My grandmother used to tell me stories about their Christmases as kids, and it fascinated me they got oranges in their stockings, and were thrilled about it. They seemed so ordinary to me. But not in 1920! It was total Little House to me, which I loooooved.

Zen, that's crazy about about your sister's guy. I hope they can treat it really aggressively. Jesus. I feel for your sister.

I just need to make it through tomorrow and I’ll be on vacation!

This was me today! Hit send in the bid, fired up the out of office, ...and an hour later my dad calls from the hospital. Any nothing-much-new~ma appreciated.

He says he feels fine, but he didn’t tell us he had angina and took nitrous the past two day. Fortunately (or un-, from his perspective) he DID mention it to his cardiac rehab team this morning and they were all “take off the gym clothes, muster, you’re going to the ER and being admitted.”

Erm, make that nitroglycerin. Nitrous would probably be a whole other up side / down side situation.

Recovery ~ma for your sister’s partner, Zenkitty. Perhaps they’re more likely to lose x-rays that are unlikely to be exculpatory? Anyway, I hope they get everything straightened out soon.

For about 9 years I sort of topped off my sister’s stocking. A couple of years ago that stopped being necessary. Not sure if my BiL stepped up or my niece took over.

Argh, brenda! Dad~ma

And wtf re the X-rays, Zen!

I mean - they're likely digital. Pretty hard to accidentally lose.

We also always got oranges and nuts in our stockings!

Wishing you're sister's partner the best, zen. That's so scary.

-ma for Zen's not-quite-BiL, and brenda's dad.

My grandmother used to tell me stories about their Christmases as kids, and it fascinated me they got oranges in their stockings, and were thrilled about it. They seemed so ordinary to me. But not in 1920! It was total Little House to me, which I loooooved.

I vividly remember asking my mother about what her childhood xmas was like in Georgia during the Depression (after her mother died). There was no tree. There were stockings. And in the stockings would be apples, and sun ripened raisins on the vine. (Because when you're dirt poor, sweet is the ultimate luxury.) And if it was a very good year, they would get oranges.

So when my Dad's Air Force assignment took us from Goose Bay, Labrador to Homestead, Florida we drove down from New Jersey and as we passed the orange groves my mom was freaking out like she'd seen Santa's Workshop. Because Oranges = Xmas.

We also always got oranges and nuts in our stockings!

...and everybody in my family gets a little orange in their stocking. The kind with stems and leaves on it.

Yikes all the bad health! Thankfully my creepy vision issues from last night were not recurring today, so they were either not serious or a brand new form of migraine or something, but not what I feared. Fingers crossed it does not reoccur.

I would like a cheese stocking. That sounds great. Or a charcuterie chalet.