My Mom was the best Christmas stocking stuffer! Of course, she and my Dad, aka Santa, always treated us five siblings to many thoughtful and wonderful gifts. Let’s put it this way: in our family room on Dartmouth Ave, you could hardly see our orange-and-brown shag carpet because of all the presents Santa left us. 

But we always relished our stockings and opened them first every year. They hung on our brick fireplace with care. From left to right were our white and red felt-like stockings, each with our names embroidered in cursive: Tim, Laura, Barbie, Shelly, and Judy. 

Shelly’s stocking (she now goes by Michelle) is still burnt at the top. There was a mishap in our fireplace years ago when I was a baby. No one was hurt, and no major damage occurred. That’s a story for another post, but the charred stocking remains. 

Not only did Mom fill our stockings with cool stuff, but we each had a pile on the hearth below. I recall receiving items such as different kinds of magic markers, sticker books, search-a-word puzzle books, Family Circus, and fiction books. (Santa knew I loved to read!) I also recall playing with play food — pieces of fruit, bread, and dishes — when we played house. When I was a teenager, I remember a Snoopy tote bag! Of course, in the stocking would be small packs of candy, gum, Bonnie Bell Lip Smackers, and Love’s Baby Soft perfume. 

My siblings recall similar items. Some fun things they remembered were jewelry, little notebooks, pens, and Kiddles. Who remembers those? There was also Liddle Kiddle Kolgne in the plastic genie-bottle-looking containers, which had different scents. I actually remember them too! 

My friends got completely different gifts in their stockings. Santa left them things like Life-Saver Christmas books, a pack of gum, candy bars, and, for some reason, I remember my sister and I’s best friends and neighbors always got a Big Jim Peppermint Stick. They were giant, and I was jealous that we didn’t get the huge stick in our stockings. They sure were neat!

After all these years, my siblings and I always agree that Mom had a knack for the best stocking stuffers. I know I passed that trait to my own kids and always got them creative little surprises that always seemed to be a hit. The coolest thing, though? Mom saved our original stockings and gave them to us before she died. I’m so thankful we have them, plus all the memories she filled them with year after year….