How much stuff can you put in a Christmas stocking?

Hi, this is Fr. Rocky with another Advent Inspiration.

We used to hang the red and white stockings above the chimney with care on Christmas Eve and on Christmas morning they were overflowing with treats! The amount of goodies you can put in a Christmas stocking is directly proportional to the size and strength of the stocking and the strength of the rope that stretched from one side of the fireplace mantle to the other. In later years, we substituted rope for steel cable.

The stockings would be filled with “fruits for the fruity and nuts for the nutty” and if we heard that line from my father once, we heard it a thousand times. But it never got old.  But there was more: Circus peanuts, gold coins filled with chocolate, a crisp dollar bill in an envelope from my gramma, a wooden paddle with a rubber ball on the end of a rubber band, Jujubes and Juicy Fruits, Bazooka gum, a whistle and a squirt gun and a pack of cards, a pair of socks and a handkerchief, all put there by Santa’s elves we were told. But we knew better.  Those good gifts came from Jesus Christ, because it was His birthday.

Thanks for joining us on this journey. If you have missed a previous Advent Inspiration, you can find all of them here.