Sundry Items

Ten years ago my mother packed up her Lenox china for me. She never sent it, and she died last Fall. We re-packed it tonight with a lot of packing peanuts and at the bottom of one box was my childhood Christmas stocking.

I don’t want to take a picture of it, although I could. I’d have to turn on all the lights and awaken Jim. Also I want you to remember your first Christmas stocking and what it meant to you. You got only coal? Sorry.

Mine is very inexpensive felt with felt glued on to it. OK, it now says “Merry” when there was originally a “Christmas” at the end.

I thought she’d have some note but instead there was my stocking. I burst into tears when I found it. It either meant she was dissolving her relationship with me or that she cared and wanted me to have this in my new life. I prefer to believe the latter.

It’s hard losing a parent. It was sudden although she’d had cancer for six years and I’d been to hospitals to visit and also flown to her home to help out with my sisters taking the brunt of the work, giving them a break.

Even though she packed it and kept it in her garage for ten years I welcome this sundry item, my childhood Christmas stocking, and will take good care of it. It never contained coal… we had a routine on Christmas Day, but that’s another post. Cheers! Dee