Every family has their traditions – the things you do year after year that flavor the holiday – the things you look forward to and look back and remember. One of the traditions that stands out for me are Christmas stockings. Our stockings held some of our most remembered gifts. I remember a ring when I was a preteen. I remember some fishing lures the year I received my own fishing pole. Our stockings were put out in different locations depending on what house we were in. I remember them by the heating stove. I remember them on the mantel. I remember them going up the stairs – one on each step. Christmas morning, the stockings were placed on each person’s lap. Adults had them too. We would delve in and you could hear the comments and laughter as items were fished out of the stockings. At first I am sure it was my mother who was responsible for the stockings when we were little, but as we girls grew older, we each contributed as well. At this point in our lives, we women go into a bedroom on the eve after any little ones are in bed and lay out all the stockings of everyone in the house. Sometimes it can be close to 20. We pull out our bags of goodies that we have been accumulating. Some items are for very specific people and if it is for one of us, we tuck it in when the recipient isn’t looking. Some gifts are more generic – socks, pens, candles, candy, lotions and they go into stockings that look like they are needing a little bit more. But the next morning– oh, the fun of it. We often know who put what in our stockings and smile our thanks to that person. I have my bags of goodies ready to take to Florida and tomorrow night I will help with being one of Santa’s elves. Such fun!
Jonda S. Beattie Professional Organizer
