The only thing more colorful and fun than the stockings that are “hung from our chimneys with care” is the multitude of stories and legends as to how that tradition began. There are many versions of the history of Christmas stockings, and a variety of traditions that relate to this ritual from many different cultures. For example, the Dutch were known for placing wooden shoes outside their doors filled with hay for Santa’s reindeer. Italian families placed shoes outside for the good witch known as La Bufana. Pictures of stockings hanging above fireplaces appeared as early as the late 1800’s, but Clement Clark Moore’s famous poem with the line, “And the stockings were hung from the chimney with care,” was penned a number of years prior to that.
The Christmas Stocking Legend
The most popular legend of the Christmas stockings says that there was once a father who had three beautiful daughters. These three girls were destined to live a live without a husband because their father did not have enough money to put up dowries for his daughters. One day, their plight was overheard by St. Nicholas of Myra. That night, St. Nicholas dropped three bags of gold down the chimney of the house the belonged to this family. The bags landed in the stockings that the girls had washed and hung above the fireplace to dry. When others heard of this occurrence, they began hanging their stockings as well, in hopes that St. Nicholas might remember them also.
Christmas Stockings Today
No matter how Christmas stockings really came into being, there is no doubt that the Christmas stocking has become a very popular tradition in the United States. You can find these socks in all sizes, shapes and colors, and most are brimming with gifts from Santa Claus on Christmas morning. In addition to toys, jewelry and lip balms that are found in Christmas stockings, there might also be pieces of fruit or candy, such as candy canes, lurking inside. Every year, you can find an abundance of articles in magazines and on the Internet describing the most popular, most unusual and most expensive stocking stuffer choices for the year.
It is highly possible that the tradition of the Christmas stocking in the United States is a melting pot of a number of other traditions and legends that crossed the sea with the first settlers. Today, the Christmas stocking is an essential part of the season for most American families, no matter how they are hung and what they are filled with.