Stocking Fillers - extract from a letter in the paper many years ago:

'Some years ago, when I left home, my mother gave me a list of what she believed to be the contents of a traditional Christmas stocking, together with a brief explanation as to why each item should be included.  It went as follows:

• Socks, pants, hanky, toothbrush: the emergency kit.
• Pencil, notebook: to use later to record who sent what.
• Book/toy, food: to keep the child quiet for another few minutes.
• Chocolate money: reminder of the gold
• Shiny money: St Mick's first gift.
• Smelly: the frankincense.
• Spicy: the myrrh.
• Candle/torch: the light of the world.
• Round thing, ball: the world.
• Soft toy: the animals and lambs.
• Tangerine: gold, found and food.
• Nuts: the hard life of the Christ child.
• Mouse: traditional? but why?

Over the years I have found many people who agreed that the stocking out to contain such a variety of things, without necessarily sharing the reasons, but no one has ever been able to supply an explanation for the mouse.'