Hi everyone. I'm John Haggardorn. And welcome to Found in the Footnotes.

Amazing history in 5 to 10 minute sound bites. Now ready to be discovered every Wednesday at 4 p.m. Easter time right here at 1001 heroes.

Another gem rises to the surface and our story begins. Today's story is called the orange in the

stocking. And of course, my question to you is, did you get one in yours? After the recent episode we did

titled Christmas in Appalachia,

we received lots of feedback about this old tradition.

It seemed that everyone in our story recalled getting that orange in the stocking,

and to them it meant so very much.

In Christmas in Appalachia, we covered the hard times, the meager Christmases, and shared some

celebrity memories, but the real story of the oranges was found in the footnotes.

It's Christmas morning, and you're unloading your stocking.

At the very bottom of the stocking, past the candy canes, the small toys, the notes written in careful handwriting.

There it is. An orange. Bright, simple, almost out of place. For many families, it's a small

tradition, a curious one. Why an orange? Why is it usually in the toe of the stocking? And why is this humble

piece of fruit survived centuries of changing Christmas customs? Today, we're telling the

story of the orange and the stocking, a tradition that stretches from St. Nicholas in Europe

through immigrant homes and into the hard years of the Great Depression,

when an orange wasn't ordinary at all.

This is a story about generosity, scarcity, and how small things can carry enormous meaning.

If you grew up with this tradition, you might remember asking these questions.

Why do we always get an orange?

Why not an apple?

...