Christmas Stockings

XmasLights | Apr 19, 2010 |

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The tradition of Christmas stocking for use in holiday decor has been around for centuries. People used to dry their stockings on the mantle above the fireplace. During Christmas these stockings were filled with little trinkets for the children. As the stocking became a symbol of Christmas it took on new forms. They were no longer the stockings that people, of the time, wore on their feet.

It was once said that the first stockings used for holding Christmas items developed in Italy. The fable states that a poor man in Italy was contemplating having to sell his youngest daughter. This was so that he could afford the money that he needed for his older two daughters. That night the good Saint Nicholas dropped gold down the chimney and it landed in the Christmas stockings that were drying on the mantle. The man did not have to sell his daughter then because there was enough gold to pay for all three of his daughters marriages.

In many traditions a child that has acted badly will receive a lump of coal in their stocking while good children receive toys, candies and fruits. The tradition of coal being found in a stocking started out as a nice symbol. It meant that the family had a good financial year. The family would put all of the pieces of coal from the stocking into one lump and create a beautiful Christmas fire in the fireplace. Children did not like to receive such a gift in their stocking because it was dirty and they would rather receive other gifts. It then became an item used for children that did not behave well throughout the year.

There are some countries that do not use the tradition of hanging stockings for the holiday. Some have other items that are used instead of stockings, such as in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, clogs or shoes are filled with hay and a carrot. A bowl of water is then placed next to the clogs. These things are done so that Sinterklaas' white horse can have a snack during his travels. In this tradition, on Christmas Day, which is suppose to be Sinterklaas' birthday, a naughty child will be put into a sack and taken away with him. The child is supposedly put onto the boat and shipped to Spain where the child will then work for him. Good children will receive a small present and candy in their shoe or clog.