A Christmas without stockings would be the worst Christmas ever.
It would be sadder even than Scrooge’s Christmas future without Tiny Tim.
Luckily, I don’t have to face that tragedy, because my sisters and I keep the Christmas stocking tradition alive.
An abundance of treasure in a sweat sock
Mom kept it simple. She understood that it didn’t matter so much what the stockings contained. It was more about the fun of discovery as we drew out each item.
Nothing about the stockings was extravagant, because we lived on a tight budget. In fact, when we were very young Mom didn’t even bother with store-bought stockings. Instead, she simply used Daddy’s white sweat socks.
On Christmas morning, after we had opened our other gifts, we dove into the stockings.
We never up-ended them and dumped out the contents. That would be cheating. We pulled out the gifts one at a time, pacing ourselves, none of us wanting to finish first.
There were foil-wrapped chocolates, candy canes, yoyos and little puzzles, nuts in the shell, and at the very bottom an orange, which filled out the toe of the stocking.
While we were engrossed in playing with toys and sneaking chocolates, Mom made breakfast.
Indulging in simple luxuries
Today my sisters and I delight in surprising each other and Mom with goodies we aren’t likely to buy for ourselves:
- Shortbread made with real butter.
- Chocolate truffles.
- Warm, fuzzy socks.
We also aim to make each other laugh. We seek out silly ornaments for the tree, refrigerator magnets with sarcastic slogans (Anne Taintor is a favorite), and gag gifts like those candy containers that dispense chocolate reindeer poop. (Yes, it’s disgusting — that’s the point!)
Recapturing childish glee
The greatest thing about Christmas stockings is that they allow my sisters and I to be kids again. To play, to tease, to eat too much candy, and to laugh until, red-faced and breathless, we collapse in a merry heap on the floor. Even in those years when we can’t celebrate together, we’re connected by this tradition.
I don’t remember a specific gift from my childhood, but I do remember the stockings.
Stuffed with everyday treasures, they were the best part of Christmas morning.
They still are today.
What about you? What holiday traditions from your childhood do you still enjoy?
P.S. Don’t tell my sisters, but this year they can expect to see this in their stockings!
Wise Abundance 
LOL! When my daughter was little, I explained to her that the gifts in her stocking were from Santa because since he had sooooo many children to visit, he could only bring small things. The big stuff, I told her, was from people.
She’s a grown woman and we still enjoy our small stocking gifts. Now, I’m likely to get a surprise gift from Santa, lol!
Merry Christmas! 😉 xoM
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Thank you, Margarita, for sharing your story about Christmas stockings. Your explanation to your daughter was very clever! I hope you find delightful surprises in your stocking this year. Merry Christmas!
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I still have the stocking that one of my mom’s friends knitted for me when I was a mere tot. It’s a pretty good size, even by today’s standards, and was really big for back then. 🙂 Yep, some of the best gifts came from that sock, and I think the common denominator was that they all contained chocolate. Chocolate is best—even if shaped like reindeer poop! 😉 These days, I make my mom’s walnut crescent cookies. They have always been part of Christmas for me.
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How wonderful that you still have that handmade stocking. I’m glad you’re carrying on the tradition of those mouth-watering crescent cookies. They are a fond Christmas memory for me, too. Oh, and the chocolate. 😉
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