like that.
I’ve noticed, though, some people really go all out on the stocking business. When reading Christmas ads in the paper, I’ve noticed retailers enjoy marketing things like digital cameras and diamond earrings as stocking stuffers. (If I give you a digital camera for Christmas, you can know that will be serving as Christmas, birthday, and every major holiday for you for about four years.)
So this leads me to ask…what defines a “stocking stuffer?” Is it simply the size of the actual gift? If so, my itty bitty felt stocking can easily accommodate a lovely supply of jewelry, and I’ll forego the tube of toothpaste this year. Is it the cost of the gift? The cheap stuff goes in the stocking and the higher priced stuff deserves a spot under the tree?
If you’re looking for a good stocking stuffer idea for me – and you just can’t think of one – I say let’s go back to the way the tradition began. Just toss some gold coins my way. I promise they’ll be readily welcomed.
2 hours ago
5 comments:
Bekah:
We did not do Christmas stocking growing up. However, my grandfather always gave us small brown bags to open. Inside were the most wonderful things to me: chocolate and hard Christmas candy; orange slice candy; and wonder of wonders: a naval orange! Oranges were one of those extra special treats.
We truly did not have a lot of money. (No, I didn't walk miles in the snow to school... :-) )
Most of our food was grown on my grandparents' farm. They also had apple trees, peach trees and a berry patch. We ate those fruits regularly. So, I think you can see why an orange would bring such a positive reaction.
At any rate, I didn't know anything about putting gifts into stockings until I grew up and got out on my own.
And now, in honor of my grandfather's memory, my hubby always sneaks candy orange slices and an orange into my stocking on Christmas eve.
When I was a kid, "Santa" (my mom) put apples and oranges into our stockings to show us that Santa thought we were good. But Santa also put in a small potato or onion just to let us know that he wasn't fooled into thinking we were perfect.
When I got married, I discovered that other families actually put small gifts into stockings, so I adopted my in-laws' tradition and wrapped small, cheap gifts for my kids and put them in their stockings.
Apples and oranges would be so much less stressful.
We had three cheap, cheesy looking little red stockings, for Matt, Lisa, and me... And on Christmas morning they would be filled with little gifts and candy, hanging near the empty plate and glass from which Santa had eaten the slice of Jesus' birthday cake and milk.
The stocking stuffing tradition somewhere ended, but I noticed Sunday that the cheesy cheap stockings were back out on my parent's fireplace like every year.
Tsofah and Skyepuppy - Have you ever heard of the book A Certain Small Shepherd? It's a children's book - and I don't know how long ago it was written. Mom read it to me every year for as long as I can remember. Her copy is completely worn out. Anyway, your stories reminded me of that one, because that family put an orange and a dime in each stocking. If you've not read the book you should see if you can find it - I think you'd like it. (It's kind of a sniffler at the end.)
Chris - I like the idea of leaving out birthday cake. (Although at this point I guess I'd have to sneak over to the tree and eat it myself. Or maybe the cats would take care of it.) Maybe the reappearance of the stockings means more presents?? :)
No, I haven't read A Certain Small Shepherd. I'll have to look for it, so I can validate my otherwise-traumatic Christmas upbringing.
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