Stockings are a common sight on fireplaces across the world during the festive season. We all know it’s so good old Saint Nick, Father Christmas or Santa Claus can fill it with small gifts, often called ‘stocking fillers’, but where did the tradition of hanging a stocking – designed to be worn on the leg – on the fireplace every Christmas originate?
The tale of Saint Nicholas
One popular tale is cited most frequently when attempting to explain why we started to hang stockings at Christmas. The story goes that an impoverished widower was having trouble supporting his three daughters, and he was concerned that their poverty would deter potential suitors.
According to the tale, Saint Nicholas overheard the man’s neighbours discussing his situation when passing through his village. Wishing to help, but believing that charity would be refused, he slipped quietly down the family’s chimney. He then filled stockings that were hung by fire to dry with gold coins before disappearing silently.
When they woke on Christmas morning, the sisters were delighted to discover the gold, as it meant they would now be able to find husbands. Their father, meanwhile, was extremely relieved that his daughters would not end up as poor and lonely spinsters.
The story goes that Saint Nick’s act of generosity was what led him to later become the patron saint of children, and this led to children all over the world hanging out their own stockings in the hope that St Nicholas would visit their home and fill the stocking with presents.
Oranges
Oranges and smaller mandarins, such as clementines and satsumas, are traditionally seen as festive stocking fillers, and there are a couple of explanations for this. One story goes that Saint Nick actually left solid gold balls rather than coins in the stockings of the impoverished sisters, and so the shape of the fruit is meant to represent this.
Another explanation is that citrus fruits were once difficult to find and expensive to buy, which would mean that the gift of an orange would be seen as a luxurious and rare treat. There could well be some truth in this version of events, given that oranges only grow in countries with warmer climates and to this day are almost exclusively imported into countries with colder climates.
Modern Christmas stockings
Today, family traditions vary. Some people prefer to hang a simple item of hosiery pilfered from their father’s sock drawer, while others opt for a more decorative, stocking-shaped bag emblazoned with Christmas emblems and their name. Some adults might even opt for a stylish silk stocking instead. In addition, not every home has a fireplace nowadays, so modern Christmas stockings are found hanging from door handles, hooks, bannisters or anywhere else deemed suitable.
Originally, people left out a sock on December 19th, the day of St Nicholas, rather than Christmas day itself. Over time, stockings have come more elaborate and widespread, and have been associated with Christmas day since the early 19th century.
