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 CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS:
A Parable
by Peggy Folan and Nora Folan
Author's Note.  This version of "Christmas Stockings" is not the same as the original story, which started as a lesson in how to accept gifts graciously.  My girls were six and four at the time, and I wanted to them to know what to say in the event they didn't receive all of the things on their wish lists.  "What would happen," I asked Nora, "if all you got was socks for Christmas?"  We laughed as we thought of all the ways we could use the unwanted socks.

When the first version was finished, I decided this wasn't just a story about receiving gifts graciously; it was a story about giving gifts graciously, too.  That's why, in its current form, the story shows how Riley (the main character) comes to realize that it feels good to give something away-especially if it's something we're in need of ourselves.

Nora and I made this story a family project: Theresa (who was four) decided on the colors of the socks Riley received as gifts, and who got which color.  She also laughed when the story was funny -- and when she didn't laugh, we knew that that part had to be made more funny.  Writing as a family has brought us closer because we now have a better understanding of each other's sense of humor, work habits and learning styles.

A story can be a great way to bring up problems that need resolving within the family or in the world around us.  Using a story allows family members the chance to offer their thoughts and opinions in a manner that isn't intimidating, and parents have the chance to discuss desired behavior without preaching or lecturing.  Of course, it comes as no surprise that
stories are a valuable way to teach lessons.  It's very humbling to think that we're following in the footsteps of the Greatest Storyteller, whose birth is the reason we have Christmas stockings in the first place.

            All Riley wanted for Christmas was Kaleidoscope Kitty.  All she got was socks.  Red socks from her mom, and green socks from her dad.  White socks from Aunt Millie, and blue socks from Uncle Joe.  The black socks her brother gave her were so big they wouldn't even fit her dad.
            "Socks!" she yelled.  "What kind of a present is socks?"
            "Don't you like them, dear?" asked her mother.
            "No, I don't," said Riley.  "In fact, I'm going to take them all and throw them in the river!"  And off she went to do it.
            Riley got as far as the street corner when she saw a boy selling newspapers.  The boy's hands were as red as ketchup.
        "What's wrong with your hands?" asked Riley.
        "They're freezing," the boy replied.  "I lost my mittens."
            "I don't have extra mittens," said Riley.  "All I have are dumb old socks."
            "Socks?" said the boy.  "You have socks?  Could I have a pair? Please, please, please?"
            Riley threw the green socks at the boy.
            The boy put the socks on his hands like mittens.  "Oh, thank you!  Thank you!  Now my hands will be warm and I can sell my papers."
            "You can have them!" said Riley.  She certainly didn't want them herself.
            She walked on.  At the bus stop, an old woman was crying.
                "Why are you crying?" asked Riley.
            "Oh, it's Christmas," said the old lady, "and I'm on my way to see my two grandchildren.  Only, I don't have any presents to give them."
            "They're lucky," said Riley.  "All I got for Christmas were dumb old socks!"
            "Socks?" said the lady.  "You have socks?  Could I have a pair? Please, please, please?"
            Riley handed her the white socks.  "Here you go," she said.
            The lady pulled a marker out of her purse and turned the socks into puppets.  "Oh, thank you!" she said.  "My grandchildren will be so happy."
            Riley looked at the puppets in surprise.  "You're welcome," she said as the smiling old lady got on the bus.  Riley walked on.
            When she got to the park, Riley saw a young man with a puppy.  The young man was scratching his head, and the puppy was whining.
                "What's wrong with your dog?" asked Riley.
            "We were playing fetch," said the young man.  "I threw his toy into the bushes, and a bird picked it up in its beak and flew away with it.  Now he has nothing to play with."
            "I can't help you there," said Riley.  "All I've got is some socks."
            "Socks?" cried the young man.  "You've got socks?  Could I have one?  Please, please, please?"
            Riley shrugged her shoulders.  "Sure."  She gave him a blue one.
            The young man held onto one end of the sock and the puppy  grabbed the other end in its teeth.  The puppy pulled hard.  The young man pulled hard.  The puppy pulled harder and wagged his tail.
            "He loves to play tug-of-war," said the young man.  "Thank you! Thank you!"       

          "Sure," said Riley.  She looked at the five socks in her hand,  then gave the young man the other blue one.  "You might as well take the pair," she said.  Then she walked on.  On the other side of the park, Riley saw a girl building a snowman.  Her ears were blue.
            "Hey," said Riley.  "Do you know you have blue ears?"
            "What?" shouted the girl.
            "I said, Do you know you have blue ears?" Riley shouted back.
            "I can't hear you!" the girl replied.  "I lost my ear muffs, and now my ears are frozen!"
            Riley didn't have any ear muffs.  She held up the red socks for the girl to see.
            "Socks?" cried the girl.  "You have socks?  Could I have a pair? Please, please, please?"
            Riley nodded and handed them to her.
          The girl put one sock on each ear.  "Oh, thank you!  Now my ears will be warm, and I can hear again.  Thank you!"
            "You're welcome," said Riley, surprised to find that she really meant it.  Then she walked on.
            Just as the river came into view, Riley saw a man hopping from foot to foot.  "Why are you hopping from one foot to the other?" she asked him.
            "Both of my shoes have holes in them," the man replied.  "When I put one shoe down, the snow gets my foot wet.  When I hop to the other foot, the snow gets in that shoe, too."
            "I don't have any shoes for you," said Riley, wishing that she did.  "All I have are some socks."
            "Socks!  You have socks?" cried the man.  "Could I have a pair? Please, please, please?"
            "Of course," said Riley.  She watched the man put the large black socks on over his shoes.
            "Now the snow won't get in my shoes," he said.  "Oh, thank you! Thank you!"
            Riley smiled.  "You're welcome," she said.  Then she looked down at her empty hands and decided to go home.
            Suddenly, her feet felt very, very cold.  She pulled one foot out of her boot and stared at it in surprise.  She wasn't wearing any socks!
            That morning Riley's toes had poked through her last pair of clean socks.  She remembered how angry she felt when she'd ripped them off her feet.  She remembered she'd later been so angry she'd shoved her bare feet inside her boots without even thinking about it.  Then she remembered
how good she felt when she'd given her socks to those who needed them.
            Riley ran all the way home with freezing feet.  When she got there, she threw her arms around her mother's waist.
            "Did you throw the socks away, dear?" asked her mother.
            "Not exactly," said Riley, giving her a big hug.  It didn't matter that her feet were cold.  At least her heart was warm.

 Peggy Folan is a writing consultant with WriteGuide.com,    and a former adjunct college professor.  She is also a part-time writer and full-time homeschool mom.
Nora Folan is ten years old, in the fifth grade, and in her second year of homeschooling. 
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Revised November 18, 2004