A History of Christmas Stockings

"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there." It seems that Clement Clark Moore was already familiar with the image of the traditional Christmas stockings as early as 1822, when this poem, "Twas the Night before Christmas," was penned. But where did the idea for Christmas stockings come from, and which culture can be credited with the creation of this important holiday tradition? The answer to this question may be a bit fuzzy, since a number of different areas of the world began traditions that could have evolved into hanging Christmas stockings over the fireplace before bed on Christmas Eve.

The Dutch

The Dutch are probably the best known for beginning the ritual of hanging Christmas stockings. For this culture, the process began with children leaving their wooden shoes by the hearth on Christmas Eve, filled with straw for Santa's reindeer. (At the time, the reindeer were known as "donkeys", and Santa was called, "Sinterclass.") A treat would also be left in the home for Santa, somewhere near the fire. In return, the children would find treats for them the next morning in place of the reindeer food. Eventually, these wooden shoes evolved in the Christmas stockings that we see and used today.

The Nobleman

Another story that revolves around the beginning of the Christmas stockings is that of a poor nobleman who had three beautiful daughters. This man was very sad because he hadn't a penny to his name, which means that he didn't have the money to offer dowries for his daughters to get married. One night, his daughters washed out their stockings and hung them over the fireplace to dry, as they had done so many nights before. However, on this night, St. Nicholas took pity on the families and dropped a bag of gold down the chimney into each of the three stockings. The father was overjoyed because now there was enough money for every one of his girls to get married, and this is how the tradition of the Christmas stockings was born.

No matter what the real story is behind the history of the Christmas stockings, it is certainly a tradition that is popular in many cultures during this time of the year. So the next time you hang your stockings "with care, in hope that St. Nicholas soon will be there," take a moment to ponder just how this tradition came to life. It will help to pass the time, while you are waiting for Santa to come and fill that Christmas stocking to the brim with goodies. Happy holidays!