I'm a child of the 50's (early 50's LOL) we had xmas stockins with an apple an orange and a tanrerine, nuts and a popcorn ball along with chocolate candy coins and coloring books and crayons. I still put the fruit and nuts, popcorn balls in the kids/grand kids stockings they love it. My mother in law allways used new tube socks for the stockings and before we left we had to empty them into a bag as the socks were for my FIL. LOL Love memories as our parents are no longer with us.

I remember the old clean sock. Knee-hi socks were the best. There would be an orange with occasionally a 50 cent piece plus assorted shelled mixed nuts and best of all would be the mixture of Lucky Charms and Fruit Loops cereal in the stocking. Sometimes there would be the gold foil wrapped chocolate coins (pirate's treasure) in with the cereal. The dry cereal and nuts would all be mixed together. DH had essentially the same tradition. I do remember the books of Lifesavers candies that used to be available around Christmas time.
My girls used to get an orange but not any more as neither of them eat oranges but always some special candy and some small present and occasionally some money but usually a gas or I-Tunes gift card. We usually have decks of playing cards in them also because we play card games at the house.

I remember those days, too. Yep - we had one of our socks hanging somewhere. We didn't always have a mantle. M&D would put fruit in them, too. Those were the days, my friend. We didn't realize how much fun we had, nor the problems we were having, until we became adults.
We fill plastic shoe boxes (some are furnished card board ones), with little dollar items or whatever will fit in the box. Right now some of us at church have started on pillow case dresses, bibs for another group, etc. Not all these little dresses are done by pillow cases - some are made from scratch from material that we have in our "stash". These boxes are shipped then by another organization to the needy children in various countries. It makes you feel really good that we can contribute things like that.
Dodee [email protected]

my three year old grandson is getting his stocking stuff in a hat this year. He doesn't 'get' the stocking thing

Gosh, it's nice to reminisce about the olden days, isn't it? Sometimes I wish we could go back and visit just for a little while. I'm not sure I want to give up all the modern conveniences we have today, but a little while would be okay. I especially wish we could relive those Christmases with our parents and grandparents and cousins. How much fun we had then. But I suppose our kids and grandkids will be saying the same thing about their "old-fashioned Christmases" in about twenty years time.

We had knee socks for stockings til I was about 5. My older sister would wake us up about 5:30 but we weren't allowed downstairs til 6 so we'd lay on our stomachs and peer down the stairs at the clock in the living room. The stockings contained a very precious orange or tangerine, maybe LifeSavers, hair clips, mini deck of cards (Old Maid, Go Fish), and socks. We'd start pestering Mom and Dad to get up about 7 am. With 6 children they didn't get much sleep. and poor Santa often worked late into the night putting together some things for my brother. I still have the granny square stocking my Mom made for my 1st married Christmas. I'm not in the mood for Christmas decorating this year, but thanks to this thread I think I'll bring out the stocking and a lighted ceramic tree my sister made me.

Oh, I have to chime in on this! I never hung a stocking as a child (we were lucky to have Christmas at all) but we have always done so for our children. Still do to this day, along with ones for the grands. My DH shops all year for odds (and I do mean odd) and ends to toss in the stockings - rubber snakes, whirlygigs, tiny puzzles - anything fun and unexpected. The year they all got those rubbery spiders you throw at the wall - they cling and then gradually "walk" down the wall - was fun. I, on the other hand, contribute toothbrushes, face wipes, brushes - little necessities. And occasionally something nice from James Avery for the girls. But the Christmas stockings are always a highlight of our day.

school supplies for those in school and some treats

My adult kids remember the stockings more than anything - they didn't want the stockings to end when they moved out.

Love this thread!! My "children" (ages 34, 29, and 25) all receive new toothbrushes and floss.. fleece gloves, a new scarf, maybe a new flashlight, batteries, and yes, plenty of fruit!! We usually hide some money in another small gift... like unwrap and rewrap a stick of gum, placing the money in the gum... or finding some small toy that has a little opening and getting the money in there... One year, we carefully opened walnuts and then glued them back together!! fun times...

When I was a teenager, my sisters and I decided we needed to fill stockings for Momma and Daddy... after a couple of years, my older sis suggested (on Christmas Eve, as we were filling their socks... we would head to bed with a sheet covering up their socks and then Santa would fill our socks)... anyway, she suggested we hide the rest of the fruit... great idea... we left a little note in the fruit bin: "Ho Ho HO"!!! We received potatoes, onions and carrots in our socks with a little note: "Ho HO HO!!!!" great memory!!! Merry Christmas everyone!!