Stockings

The end of the semester was drawing to a close and the students were restlessly awaiting their Christmas vacation, little did they know that one more assignment would be given.  As students arrived for class, they saw, on the board, essay due December 21st.  Enraged the students started commenting to each other about the fact that Mr. Danbury was a grinch with no Christmas spirit.  While Mr. Danbury heard the comments he shrugged them off and began class.

“I know, I know, you don’t want to do anything more before break but I have one assignment which I think this pretty interesting.”

“Interesting to you,” said someone from the back, “because you are a grinch and don’t want anyone to have Christmas spirit.”

“On the contrary, my friend, I want you to know, to feel the true meaning of Christmas, I want you to experience Christmas like you never have before.”

The student who made the remark turned a bit red but still rolled his eyes.

“Your assignment is to research a Christmas custom, where it came from, why and how it is maintained today.  Speak about the use of the custom when it originated and why it originated and how it is used, changed and its meaning today.  There are so many from which to choose but I don’t want 25 papers on the candy cane so I have different traditions written on a piece of paper and each of you will come choose one to research.”

The grumbling continued as each student went to the bucket to choose a slip of paper, each hoping for something particularly easy.  And evergreen tree, a candle, poinsettias, candy cane, holly, bells, wreaths...one student interjected, “Wait, you mean each of these things has a purpose, a meaning?  I thought we just had all of these things because it was Christmas.  I mean, you know what I mean.”

“Yes, I do and that is why I thought this assignment would be particularly interesting because each custom that I have written brings true purpose, true meaning to the season of Christmas.  I am sure your families have traditions which you do every Christmas, do you know why you do them?  If not ask your parents, how do these traditions bring you closer to your family and to the Father?”

Randy was the last student to draw a custom, he received stocking.  “Stockings, he thought, “I just thought they were cool decorations and the place for the best presents of all; the most special ones.”  

Intrigued by the assignment, Randy when right home and began searching the reason for the Christmas Stocking.  He checked serval sites and while not all were exactly the same, the stories were all very similar.  No one could say from which country this story originated but being that St. Nicholas was Bishop of Myra, Randy surmised that the legend began here.  And so begins his essay:

St. Nicholas was known for his works of mercy and attending to his people.  It was discovered that a recently widowed father did not have the purse to give to his three daughters that they may marry.  He, and his daughters were distraught, not knowing how to rectify this problem.  Nicholas learned of the families quandary and offered his assistance.  Proud, the father would not take the moment from Nicholas.  Understanding the father’s pure hear, Nicholas was bound to offer assistance.  One evening, while the family was sleeping, Nicholas tossed gold coins down the chimney, they landed in socks that were placed by the fire to dry.  When the family awoke, gold was found in the stockings and the girls were able to properly wed.  The family was saved by the generosity of Nicholas and yet the family never knew from where the money came.  The story circulated and people began to place stockings by the chimney in hopes that St. Nicholas would soon be there.  A different meaning, a different time as now stockings are decoration, glitified and sparkly, adorning the names of each person in the family.  Once filled with necessities now filled with extras, the meaning of the Christmas stocking has been eclipsed by a secularized Christmas experience.  Once purposed to remind us to serve, now serves as a means of taking.  This Christmas I propose a revaluation of the Christmas Stocking.  I have made each person in the class a stocking, still flashy as we know them to be, and I have included, on each, Acts 10:38 as a reminder that Christ is our model.  Acts 10:38  ‘He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him’, our challenge to act as Christ acted, selflessly and with compassion, empathetic to the needs of others.  I challenge each of my fellow students, to take this stocking and fill it with good deeds, not so we can boast but rather that we can feel alive in the Christmas Spirit, alive in the Father’s love.  Let us take these stockings and share this Christmas, instead of taking.  Then we can change the story of Christmas...the stockings were hung by the chimney with care for Acts have shown them just how to share.  

Randy turned the paper in the next day because he felt he couldn’t wait two weeks to share his findings.  Mr. Danbury was so moved by Randy’s paper that he asked if it was okay to read to the entire class; Randy agreed and then handed out his stockings and challenge to the class.  Not every student welcomed his challenge but those who did seemed changed, seemed moved by the Christmas joy they, themselves, were spreading.  So the challenge passes on to us, take a stocking, take your stocking and fill it with Acts; serve others, be the love others need and love will be our support, our guide.  Go, find purpose, fill the stocking....