For much of the twentieth century it was usual for children’s Christmas stockings to contain an orange (Citrus sinensis), often filling the toe.  In some families this was the only time that children had oranges each year.

On 15 December 2017 the Metro contained a brief article saying the Morrisons supermarket chain would be giving away 200,000 oranges for putting in stockings on the following day.  ‘Research shows that four out of five families no longer keep the tradition.’

Image:  Bedford Hill, Balham, London Borough of Wandsworth, December 2017.