A tale of two Christmas stockings

Both these stockings were embroidered by my daughter.

The first was done when she was in high school in the 1980s. It originally was going to be hers and mine was going to be different.

I'd been marooned at work in Maynard where I worked. The drive back to Boston would have been far too dangerous in the snowstorm.

When I entered our apartment the next evening, I was greeted by my daughter. "YOU..." she said with the caps justified, "...are getting the other stocking."

"Why?"

"Albert peed on what was going to be MINE!!!!"

Albert was our Japanese chin. Whether he was unhappy that I had stayed away all night or not, we could only guess. The division of stocking has been part of our Christmas lore each year.

Fast forward many decades.

Rick has joined our small family and  has thus earned his own Christmas stocking which my daughter finished this summer for use for the first time this year.

No dog peed on his.