THE ORIGIN OF THE CHRISTMAS STOCKING
Tracing the beginnings of a holiday tradition
Words by Bridget Barnett
“The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,” a line from the iconic Christmas poem from 1823, Twas the Night Before Christmas, tells us that the Christmas stocking has been around for centuries… but have you ever wondered why?
Legend has it that one night St. Nicholas (known today as Father Christmas) heard a man crying over the loss of his wife and his lack of fortune, lamenting the fact that he wouldn’t be able to pay suitors for the dowries of his three daughters. St Nicholas listened in, and after the man had gone to sleep, climbed quietly down the chimney and dropped gold coins into stockings that were hanging to dry over the fireplace. When news travelled of this generous act of gifting, a tradition of filling stockings with joyful tokens began.