Milly’s Realm has shifted again. This is the first Christmas Eve in decades that I haven’t stuffed my own stocking! It feels a little weird.

It’s what moms do right? It’s the mom’s part in the Santa job correct? Well everything changes. I like this one. It’s nice not stuffing my own stocking. I sat back on Christmas day and enjoyed opening my stocking knowing I didn’t put all of the work into it myself. Back to the beginning, I was wrapping gifts with the first-born Prince (I realized in all of our little spheres we are the Princes and Princesses of our destinies). I asked the number one Prince to help me stuff the stockings. Of course he agreed.

The first thing he asks me is how I stuff the stockings. Reasonable question right? I answer by telling him to stuff the socks in the toe of the stocking. He chuckles as he grabs my stocking off of the pile of stuff I gathered for myself (yes, I’m letting out the secret of moms everywhere: We shop for ourselves when it comes to the stockings). The question starts us down memory lane.

I defend myself. “Hey it fills the toe of the stocking quite nicely.”

Laughing he counters. “But, when I was a kid I would empty my stocking and have all this candy and stuff around me. I’m all happy and you would say, ‘Is there more in your stocking? Did you get all the stuff?’ I’d be like ‘there’s more?’”

He holds out the stocking, enthusiastically he dives to the bottom, he roots around. “Going all the way to the bottom, I’d pull out.” He pauses, lifting his hand grasping something invisible; he looks at the imaginary item in his hand, “Socks.” He hangs his head in disappointment.

I break into a fit of giggles as I exclaim. “Hey I’m the mom! I have to give the socks!”

His eyes twinkle as he loads the stocking with its pile of small goodies. We discuss Milly’s way of getting everything into the stocking. The two things everyone living in Milly’s Realm gets in their Christmas stocking are socks and a calendar. The calendars are usually a coupon calendar because while we like to give, we also like to get our monies worth. Translation: We’re all a bunch of cheapskates. Shush, don’t tell!

Tip Alert: Stuff the toe of the stocking with socks or a scarf or something pliable. Then, roll a favorite calendar. Slide the calendar into the stocking. Let go. As it unfurls it create a tube to stuff the stocking with the goodies you have gathered.

We finish the stockings in record time! Roll, stuff, roll, unfurl, and stuff. Five old-fashioned stockings, I made eons ago when the boys were born, are ready for Christmas Morn. It’s so nice to have help in getting stuff done on Christmas Eve. We are a git it done on the Eve type of family (said in my best hillbilly accent). Hmmm…Maybe another change brewing, I’ll explore that later.

We are still discussing the process of stuffing stockings as we bring them out and stack them in my rocking chair (given to me at eldest prince’s baby shower. I rocked both my baby princes in that chair. Sigh…Milly’s throne). No my Florida home does not have a mantel. Hanging stockings by the chimney doesn’t work with no chimney! 😀 For years the Princes were convinced Santa came through the stove vent!

Youngest Prince joins us in discussing socks in stockings. Yes, subjects never die in Milly’s Realm. I brought up my mother putting oranges in the toes of stockings. The princes looked puzzled. It was obvious they had never heard of such a thing. I continued, “In England and Europe it was hard to get oranges in the winter. But, in Florida…”

The princes interrupted and finished for me. “There are plenty of oranges.”

So I responded smugly, “therefore you get socks!”

After a good laugh and more banter about oranges and socks we decided: The socks must continue because it is expected and fun. No changes to this tradition! It’s no longer Santa bringing the socks. Mom brings the socks. Because as everyone knows Santa doesn’t fill adult stockings but, people who love us fill our stockings even if it is filling the stocking yourself because…you love you!*

Love yourselves this Merry Season!

Milly

P.S. It is still the Christmas season in Milly’s Realm until the Epiphany (January 8, 2017). Enjoy!

* Mark 12:31 – “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” remember to love your neighbor you must love yourself too! Peace and Love to you.