13 days and counting - I think I'm almost done.  48 years ago when we had our first Christmas in Tivoli, my friend, my only friend in our new location, was Jane O, and she asked me if I wanted to exchange stocking with her at Christmas.  I never did stockings before, the Murphy's didn't do that, but I said sure, and bought a red stocking at the grocery store and filled it with little things, a comb, some candy, a cheap toy.  Well, Jane handed me a homemade stocking, shaped like an old fashioned high buttoned shoe, with fake pearls and lace on the outside.  Inside were all treasures, individually wrapped, sewing needles, a pincushion, homemade candies, each wrapped with different paper, even jingle bells on some.  Boy was I embarrassed.  But the next year, I redeemed myself, copying her lead, and ever since then I have given my kids stockings,  and these stockings are the most fun to fill. 

I use to use stockings and then as they overfilled, I used boxes, now I just buy Christmas shopping bags and fill them.  I buy stuff all year, filling a box in my bedroom and then figure out who gets what.  The girls all get fancy underwear, Maria used to get black underwear like Bucky liked, and Paul gets silly men's underwear with a Christmas theme.  I really like the pair I bought for him this year.  Little things, big things, I wrap most of them, a la Jane, and I usually go over to Sabra's to watch her open her stocking.  By then, I will have forgotten most of what I filled it with, so it's as much a surprise for me.  13 days and counting.