The Christmas Orange
by Fran Hafey/Mysti
In the country, on a hill in Virginia, there was a family of seven.
It was a small farmette amongst the trees with plenty to do. Many times and the holidays, gifts were hard to come by. The mother was a wonderful seamstress and she made wonderful dolls and clothes for the children. There were only a few gifts for each child, but the parents, they did their best. Not one child ever opened those gifts and asked "is that all?" They understood about love and giving, and were always pleased.
The Christmas tree was also important and decorating it was such fun. They knew each ornament, many handmade, and there were special ones with each of their names on them.
The tree always stood in the large picture window in the front room where anyone driving up could see it. There were not very many neighbors, but I am sure some saw it from afar.
Sometimes old things were turned into new. Old sleds were painted and polished to have many more years of enjoyment. Stuff toys cleaned and given new ribbons, were loved and hugged just as if they had came from a big store. There was plenty of food, cookies and cake, treats and laughter.
After the gifts were opened and under the tree was bare, there were still the stockings to go through. This was always the best part actually, because the stockings were long and special treasures hid inside each one.
No matter what, each year, in the bottom, that part where the toe is, there was an orange. Sometimes it was, "Oh great, an orange, not candy." Each year, there was that orange, always in the bottom of the stocking.
Years went by and all the children married and moved away, and when Christmas came around again, those children carried on many traditions that had been shown to them. The tree, the gifts, candy and cookies, ham and pies and the ornaments with names on them, were just a few.
Suddenly the understanding of just how much work went into the holidays became apparent. The wrapping and decorating, the baking and shopping and buying those treasured gifts for the stockings.
I'll never forget those years with my own children, waking up early on Christmas morning. Too excited to sleep and the tree so beautiful with packages all around it in glory. They would go through the ritual of running in and gasping with sparkles in their eyes. There were gifts from Santa and more from Granny and Granddad and a few things from Mom and Dad too.
The stockings were saved for last as always, with the candy and special gifts spilling over. But always in the bottom of the toe of that stocking, was an orange, no matter what other treasures they held.
One year the kids asked their Mom, "why is there always an orange in the bottom of the stocking," and the Mom said...
"Each year at Christmas, as I grew older, I found out, just how hard my parents worked to make Christmas nice for us. They would sometimes start planning it in the summer, just so things would be good for us. Trying to make a little extra money, so the bills could be paid, but also to have extra so we would have presents and treats, but mainly a tree and a good Christmas meal. We would go to church on Christmas Eve night and receive a gift of candy."
"But what has that got to do with this orange?" they asked.
Their Mother said, "The gift of an orange in each of our stockings came to mean something, because no matter what if we didn't have lots of toys and brand new store bought clothes, we always had my Mother's hand made clothes, which were better, and that orange in the bottom of our stockings.
That orange is a symbol of our love, of good times and bad times, and how rich we were, no matter how big or small our Christmas. Just Being together and having a tree was very special to me, even if it came from our woods and not a Christmas tree lot. No matter what, when money is plenty this orange stands for the old fashion days of Christmas's past.
It stands for a time when fresh fruit was hard to come by and people relished it. To have fresh fruit was a sign of being rich, but for me it stands for being rich deep in the heart, so that is why each year there is always an orange in each stocking."
With that the children never looked at that orange in the bottom of their stocking the same ever again and they grew up and when they had families of their own, each year after the presents were opened, they would save the stockings for last.
But it was always the best part, because there was always that orange in the bottom of the stocking to remind them of how blessed and rich they truly were.
Copyright: Mystickblue © 2000-2008 All rights reserved.
About the Author
Fran Hafey is a Spiritual Counselor, healer, teacher, earth and animal activist and Writer, living in Virginia in the woods on a
small mountainside. She provides guidance and inspiration
She's currently working on publishing her own books about love, inspiration, magic and nature stories for Children of all ages.
