CIJ Journal Entry Day 25 (Day 26 not posted yet???)

25. Christmas Stockings- tell about your families Christmas stockings.. are their stories behind them? are they homemade? have you always had these stockings or have you changed them- why? What are your stocking traditions? Do you hand them on the mantle, lay them under the tree? Does everyone in your family get stockings or just the children?  Our stockings are all hung by suction cup latches in the front window of the living room. We have a stocking for Doug, Me, Ciara, Byron, Barb, Chris, Dog and Cat (before he passed away). Byron and I work at collecting items all year long. Ciara's stocking is purple because his favorite color is purple, Ciara has always had a Disney Marie stocking till recently, now she has a pink sating "princess" stocking. I have a Minnie Mouse stocking, Chris has a green stocking because it looks "manly", Byron has a long, knitted rainbow stocking and Barb's stocking was decorated by Byron and says, Mom and Grandma. Stockings are one of Ciara's favorite parts of Christmas. That's the first thing she does when she gets up. No mom, no dad, just her and the stocking on Christmas morning. That usually holds her over till it's time to get up and open gifts. Until last year, I usually filled my own, but Doug has finally learned to add items to my stocking as well. Because I hadn't had anything in my stocking, I was participating in a stocking exchange. I'd fill a stocking for some lucky lady and she'd do the same for me. Then Christmas morning, it was like being a kid all over again. Full of surprises!