Will You Find an Orange in Your Christmas Stocking?

As a child, did you ever receive and orange and/or apple in your Christmas stocking every year? I did and I always loved getting it. We did not get a lot of fresh fruit during that time of year ,when I was little, so when we saw those nice apples and oranges in our Christmas stockings we always felt special. When I was older I just figured that my parents had used apples and oranges as a filler for the stockings. I did not find out until much later that oranges actually have a special meaning when they are put into a Christmas stocking. There is a whole history about oranges, and apples for that matter, being placed in stockings.

According to Wikipedia.com, "A Christmas stocking is an empty sock or sock-shaped bag that children in the United States and some other cultures hang on Christmas Eve so that Santa Claus can fill it with small toys, candy, fruit, coins, or other small gifts when he arrives." Stocking stuffers can be some of the best gifts to receive when Christmas morning arrives. I'm sure most children who celebrate Christmas have heard that if you misbehave Santa will leave a lump of coal in your stocking. No one wants that, no do they?

The idea of using an orange as a stocking stuffer seems to have become a thing of the past to a lot of people. In this time of technologically advanced children, hectic and busy schedules and families having trouble just carving out time together the simple orange and/or apple as a stocking stuffer just does not appeal to most people. Sure, an orange in the toe of your stocking on Christmas morning may not be as exciting as, say, finding an iPod or a new video game that you have been asking for but it's the symbolization of generosity that an orange represents that should be more important than any high priced gift you could receive.

Did you know that the tradition of putting oranges into Christmas stockings dates back to the times of St. Nicholas, himself? It's true. The story goes that St. Nicholas overheard some young maidens who were upset because they were going to be sold off into slavery because they did not have enough money for a respectable dowry, therefore no husband could be found for them. After the girls had washed their stockings they had hung them to dry by the fire. The next morning they found enough gold coins in their stockings for a very adequant dowry. It is suspected that the coins had been thrown into the window or down the chimney and had landed in the stockings. The gold that St. Nicholas is known for throwing has been represented by gold balls therefore making oranges, and even apples, the symbol of the gold.

According to www.culture.gouv.fr, "Japanese oranges have a special meaning to the people who live in the Canadian Prairies. A gift from the East, their arrival at the coldest time of the year has brightened many homes and Christmas feasts for 110 years. To many, the festive season begins when Santa Claus welcomes the first major shipment of Japanese mandarin oranges at the Port of Vancouver, accompanied by young Japanese girls dressed in tradition kimonos. On Christmas morning the flavourful fruit find their way into many children's Christmas stockings." This was, kind of, how we felt as children when we recieved our apples and oranges. There were three of us and we greatly enjoyed having an apple and an orange to ourselves during a time of year where there weren't as many readily available fruits as there are now.

So why not try it out this year with your own children, if you don't already? They may just love getting that little orange and/or apple in the toe of their stocking. Once my oldest daughter was old enough to enjoy Christmas we placed an orange and an apple in the toe of her stocking and we've done it with the other two girls also. I think the best thing about this is the feeling of tradition we parents can enjoy and the hope that our children will continue the tradition once they have their own children. Christmas doesn't have to be all about expensive gifts and all of the holiday parties. Just sit back and enjoy the feeling of love. After all, that's what Christmas is all about.