greenchilesandroses: The Stockings of Christmas
We children were told that if we were not good, we would get that hard balls of black carbon in our young. For my part, knew what it was because we burned in the fireplace. The fire was cozy. It burned, but to keep us warm. We did not have ovens, most of us. We have had homes and perhaps a gas heater or two in the busiest rooms. I knew that coal was, and I did not, and children in the vineyard, we had all heard of some of the children who misbehave so badly, especially in the weeks before Christmas, they received only a piece of coal. Or perhaps both. And the kids I knew, everyone believed in Santa Claus.In my family, I was told that if Santa put gifts under the tree for me, even my parents were Santa goodies in their stockings. Not good - Er, great stuff - but something from Santa. So when I went to bed on Christmas Eve, I hung up, not my bottom, but my socks, preferably the oldest, the most tense I could find in the drawer. And my father hung black socks, fitting a size 12 foot, and also the old and stretched. Mother and hung one of her nylons, one with a race in it - you know what a race is in hosiery, people much younger than me?More practically, it is one that has been stretched and torn and ruined and should be thrown out, but great for Christmas Eve.After all the neighbors will not see them. Only those who have hanged. On Christmas morning, no matter how tempting the table under the tree, he first had to remove our socks and open. Mine always had a candy cane, I remember, and Christmas ribbon candy, some of which I like and some I did not, and a number of things, perhaps as a tangerine. I loved tangerines. Perhaps a package of No. 2 pencils with my name printed on them, and / or a yo-yo or so. Jacks. Pickup Sticks.(yawn) Pleasant. I always checked, and stocking looong my mother has never been more than half full with stupid tricks like an apple and an orange in it. Ha!...
An antique child's sled, an apple crate filled with greens, pepper berry branches, hand-knitted stockings laced with sherbet colored ribbons and other
