Did you grow up with "stockings" which got filled somehow between Christmas eve and morning?

2015-12-14T12:35:22-05:00

I do not know where the Christmas stocking tradition originated; but, as a child I was very thankful to find lots of small toys and edible candy in my stocking Christmas morning.
I think the tradition may have come from saint Nicholas who gave gifts to the poor of his time.
Gift-giving is clearly associated with Christ who blessed us by becoming Immanuel and through the Holy Spirit we are given gifts and bless others and are in turn blessed by others.
I am glad as I expect most children are that the "stockings" are so much bigger than most people's feet. :-)
Do you have a Christmas stocking tradition in your family?

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Dec 14 at 2015 12:38 PM

2015-12-14T12:38:58-05:00

From as far back as I can remember, I spent Christmas with my mother's sister's family in Bethesda Maryland. Sometimes when I was young we would sneak to see how the stockings which were hung at an actual fireplace were filled. When I was young I never discovered who actually filled the stockings and believed that it was santa claus. Our family rule was that we could eat and play with whatever was in our stocking as soon as we got up [after daybreak] on Christmas morning.
I have done my best to pass on that tradition to my own sons.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2015 12:42 PM

2015-12-14T12:42:22-05:00

To this day, I still wonder how my stocking gets filled.

Response by Capt Mark Strobl made Dec 14 at 2015 12:47 PM

2015-12-14T12:47:14-05:00

Toys and candy?! Last couple of years, I've only received lumps of coal...

Response by PO3 Steven Sherrill made Dec 14 at 2015 1:02 PM

2015-12-14T13:02:18-05:00

LTC Stephen F. With Star Wars coming back this week, best stocking ever, was stuffed full of sugary goodness and Star Wars Action figures. Sadly now everything seems to be plugged in so it is so much harder to find good stocking stuffers that the kids will appreciate.

Response by Col Joseph Lenertz made Dec 14 at 2015 1:21 PM

2015-12-14T13:21:19-05:00

Yes, and since my dad grew up in the Depression, fresh fruit (an orange was a rare treat for him) was always one of the items. We continued the tradition, putting a piece of their favorite fruit in my kids stockings, expecting them to be mad or hate it. They didn't! They plan to do it with their own kids. Weird.

Response by MSgt Curtis Ellis made Dec 14 at 2015 1:23 PM

2015-12-14T13:23:58-05:00

Yeup! Those were the days...! :) No grand-kids yet...

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Dec 14 at 2015 1:46 PM

2015-12-14T13:46:09-05:00

Stockings were never on the radar until I got the Shock Treatment of marrying into it. The in-laws were aghast. So it was started for me and it didn't matter what I thought about it so go with the flow. So this year I get shocked again. Instead of "Kevin & Cheryl" or "Mom & Dad", she hung totally new ones saying "Grandma & Grandpa". I'm to the point where I figure a sock will be etched into my gravestone.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2015 1:53 PM

2015-12-14T13:53:00-05:00

When I was a kid, we had Saint Nicholas Tag on the 6th of December. You left your shoes outside, and in the morning there would be goodies in there.

Response by Sgt Kelli Mays made Dec 14 at 2015 2:17 PM

2015-12-14T14:17:44-05:00

Yep...I grew up with Stockings hanging from the mantle of the Chimney....and somehow it was always full in the morning, even when I slept on the floor in front of the fire place. LOL
I continued it on with my kids. We got glue and glitter and made our own stockings.

Response by CPO Jason Meier made Dec 14 at 2015 3:53 PM

2015-12-14T15:53:30-05:00

I haven't had children yet, but we continued the tradition all the way up unit I left for the Navy. Once we have children, it will pick back up.

Response by SP5 Mark Kuzinski made Dec 14 at 2015 3:53 PM

2015-12-14T15:53:56-05:00

I looked forward to it every Christmas and enjoyed the tradition with my kids.

Response by MCPO Roger Collins made Dec 14 at 2015 4:58 PM

2015-12-14T16:58:16-05:00

Just took this

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 14 at 2015 5:02 PM

2015-12-14T17:02:39-05:00

Yep. Ours had things like candy, oranges, etc., and it was the only thing we could delve into after midnote church services. All other presents were saved until Christmas morning. Kept the stocking going until the kids left home.

Response by SFC Stephen King made Dec 14 at 2015 5:14 PM

2015-12-14T17:14:50-05:00

LTC Stephen F. we still hang ours by the fireplace w/ care. Usually, a small gift, a piece of fruit and my favorite dark chocolate are stored and fo7nding on Christmas.

Response by Cpl Jeff N. made Dec 15 at 2015 7:55 AM

2015-12-15T07:55:53-05:00

Yes, we did it growing up, my wife and I continued with our kids and now we are doing the same with our granddaughter. We were allowed to get our stockings Christmas morning growing up and could open and play with the things in the stocking until my parents got up and we went after the tree gifts. It kept us from wanting to get up at the crack of dawn and go at the tree and let our parents sleep in a bit. I grew up in a military family and we carried the tradition all over the place. I always liked it, hence I continued it.

Response by Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth made Dec 15 at 2015 9:18 AM

2015-12-15T09:18:22-05:00

It was wonderful to wake up on Christmas morning and have the stocking filled will fruit, candy, and maybe a few small packets of fireworks. Great memories that we are trying to pass down to ours.

Response by Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen made Dec 8 at 2016 8:09 AM

2016-12-08T08:09:51-05:00

Yes and along with the stockings our tree magically got decorated. Parents quit tree as we kids got older, but stockings being filled continued. To this day kids and grandkids stockings get filled, and an apple and orange are mandatory items for stocking.