I have had the same Christmas stocking my whole life. So has my sister. We have never had any other stocking and we are both over 40 (she is well over it…don’t tell her I typed that. She will take my presents back.).
We take extra good care of our stockings and it’s not Christmas unless they are hung by the chimney with care. Randall got up to take ours off the mantle the other night when he started a fire. He knows they are special to all of us. Our mama made all of our kids stockings like Granny did for us and I made Randall his. (My sister’s husband is still waiting on her to make his….since Christmas 1993. Poor guy has a store bought one with his name in puff paint. The only one on the mantle. Sister missed out on the craft gene.). These traditions are what I love about celebrating Christmas with family. So much fun. Granny’s legacy lives on in each of us. I love that part the most.
We would never dream of purchasing or hanging any other stockings for our family. Tradition is pretty thick in our hearts and any change to it kind of rocks our center of gravity. I love that about us…don’t mess with our traditions! Every Christmas I love to have this Mickey Mouse beauty filled with all the North Pole surprises (coal has never entered my stocking). My sister’s stocking is Pluto. Our great grandmother “Granny” made stockings for every member of the family. You could go to our house and our Aunt Janet’s house to see Granny’s handiwork every year. Granny left her mark on every Christmas we have ever had, still to this day. My mother has made sure of it. I love traditions. Granny died when I was 12. Oh, how I loved her at Christmas and think of her every year at this time.
We always got a Lifesaver book and an orange in our stocking. Always. Sometimes more but you could always count on these two things. Check out this picture from Christmas 1981. I got a kitchen that year from Santa. We had on our robes too. We were such sweet little girls on that shag carpet. Granny’s girls.
Abby Jo
Life With My Sister 