Throughout our childhood, oranges were usually in the toes of these stockings knit for us by our maternal grandmother. Can you believe this stocking has held up for 60++ years!!!!
Here's the connection between oranges and Christmas stockings - St. Nicholas was very rich man who devoted his life to helping others and giving away his money. Oranges symbolize gold St. Nicholas threw down the chimney of a poor man who couldn't provide dowries for his daughters. The gold landed in stockings hung by the fire to dry. Read more here, here, and here.
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When I was looking this up, I found a reference for another item frequently in our Christmas stockings - bags of gold-wrapped, chocolate "coins." They are connected to St. Nicholas too. That puzzled me because I thought the coins were Hanukkah Gelt. I always associate it with Mom's father. He would send it to us at Christmas for our stockings. Turns out they are associated with St. Nicholas also. This Wikipedia entry brings together the Christian and Jewish traditions.
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We often put oranges and gold coins in our children's Christmas stockings - continuing the tradition. 
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