Throughout the world
there are many rituals
surrounding the naming
of a baby.

This is ours: Mother, Child with Stocking

Grandma asks, "How do you spell her name?"

The baby's big sister says "R E B E C C A"

Grandma says, "Write it Down."

The Baby's sister grabs a scrap of paper and writes it down.

Grandma says, "Sign it"

The baby's sister looks kind of funny.

Grandma says "No, You Sign it.", and hands the slip to the baby's mother.

The baby's mother puts the baby down and signs her name to this important document, for this is the paper from which The Stocking will be made.

About 50 years ago Blanche Bushnell Evans found a pattern for a Christmas Stocking in a woman's magazine. A nice big stocking built for holding presents, not for just looking at. Bright red with the name knit right into it. She started making them for a friend's kids. A hit one year became tradition the next. The list started to grow. Grandkids, neighbor kids, nieces and nephews. Over the years the list went on and on, growing slowly, like a family grows. There is nothing better than a new baby at Christmas. When a baby becomes a child what could be better than a sock with your name on it for Santa to fill? Ask any of us and we can tell you some of the things he brought. Of course I cant tell their story without mentioning that we put them on our legs and run around a bit, its better if you can steal someone else's, then you have one for each foot. They are tough and can stand up to a little of this kind of loving. Our Mom's tell us to take them off, but I haven't seen any of us who could resist, including some of us that aren't kids anymore except at Christmas.

As the grandkids started bringing home husbands and wives into the family they got stockings too, then it was time for Great Grand Children. Then it seemed strange that Blanche's own children didn't have stockings so they were included, better late than never. The joy of knitting them was passed to the next generation and the list grew and grew. Today there are 50 names. Of course everyone has to follow the rule, no babies can be born the last two weeks before Christmas. As parents we have a great responsibility to our children when we choose their name- the longer the name, the longer the stocking. So far Zechariah and Nathaniel are the winners.

My children have asked me point blank if Santa is real. I told them I don't know for sure, but that I put out my sock every year just in case, sometimes I help Santa out a bit by putting things in the kids stockings, but I always find something in mine that wasn't in there when I went to bed, so who knows. It is usually a Chocolate Orange, so if he is real, he loves me very much.

The history of our family wouldn't be complete without the pattern for the stockings so I have included it here. I hope someday you have the joy of knitting one for somebody very special.

Age 6
Click here for Instructions
Click here for Pattern
Click here for Alphabet
Click here for Graph Paper Program
Click here to get in the spirit, "Christmas Is" By Tracy Barton
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