We never did the stocking thing so honest I can't truly relate to this.

Of course Christmas "traditions" began with my parents when they came to Canada..and it was completely foreign to them. So things began really modestly and slowly. My memories are of..a 6 ft.high silver foil tree with lights. Only 3-2 presents..the concept of Christmas presents that were all shared for first few years.

And slowly more and more presents, different decorations...came into the house..because..it was us, the Canadianized children who wanted these things and wanted to reinvent the magic. It was us, the children that learned the Christmas carols, later we would buy the Christmas music, choose which Christmas concerts to watch on tv, etc. Helps alot to live in a country also where it snows for Christmas. (at least it did before global warming messed us up in terms of reliability).

Edelweiss, my partner grew up in a household where his mother loved decorating the whole house with freshly cut evergreen branches. That is the smell of Christmas to him..plus her fanastic cookie and stollen baking. She did the latter well into her 80's, a multi-day process. This was quality baking where delicate cookies would last and be fresh..unrefrigerated for 2 months.

This was one of my most favorite memories of childhood....stockings!!! A week or so before Christmas we hung the stockings. No, they weren't the beautiful store bought kind either. They were always my Dad's stretched out socks! On Christmas morning they were the first thing to come down and be enjoyed. With three excited kids, my Mom knew how to keep us entertained for awhile....so she always let us do this very soon upon awakening. In the toe were nuts and always a tangerine or two. From there we enjoyed finding small inexpensive toys and fun things. Oh, how I miss that! While my daughter was growing up, she always enjoyed the same thing but I must admit that the stockings changed. She had a special knit stocking made by her Nona.

Thanks for sharing your childhood Christmas stocking memories. My abuelitas set the pace with Christmas traditions when I was little and Christmas stockings were not one of them. We had a Nativity creche set up even before the tree. "Straws" in shoes were "put out" on the Feast of the Three Kings and not before then. I did, however, start the Christmas stocking tradition with my children. My daughter's stocking has passed on to my older grandson. His name follows his Mom's. I have continued with the creche tradition which includes 300 figures. This year, it goes over to my son and DIL's home, which is next door. But, the Holy Family and the Three Kings will still "travel" from my house and not reach theirs until Christmas Day.

Mom always filled worksocks with walnuts and fruits, for each of us. Currently, I hang two stockings on the family room fireplace mantle and fill them with things like: car wash booklets, lotto tickets, restaurant gift certificates, etc.

Lola you have some great traditions where you are, gal.