Every year our stockings would contain one orange-type citrus fruit (tangerine, clementine, actual orange, whatever) and a penny in the toe, one thing of scotch tape because we always stole my mother's and she kept trying to prevent that, at least one candy food thing, and at least one small toy.

And Santa brought stuff for my parents. And filled their stockings. Our stockings always had a tangerine in the toe and a mini box of cereal at the top and whimsical stuff in between. At some point we started trading names and each of us would fill someone else's stocking - that was pretty great.

I wish I'd gotten tangerines. The Christmas I was eleven, Mom put a book called Almost Twelve in my stocking. Explained sexual reproduction in a factual yet modestly Christian way. I believe I have told this story here before, yet the mortification I felt at the time was strong enough that I need to keep telling it. Also, so not fair for that book which was an extrusion of parental duty to tell me the facts of life to replace some actual fun presents.

Here, the cats get a stocking together - which we fill out of trips to dollar store pet toys. And Daniel and I wrack our brains thinking of stuff to put in each other's stocking. My forays into the dollar-dvd aisle at Walmart yield particularly lame results.

Yeah, we always got oranges in the stockings, too. I wonder where that tradition comes from.

Ouch, Andi. Way to make Christmas morning an excruciating ordeal.

I wonder where that tradition comes from.

A writer/quilter on the subject: [link]

Why do companies gotta be so stupid? Gah!

I'm not frantically trying to put together needs for a frelling dog and pony show for executives at the end of the month. This includes heads of certain animation studios that Steve Jobs is very involved with.

Oh, we had the red stockings with the white cuffs and our names embroidered on the cuff. My sister's name is pink in the last letter, because my mom ran out of red thread. I know Mom has since made stockings (do they match ours? I'm not sure) for the grandkids, and I think for all her kids-in-law as well.

Sorry for the stupidity, ND.

I appear to have changed congressional districts. Weird. I don't think Colbert's done either my new one or my old one, yet.

It's just typical mausewhichtz crazyiness.

I figured. But even the usual craziness is unnecessary and annoying. And therefore gets my sympathy.

Well, damn. I should not go looking for a specific music video on CMT.com when I have work to do. I get distracted by all the *other* videos I haven't seen!

We had Santa when I was a kid, and I remember walking in on my mom and dad cussing together one late Xmas Eve, trying to put togther a microscope for me. I was sad, but mostly happy I knew a grown-up secret my sister didn't. I think I was 7.

As kids, we always went to my paternal grandma's house on Xmas eve, and got to open up presents from the relatives there, and when we got home, we could choose and open ONE present from the parents from under the tree. Everyone opened ONE.

Then, on Xmas morning, we woke up Mom and dad early by gently shoving full coffee cups under their noses (hey, we were eager kids, but we weren't FOOLS) and then everyone congregated in the living room where all the presents and stocking were. Santa had been by in the wee hours with presents, in addition to the stuff we got each other. Suzy and I would hand out the presents, and then when they were all piled by each person, each person would open up one present at a time. We went in order of youngest to oldest.

Stockings came last. THen we all had donuts (a 12 pack of Dunkin' Donuts was the traditional Xmas morning breakfast)

When we got older, it changed slightly -- whatever was under the tree Xmas Eve was fair game, we added stockings for mom and dad, that we girls take turns being responsible for, and Xmas morning stuff is usually the "big" present. And we don't go to any relatives houses at all on Xmas Eve or Xmas Day. The ones we like are all dead.