Oranges are so often associated with Christmas. Did you ever wonder why?
As a kid, I always received an orange in the toe of my Christmas stocking. I thought it was because of a family story from the 1930s or so, but I guess I will never know for sure now just why my mother made sure there was an orange there every single Christmas. I'm pretty sure it wasn't just for some added vitamin C.
Nowadays, we often see clementines in stores just in time for the holidays, and those often wind up in stockings. My grandkids often receive a chocolate orange in their stockings --- and, indeed, there is something so festive about the flavors of chocolate and orange together. I've mentioned this before and will likely do so again.
Tomorrow, I'll share some festive orange recipes, but for now, I just wanted to share a little bit of my research with you all. At the Kitchn, I found this article: Here's Why We Put Oranges in Stockings at Christmas. It's very interesting and doesn't give a single definitive answer, but rather four possibilities.
You will want to go and read the article for yourself, but basically the four possibilities are: 1) Oranges symbolize the gold St. Nicholas placed in stockings; 2) Oranges were once scarce, especially in the north; 3) Oranges were a treat during the Great Depression; and 4) Oranges, with their easily divided segments, remind us of the importance of sharing what we have with others.
I grew up hearing the story of how my grandfather, a very generous man (who, I now know, had a very challenging childhood), as an adult and a father handed out oranges to less fortunate families. I was only four when he died and I will never know how he came by the oranges or the specifics of his generosity. I seem to remember hearing that he tossed the oranges to children as he encountered them in our rural area of New Hampshire.
And so I always figured that was why the oranges in the toes of our stockings. Whatever the reason, I carried on that tradition with my own kids.
More about oranges at Christmastime tomorrow!
That's a wonderful story about your grandfather and the oranges. I was always told that oranges were so rare and costly that it was considered a special treat.
ReplyDeleteYes, I always thought it was a special and rare treat, especially in the north where they don't grow. Seems we always had an orange too. Now I have shipped a box of fresh oranges and grapefruit to our family in Maine every Christmas. They enjoy it and it is a natural treat from us here in Florida for them to enjoy. You are making me want a good juicy navel orange right now... but they are not that easy to find in the stores, and we are little distance from the good orange groves where we live now, so it isn't as easy to do as one would think! Thank you for the story about your grandfather. That was very special.
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