Growing up, I would look forward to December 24th every year. Nothing could beat going to bed at night and waking up to gifts magically appearing under the Christmas tree. I would wake up and slowly creep down the stairs to check the scene. I’d have to snoop as best I could without making it obvious that a bull didn’t come running through the living room. I always loved how there was always something partially sticking out of my stocking. Just giving me the slightest glimpse of the goodies. Our stockings would always be filled with the best stuff, until we reached the bottom. What would be in there you ask? A lump of coal? NO WAY! You know I was always a good girl. It was actually worse than that! It was an ORANGE! Can you believe it? Like I wanted fruit on Christmas? Give me candy, cookies, or rum, but not an orange! It was always such a let down as everything I would take out of the stocking would get better and better, and then it would end with the orange. EVERY YEAR! I eventually figured out that it was my parents great tactic of taking up space, and as much as I hated it, it is kind of smart.
Until last month I had always thought hat I was the one who had the evil orange giving parents…until I sent out a simple Christmas survey to my friends. One of the questions was:
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
My answer: Oranges (in my stocking as a kid)
My good friend Maggie was nice enough to fill out the survey and send it back to me. All was normal, until I reached this question:
6. Favorite gift received as a child:
Her answer: I always loved my stocking. except for the orange in the toe EVERY YEAR!
COINCIDENCE? I DON’T THINK SO! Those Fortuna Co-op moms were totally pulling an orange scam on all of us young innocent kiddies! Admit it ladies!
6 comments:
JUdy says:
The orange phenomenon is deeper than you ever imagined. My mom always told us the story of how, during the Great Depression, she would get an orange in her stocking at Xmas. It was the best present EVER!
PS: That's false advertising to show the orange poking out the top of the stocking.
I always got socks or underwear at the bottom of my stocking so stop complaining about the orange. Fruit is so much better. Except there was the one time I got Wonder Woman Underroos in there. Those were awesome! Yeah the orange sucks.
My Grandmas also always tells us that Organes were all she got for christmas too!!
We occasionally got fruit in our stockings. I never thought much of it though, cuz there was also toys and whatnots.
I did a little googlydoogling... and found this piece of information from some website about St. Nick:
"The gold Nicholas threw to provide the dowry money is often shown as gold balls. These are symbolized by oranges or even apples. So the orange in the toe of the stocking is a reminder of Nicholas' gift."
http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=78
Instead of giving me a real stocking these days my mom draws an outline of a stocking with a Sharpie on a brown paper bag (the brown paper grocery bag with the handles from Safeway) and, after 30 years, still includes an orange in my "stocking."
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