I know I can't be the only kid who got oranges, apples and in-shell nuts in their stocking when I was a kid.
My grandfather worked at the produce warehouse for Safeway in Kansas City before the company pulled up stakes in the region, so we grew up with some pretty weird stuff in our lives, like stories of banana spiders, random bags of rejects and produce or candy bags instead of Ziploc.
I even found an old Christmas ornament given to me by my grandma that used a Safeway twist tie as the hanger.
I didn’t realize most of my friends didn’t get fruit and nuts in their Christmas stocking, though, until I was much older.
It turns out that I’m not so weird after all.
In the latest What’s Fresh at Oppy video (if you’re not watching this, you should. It’s amazing.), Walt Breeden, vice president of Canadian and West Coast U.S. Sales and president, chairman and CEO John Anderson talk about citrus and Christmas, and the origins of the tradition of “put a mandarin in the toe of your stocking.”
It could be the story of St. Nicholas and the Three Impoverished Maidens, with the mandarins representing gold given by St. Nicholas, or it could also trace back to the Great Depression, when money for gifts, and rare treats like oranges was scarce.
Whatever the reason, I’m happy to pass it along and wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.