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Carrie, I know from a previous reponse that you say that I must be awfully bored to contact you. It was never that case,, Today, I reas your recent article and found it interesting and informative. Just like you. Do please continue writing and eduating us. Hardly am I bores. Sincerely, Lee
Thanks Carrie, I always had an orange, as well. And a tube of toothpaste, wrapped. I liked the orahge, but the toothpaste seemed a but underhanded...:)
Lee, that was when you went back and read all my back articles!!!! I'm happy to have you in my fan club. I seem to be working on a lot of esoteric articles these days, but I'm glad you liked it!
I think I was born somewhere towards the tail end of the baby boomers. I always had an orange and an apple, (that I promptly put back in the fruit bowl), nuts (that I promptly put back in the nut bowl), and finally what I was looking for... that I kept. That big chocolate Santa Claus! Looking back on it now, I seem to have been somewhat of an ungrateful child. ;)
We didn't usually get any gifts in our stockings, as the best Christmas Gift we received always came from Santa, and it was under the tree Christmas morning.
Joan, the orange wasn't the last thing in the tip? You and me both, ungrateful wretches!
I've been to Turkey, although not that part. It was Greek when Nicholas was there; it's Turkish now, or did I say that? St. Nicholas was the patron saint of lots of different groups: children, fishers, pawnbrokers, etc, and there are lots and lots of churches to him in Europe, especially.
Like Joan, I was born at the tail of the baby boomers or the vanguard of Generation X and was also an ungrateful wretch. In my younger years, my mom would put an orange in my stocking. I found this a tad bit peculiar. It's not as bad as getting underwear, but oranges were nothing special. I could get one out of the refrigerator any time. After I moved to CA, I saw that oranges ripen right around Christmas and realized part of the Christmas connection but I didn't know about the St. Nicholas part. I doubt my mom did, either. She was a true-blue Protestant. I don't remember if the orange was at the tip or not. It seems like the logical place since it would have been the heaviest thing in the stocking. (Yeah, we had the red ones with white trim and our names on them in glitter.)
I'm serious, we had to use our own socks! (Said in my whiniest, most petulant voice.) But remember thigh-high socks? I thought I would outsmart Santa ... it didn't work. My baby brother's dinky little sock was overflowing and I had this little lump of stuff, anchored by that orange, w-a-a-a-y at the bottom.
I guess it's better if everyone's stockings are the same size. Happy St. Nicholas Day!
We had the big Christmas stockings but it didn't matter because there was always an orange in the toe, and usually nuts, an apple and a little candy. The healthy foods were not appreciated much. But, we did end up eating them anyway!
Carrie, we just had Saint Nicholaas at our house; he brought Mattie toys AND a mandarin!
Nice read, we had Sint Nicholaas in Belgium, Dec. 6, and he brought the orange/ clementine/ mandarin.
For us Belgians it WAS a treat, and the start of the most anticipated fruit season; mandarrrrins!!!
I am with you, mrs_colla, mandarins are an incredible treat. They grow well in the New Orleans area where I grew up and I always looked forward to the season. We didn't have them in our socks though. We had them in a crate or gunnysack in the garage also a crate of Louisiana navel Oranges. Yum!
We had the oranges, too. Mom, in charge of all things Christmas, was from Philadelphia. Her parents came over from Ireland about the turn of the century, so oranges were a treat in her family. I too thought it was a bit weird, seeing as we lived in orange blossom land, but once she told us they were special, they were special. I think we probably gave her our nuts, since she was the nut lover in the family (do I see a plan here?). All I know is, I was happy to see the stockings with all their little bulges - Mom was always known for her ingenuity, so you never knew what would be in them - besides the orange!
Yup, we had nuts too - we put them back in the nut bowl! I LOVE nuts, but I wouldn't want to sit around cracking shells if there was something like, um, chocolate around!
Thanks for writing. Santa gives my kids Clementines. which they actually eat!
The funny thing is, I tried "carrying on the tradition" with my own children...who were less than greatful for a stocking full of fruit and nuts with a candy cane on top! They are grown now with their own young children and...somehow I think that tradition has been replaced by much more expensive stocking stuffers!!
Mine like the Clementine and the candy cane (I always hated those), but Santa always includes lots of chocolate and other yummy stuff. Also, my kids have a grandmother (my mom) whom they spend a lot of time with who indoctrinates them with all the tradition they ever need.
Thanks for writing! Maybe when they grow up they'll want to know about the "olden days" to get back to their "roots", then they'll ask you.
