Christmas Advent Calendar – Grab Bag
Sherry Stocking Kline
December 9, 2009
When I was growing up, my Grandma Maud (McGinnis) Stocking lived an hour and a half away in a little town named Cedarvale, Kansas . And though we went to see her and brought her to see us, it didn’t always happen exactly on Christmas.
So Grandma Stocking would pack up a little package for our family. It was all wrapped up in brown paper with packages inside for each of us, and oh, how I looked forward to that little package!
I watched for the mail man to turn the corner and drive down our little country road and when I saw him coming, I would run down the driveway of our farm to the mail box to say hello and check and see if today was THE day.
When the package came, I would run back up to the house with it and begin badgering and begging my mom to let me open it early. Most of the time, she made me wait at least until closer to Christmas. So then it was time to shake, squeeze, and guess what the package had in it.
The present I remember best is the one she made herself.
I can’t remember every present that Grandma sent, and I don’t remember anything that she sent my folks, but the present I remember best is the one she made for me herself.
It was a crayon apron. It was a pretty pink, girl-y looking with colored braid stitched on it and stitched into it were slim little pockets for crayons and each pocket had a colorful crayon in it. (I think there might have been a coloring book, too) It was designed to keep my clothes clean I’m sure, but I loved that little apron.
I was thrilled with it, proud of it, and I wore it and used it for many years. Finally, one of the ties came lose, and we didn’t instantly repair it. And, I was beginning to ‘outgrow’ the tiny little apron. For a long time, I left the crayons in the apron, and used it to organize my crayons.
I hope the little crayon apron will be there…
I’m not sure what happened to that little apron, but I hope (and pray) that when I go digging through my attic for the keepsakes I stored there many years ago that the little crayon apron will be there.
Posted in Christmas, Christmas Advent Calendar, Christmas Memories, Gifts, McGinnis Family, Stocking Family Genealogy | 
Tags: Cedarvale, Childhood Memories, Christmas, family history, Gifts, Kansas, Maud, McGinnis, Stocking
How fun that apron must have been! I hope you find it in that attic! If you do, I hope you post a picture of it!
Thank you, Cheryl! I hope I find it, too! And when I do, I will post a photograph here! I’ve got so many photos and things I need to take photos of that it’s mind-boggling, but (past) time to get down to doing it!
Thanks for stopping by, may you have a Very Merry Christmas!