We always had an orange in the toe plus unshelled nuts and Hershey's kisses. Sometimes, there would also be a small gift like a handkerchief, a barrette or a Matchbox car.

We got oranges too! Some candies and small items.
Mom always stuffed my underwear in a paper towel roll and wrapped it.

We always got an orange in the toe, too!

Then other miscellaneous things, but I only remember the orange.

Yep...I had an orange or apple in the toe of my stocking. There was always nuts (in the shell) and I always got little things like special soaps, toothpaste, etc.

I don't remember that we had that tradition when I was little. We've done it for our kids though, and I just put in little stuff like a book, chapstick, small toys, etc.

I chuckle at the "stocking stuffers" advertised in the newspaper as they are often so expensive. If that's the stocking stuffer, what's the gift?!

I remember getting rolled up "fancy" ankle sox,and always candy. We never got fruit and nuts but Mom kept bowls of them on the dining room table. I still have my Christmas stocking from childhood, but it's in a closet. I don't use it for a decoration anymore. I still make my 2 girls (ages 22 and 23) stockings. Little stuff, trial size shampoos,candy they like, etc.

I don't think we ever had stockings... if we did there wasn't anything too memorable in them. lol

I loved marischino cherries and fresh coconuts, so I usually got one or both!

Sometimes an orange or an apple but not always. Cracker jacks, book of lifesavers, other assorted candy, little toys like a bracelet or ball or Christmas wind-up toy. Not a lot of things.

We didn't do stockings when I was growing up. I started doing them when DS was very young.

Always the orange and the other goodies as mentioned. I think the orange is a generation thing. I would put a small box of breakfast cereal in my boys socks so they could eat breakfast while opening the little gifts. I always give a few stocking stuffers today even tho we dont really exchange gifts.

We do stockings with my husband's family. Little packages of kleenex, cute sticky notes, chocolate bars, joke presents (a small can of prune juice once someone hits 50). In recent years though some of us have quit participating - we just had too much *stuff* accumulating.

I agree with the cost of stocking stuffers that are advertised - I think I saw some at Starbucks for $20! Something for that price is a present in my family!

We never had Christmas stockings as kids, but the church would always hang a net-like fake stocking (like an onion sack) on the outside of our front door sometime overnight. It had oranges, candy, forget what else. It was the only time we had fresh fruit when we were kids cause it was so expensive.

I think we're all children of the Depression parents. Always an orange or tangerine in the toe. And barrettes. I always got those dime store bon-bons (those yellow, chocolate, pink and white things) in mine because I love them. Always some paper dolls and a candy cane.

My daughter always got a slinky in the toe of hers. A few years ago I made her a stocking--with a slinky in the toe :0.

We always had a bowl of nuts in a bowl to crack, too. It was so special. We didn't get many sweets during the year so Christmas was like a sugar fix for us. Mother made divinity, pecan pralines, fudge (the kind you had to beat to death), and fondant. And lot of cookies. We also had those hard filled candies and ribbon candy. Wow--no wonder we all like Christmas so much!

An orange, nuts in the shell, Christmas cookies and I don't remember if there was anything else.

Everybody is mentioning an orange in their stockings but I doubt if any young ppl today understand the significance of that. For those of us who are baby boomers we grew up in the 50's and early 60's and the interstate highway system had not yet been constructed. In addition, mechanical refrigeration on truck trailers or railroad cars was still in its infancy. Primarily they used what is known as a bunker/blower trailer. The bunker/blower trailers had a big bunker (a box) full of block ice on the nose of the trailer and a blower that was powered by wind resistance as the trailer moved down the highway. A trip from Florida to New York took upwards of 5 days and they had to stop each day to add ice to the bunker. That system worked fine for harder produce like brocoli, califlower or even tomatoes (which were packed green) but Shipping oranges, tangerines and other tropical fruits from Florida, Texas and California to markets in the midwest or the east coast was very difficult, which made tropical fruits extremely expensive. Getting an orange or a tangerine was a real treat in those days.

On the other hand, they had problems with bananas freezing in the trailers when they hit the colder climates up north, so they actually had charcoal burners in the trailers to prevent the bananas from freezing. Some of you may remember that in those days bananas had black spots on the skin. Those spots were actually a result of smoke from the charcoal burners.

Today a refrigerated truck can deliver a load from Florida to Chicago or New York in 24hours and less than 3 days from S. California to Boston so we have an abundance of citrus in any grocery store, not to mention, some tropical fruit items that are flown in from around the world on refrgerated transport aircraft.

guess I'm too old.

Remember the stockings but don't remember what was in them :o(

My Mom was a real rebel, she put tangerines in my stocking instead of oranges. :-)

And I also got nuts. Later in the day we would roast chestnuts by an open fire (hum, sounds kind of lyrical)

There would also be some candy and perhaps socks or a toy.

Jodi-

I was a child of Depression era parents. They always gave us tangerines and nuts in our stockings - which seemed kind of pointless since there was always a bowl of tangerines on the table for snacking. Ditto for the nuts...I guess it was the idea of the thing? Also a small candy cane and small things like a Bic pen and a midget box of Whitman chocolates - a Whitman sampler.

This is my first Christmas with both parents gone. I feel too young to be an orphan. :-(

I'm #10 of 12 and we didn't have stockings,rather we had a plate on the table,and each one had an orange,some nuts and candy ,hair ribbons,new crayons.We never got a lot for xmas,but each thing was really appreciatedAs the saying goes,we didn't have much,but the house was filled with Love and happiness all the time.We always had someone to play with as well.Memories,love them!!
Kathi

We always had deodorant in the toe of our stockings! I grew up mostly in the 60s & 70s. We also got chocolate wrapped as coins, other candy, socks & other small items. I do stockings for my kids - always have - and my step kids & their kids.

When I was a kid all the real goodies was in the stockings so now I go one better,,,I hang a pair of panty hose

I reread this and realized I spelled chimney wrong!!! LOL!! Geez!!

When we were at dinner the other night we were talking about this and what we now consider to be comfort food. I never realized that we were poor, but looking back on things I can clearly see why and how we survived. And how neighbors helped neighbors and how families banded together.

You are so right, Lazypup, oranges were a treat, usually the only fresh fruit we got in the winter was an apple from the cold cellar. And the nuts were the real treat!

We always had oranges and nuts in ours growing up. We were dirt poor but lived close to orange groves.
Our children always get oranges, too. Now our neighbor has an orange tree. LOL

lynn how tender that gift was from your friend.

Kathi, nice to know that you had a big family. I envy that as I have one brother who is disengaged and can't form friendships or closeness with anyone. I write long e-mails to him every night and he never answers. He is 72 and I will lose him without every knowing what is in his mind.He wouldn't know to come to me for help. That is how his brain works.

Gladys, my parents were depression era too. I guess there was a candy cane and some barettes maybe or paper dolls that I loved. No fruit for some reason.I'm like Glenda, I don't remember.

I lost my parents, both of them, when I was young,- 55 years ago. Raised myself and tried to help my older brother. I used to remember their voice but have lost it.I am sorry you have to have this Christmas without them. Yes, I remember saying I am an orphan now. It takes time to get used to that and then forget about that aspect of it all. Take care of yourself.

Oranges, tangerines, a box of those old fashioned raisins, a huge peppermint stick, and nuts. Same thing every year, and I always looked forward to it and was very thankful also.

I can so relate to all of your stocking stories...what fond memories for us all to have. There's one year that really sticks out in my mind when I was a young teen...Santa put a watch in my stocking and I was so "surprised!"

I always got a lot of cool trinkets and candy in my stocking. I used to love clear candy toy lollipops and those hazelnut 'ice cube' chocolates. My stocking was equal to my gifts in terms of excitement.

I used to do stockings for my parents when I got older and still came home for Christmas. Lately my dad has been asking me about something I put in his stocking 15-20 years ago - some sort of Rain-X for his car windshield. He wants more of it!

I grew up in the 60s. Never had fruit in the stocking but just little gifts and candy. Life savers (remember the Life saver "book"?), candy canes, Fanny May chocolate Santas or coins, chapsticks, socks, little pens/writing tablets, dollhouse doll or piece of furniture, little hand games like rubric cubes or the one where you push numbers around, etc.

Oh gosh, Marita! I had forgotten all about those lifesaver books! I got one every year! I hoarded those lifesavers to make them last as long as I could! I hid them in my dresser drawer! LOL!!

Gladys, I am so sorry that you are going thru this holiday season without your parents. This is my 3rd and I still miss my mom so much. There are a few others here that are facing their first holiday season without a parent or other close loved one. My heart is sending hugs to all of you.

I was born just before the dirty thirites began, so was small when they were going on, but the lessons learned in those days carried on for a long time.

An orange or tangerine in the toe here, too - and Mom was away from the time I was six and brothers younger - Grandma and Dad did it, I guess. There were uncracked nuts and some candy, usually, too. Don't remember there having been much in the way of small toys.

The story of our morning was hearing Dad rattling the grates of the wood- and sometimes coal-fired furnace, then adding some fresh wood or coal, before he went to the barn to feed the cattle and milk about ten, with the horses and hogs being fed after breakfast.

After a while, when some warm air began percolating up into the house (through those large old pipes - no fans blowing the air around in those days) we'd hop out of bed, scoot over and grab our stockings, then, before our teeth started chattering, run back to bed, to discover the treasures under the covers.

After breakfast would be present-opening time.

After I was married I found that part of Sue's tradition was that they could open one gift on Christmas eve: don't recall whether there was a designation, e.g. one that Santa brought, or whether one could choose which of several that one wanted to open first, leaving the rest till Christmas morning.

ole joyful