An orange and a banana were always in our stockings. I even did it for my girls but as they grew older they didn’t want them. I guess the thrill of an orange and banana were for our generation. All said and done I still love Christmas
I don’t think that’s just an Appalachian thing. Everyone did this, especially in my Mother’s Day and before. It goes back to European settlers. I would love a big orange and plum with nuts and candy in mine Christmas morning!
I was surprised when I found out how special oranges were to so many at Christmas. Growing up in California, we had four orange trees in our orchard, so they were common. I can well understand why they were so loved in other areas of the country.
My mom's family always put a tangerine in the stockings, they were from Northern California. The last 4 years we've had trouble finding them in December, here in Arizona.
I might have commented on this before. Every year my dad would take a pick-up load of coal and cases of oranges, grapefruit and apples to his momma and older sister. I remember my Grandma as a tiny, frail woman, who looked much older than she was. I wish I could have known her like my older brothers did. So much that you miss out on being the youngest of the family and several years between siblings.
When I was a little girl there weren't any oranges in the produce section until about a week before Christmas. It always made me excited in anticipation of finding the orange in my stocking on Christmas morning. We also received an apple and nuts in the shell, and candy canes, ribbon candy, and candy "strawberries" (a hard candy outside with soft chewy candy inside, molded into the shape of strawberries, flavored with strawberry, and red, of course). That was our Christmas breakfast. Back then, we didn't have any out of local season produce in town. The only produce available year-round were potatoes, carrots, turnips, parsnips, onions, and apples. There might have been cabbage a good part of the year. Things that kept a long while in cool storage. I think there might have been hothouse salads, too — lettuce and tomato, anyway. But I wasn't big on those things as a child, so I don't recollect it. I just especially remember the oranges and unshelled nuts with great fondness because those were huge treats on Christmas morning. It was pretty much the only time of year we got to eat oranges, and they were expensive, so when that bag was gone, it was gone! This was in Michigan. We're awfully spoiled today being able to get just about any kind of produce at any time of year.
Growing up we always got an orange in our stocking every Christmas, and one year one of my aunt's and Uncle's came home for Christmas, they lived in Florida, and they brought us a huge crate of oranges they had picked from their trees in their yard and I thought that was the grandest thing, that they had orange trees. Those were the best oranges that I've ever eaten, even to this day, they had the best flavor and super sweet..thank you for reminding me of this great memory when I was a child!
We a kid were taught at Christmas to stick cloves into them and hang them for air freshness. Particularly in the bathroom where the humidity would bring the scene out
I was born in 1953, New Years Eve, as a matter of fact, but, Me & my sister always got an orange in my stocking, a tradition passed down by my Polish immigrant “Babcia”, in English, “Grandma”, so me and my sister’s Christmas Stocking wouldn’t have been complete without one to eat Christmas morning around the tree after the excitement of opening presents.
We still put oranges in stockings and in ambrosia. My grandmother used to make a dish that was made of ground cranberries,oranges, and nuts . I'm sure it had some sugar and maybe gelatin..I really never knew how to make it but it was so good.
Yes. Oranges and apples in our stockings plus nuts, ribbon candy and chocolate coins and a candy cane. I'm 76 years old and I remember our parents would make sure Santa put these things in our stockings for my brothers and me. My husband and I used to do the same for our children.
When I was little, our Sunday School teachers spent a small fortune giving all of us kids paper bags full of treats. Always an apple and an orange. This was over 60 years ago in northwestern Illinois. The bags were full of salted peanuts in the shell, hard Christmas candy (ribbons & raspberries were my favorites), and chocolates. 60+ years ago, oranges were only available up here in the winter, so they were a delicacy. To this day, I have to have an orange to eat on Christmas morning!
I think all older depression era people have this tradition. My mother used to put an orange, whole nuts and candy in our stockings. We live in California. I think that tradition is countrywide.
We had the tradition of an orange in the toe of our stockings, even though we had orange trees in our yard. But it was to remind us of when an orange was a once-a-year treat for our grandparents.
We also had a family rule that we kids had to eat all of our big orange and our breakfast before we could wake up our parents, who had been up half the night finishing wrapping presents.
My grandma used to give all the kids a treat bag it had an apple, orange, hard candy, gum, and nuts in it and one present. My step-mom made my kids and I a stocking with an apple, orange, candy, and other stocking stuffers. Such loving memories to have of them.💝💖
We do this in Scotland too, I would get them in mine growing up (in my midlate 30s now), and I know my parents and grandparents did too.
For a little twist I put some homemade orange marmalade in my husband's stocking because he loves it and (yes I'm a weirdo lol) we have stockings for our cats and they all have little toy oranges!
My mom got an orange in her stocking just as her mom did. She carried it on with my siblings and I and I did the same with my son. None of my siblings did it but I do have a niece who thought it was a great tradition so continues it with her son and daughter. There was also a handful of walnuts and a peppermint stick. Not a candy cane but a peppermint stick. Lovely traditions.
My grandma told me all they got for Christmas was a new pair of shoes, a orange & piece of bubble gum. She said they would chew that bubble gum for days & stick it on the bed post a night. 🍊
We would get oranges.. Apples and nuts in our stockings each year. Daddy would buy a huge peppermint stick… And make a huge presentation of using the back of the butcher knife to break it into a bowl…. And the best of all…. Was eating Meme's pickled peaches alongside some vanilla ice cream… So so good! Happy memories! Oh! And Mama would always buy a bag of assorted ribbon cane candy and have it in a bowl too. It was only the week before Christmas we could eat peppermint and candy… And as many nuts as we wanted😊❤️Did y'all ever eat ribbon cane candy… Or pickled peaches at Christmas time?
I was told that my grandfather would an orange in his shoe because as a family of 12 they had no socks until they could work and get a pair of their own. My grandfather told me stories of growing up in the mountains of Wyoming
I usually eat an orange everyday! As a child we were very poor and we always looked forward to fruit bags that the church gave us. The best memories! 😊
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My mom used to put oranges, apples nuts and candy canes in our stockings every year ❤
An orange and a banana were always in our stockings. I even did it for my girls but as they grew older they didn’t want them. I guess the thrill of an orange and banana were for our generation. All said and done I still love Christmas
Yes indeed I heard my mamma tell snd very appreciated
On Saint Nicholas day, we got like a small little toy or candy and an orange in our shoes or boots.Dec 6th is Saint Nicholas day
A YOUNG 🐣
We went to WINN DIXIE and got ours every CHRISTMAS, And Ma who are you calling old, Your not old.❤❤🎉🎉🎉
O YES, I DO REMEMBER MA❤🎉
In my mother’s family circa 1920’s, Christmas they sat out a hat like we hang a stocking and that’s where they put the orange.
Always had oranges," tangerines, walnuts in shell , and hard candy at Christmas. Love this !❤❤
Christmas is the only time us ten kids got them
We was in hog heaven lol
And hard candy
My mother spoke of one orange, one apple, and maybe one stick of peppermint. When she spoke of this it was a fondness to her heart.
Too bad the oranges we buy are half the size they used to e.
I don’t think that’s just an Appalachian thing. Everyone did this, especially in my Mother’s Day and before. It goes back to European settlers. I would love a big orange and plum with nuts and candy in mine Christmas morning!
Oranges and tangerines Are still a tradition in many homes here in Norway. 😄
Looking forward seeing Appalachian mountains next year. First time in The US, and The Appalachian Trail is The first thing I’m gonna walk 😄
Orange 🍊 and peanuts in the shell with butterscotch candies and mints that's traditional…candy canes on the Christmas tree
I was surprised when I found out how special oranges were to so many at Christmas. Growing up in California, we had four orange trees in our orchard, so they were common. I can well understand why they were so loved in other areas of the country.
I always got an orange, apple and nuts in my stocking with a little candy. Great tradition that I did with my daughter too.
I was raised in Orange Ccounty, California. We are in Missouri now. I truly miss ripe navel oranges. They were the size of softballs.
My mom's family always put a tangerine in the stockings, they were from Northern California. The last 4 years we've had trouble finding them in December, here in Arizona.
I might have commented on this before. Every year my dad would take a pick-up load of coal and cases of oranges, grapefruit and apples to his momma and older sister. I remember my Grandma as a tiny, frail woman, who looked much older than she was. I wish I could have known her like my older brothers did. So much that you miss out on being the youngest of the family and several years between siblings.
In PA our church still gives out oranges and candy when going caroling.😊🎶🍊
I like to eat an orange every day. Sometimes they are hard to get peeled the way my hands are lately.
When I was a little girl there weren't any oranges in the produce section until about a week before Christmas. It always made me excited in anticipation of finding the orange in my stocking on Christmas morning. We also received an apple and nuts in the shell, and candy canes, ribbon candy, and candy "strawberries" (a hard candy outside with soft chewy candy inside, molded into the shape of strawberries, flavored with strawberry, and red, of course). That was our Christmas breakfast. Back then, we didn't have any out of local season produce in town. The only produce available year-round were potatoes, carrots, turnips, parsnips, onions, and apples. There might have been cabbage a good part of the year. Things that kept a long while in cool storage. I think there might have been hothouse salads, too — lettuce and tomato, anyway. But I wasn't big on those things as a child, so I don't recollect it. I just especially remember the oranges and unshelled nuts with great fondness because those were huge treats on Christmas morning. It was pretty much the only time of year we got to eat oranges, and they were expensive, so when that bag was gone, it was gone! This was in Michigan. We're awfully spoiled today being able to get just about any kind of produce at any time of year.
Ohhh… Forgot about oranges.
Growing up we always got an orange in our stocking every Christmas, and one year one of my aunt's and Uncle's came home for Christmas, they lived in Florida, and they brought us a huge crate of oranges they had picked from their trees in their yard and I thought that was the grandest thing, that they had orange trees. Those were the best oranges that I've ever eaten, even to this day, they had the best flavor and super sweet..thank you for reminding me of this great memory when I was a child!
We a kid were taught at Christmas to stick cloves into them and hang them for air freshness. Particularly in the bathroom where the humidity would bring the scene out
I was born in 1953, New Years Eve, as a matter of fact, but, Me & my sister always got an orange in my stocking, a tradition passed down by my Polish immigrant “Babcia”, in English, “Grandma”, so me and my sister’s Christmas Stocking wouldn’t have been complete without one to eat Christmas morning around the tree after the excitement of opening presents.
I'm 58. Got an orange every year. Mom and Papa put nuts in, too. Their folks did the same.
Yes oranges and can remember getting chocolate coins in gold wrappers
We still put oranges in stockings and in ambrosia. My grandmother used to make a dish that was made of ground cranberries,oranges, and nuts . I'm sure it had some sugar and maybe gelatin..I really never knew how to make it but it was so good.
Yes. Oranges and apples in our stockings plus nuts, ribbon candy and chocolate coins and a candy cane. I'm 76 years old and I remember our parents would make sure Santa put these things in our stockings for my brothers and me. My husband and I used to do the same for our children.
When I was little, our Sunday School teachers spent a small fortune giving all of us kids paper bags full of treats. Always an apple and an orange. This was over 60 years ago in northwestern Illinois. The bags were full of salted peanuts in the shell, hard Christmas candy (ribbons & raspberries were my favorites), and chocolates. 60+ years ago, oranges were only available up here in the winter, so they were a delicacy. To this day, I have to have an orange to eat on Christmas morning!
I think all older depression era people have this tradition. My mother used to put an orange, whole nuts and candy in our stockings. We live in California. I think that tradition is countrywide.
We had the tradition of an orange in the toe of our stockings, even though we had orange trees in our yard. But it was to remind us of when an orange was a once-a-year treat for our grandparents.
We also had a family rule that we kids had to eat all of our big orange and our breakfast before we could wake up our parents, who had been up half the night finishing wrapping presents.
Same tradition in MO…in fact I just ate tangerines not five minutes ago. Always have them at Christmas time.
My grandma used to give all the kids a treat bag it had an apple, orange, hard candy, gum, and nuts in it and one present. My step-mom made my kids and I a stocking with an apple, orange, candy, and other stocking stuffers. Such loving memories to have of them.💝💖
Oh yes, a orange, nuts that you had to crack. Those were the days of my childhood. From NH, now in VA
We do this in Scotland too, I would get them in mine growing up (in my midlate 30s now), and I know my parents and grandparents did too.
For a little twist I put some homemade orange marmalade in my husband's stocking because he loves it and (yes I'm a weirdo lol) we have stockings for our cats and they all have little toy oranges!
Growing up in New York, we always got an orange in our stocking for Christmas. It was a real treat.
Yep
My mom got an orange in her stocking just as her mom did. She carried it on with my siblings and I and I did the same with my son. None of my siblings did it but I do have a niece who thought it was a great tradition so continues it with her son and daughter. There was also a handful of walnuts and a peppermint stick. Not a candy cane but a peppermint stick.
Lovely traditions.
Orange you glad for oranges?
Amen Tipper.🙏
My mother did that for us when we were growing up.
My grandma told me all they got for Christmas was a new pair of shoes, a orange & piece of bubble gum. She said they would chew that bubble gum for days & stick it on the bed post a night. 🍊
Wow. I thought my Family was the only ones that did that growing up. Guess I'm not alone. Thanks for sharing!
You are so right! ❤️
I didnt grow up in Appalachia, but my mom used to put oranges and nuts in our stockings. 🤗🥰♥️
We would get oranges.. Apples and nuts in our stockings each year. Daddy would buy a huge peppermint stick… And make a huge presentation of using the back of the butcher knife to break it into a bowl…. And the best of all…. Was eating Meme's pickled peaches alongside some vanilla ice cream… So so good! Happy memories! Oh! And Mama would always buy a bag of assorted ribbon cane candy and have it in a bowl too. It was only the week before Christmas we could eat peppermint and candy… And as many nuts as we wanted😊❤️Did y'all ever eat ribbon cane candy… Or pickled peaches at Christmas time?
I was told that my grandfather would an orange in his shoe because as a family of 12 they had no socks until they could work and get a pair of their own. My grandfather told me stories of growing up in the mountains of Wyoming
I usually eat an orange everyday! As a child we were very poor and we always looked forward to fruit bags that the church gave us. The best memories! 😊