Product Spotlight: Christmas Stockings

Ah, Christmas. That magical time of year, when families gather, exchange gifts, watch heartwarming TV specials and try to avoid Aunt Erma’s fruitcake.

Christmas is wonderful, and all the traditions that go with it are part of our collective history. Singing carols, decorating the trees, wrapping presents, and hanging stockings by the chimney with care.

What about that last part? Did you ever wonder why we hang Christmas stockings, and expect Santa Claus to fill them with presents by Christmas morning? After all, there’s no reason why Santa can’t just leave our gifts under the tree, right?

Turns out those holiday stockings are a long-treasured tradition that highlights the wonder of the season, they joy of giving and the value of citrus fruit. Let’s take a look at how Christmas stockings came to be.

Origins of the Christmas Stocking

According to legend, the concept of the Christmas stocking originated with St. Nicholas in the 4th century. Nicholas, not yet a saint, but a kind man, wanted to help a widowed nobleman. The man was too poor to be able to provide dowries for his three daughters. He knew the man would never accept charity.

During the night, St. Nicholas dropped three gold balls down the chimney. The daughters had hung their stockings by the hearth to dry, and the gold fell into them. The unexpected gift enabled the three young women to marry. The astonished widower eventually found out who his benefactor was and began to spread word of Nicholas’ generosity. That began the story of St. Nicholas’ spirit of giving.

Before The Stockings, There Were Shoes

While St. Nicholas was a real person, another explanation comes from Norse mythology, by way of the Scandinavian countries. In that version, children would place their boots, filled with carrots, straw, or sugar, near the chimney for the Norse god Odin's flying horse, Sleipnir, to eat. Odin would reward those children for their kindness by replacing Sleipnir's food with gifts or candy.

Hoofbeats on the Rooftop

By the 1800s, the stocking tradition began evolving. Writer Washington Irving described children in New York hanging stockings by the chimney on St. Nicholas Eve (December 5th) and waking up to find them filled.

The story that truly made the Christmas stocking an icon came along in 1823. That’s when Clement Clarke Moore published  “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” (a/k/a “Twas the Night Before Christmas”). The classic poem contained the line “the stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.”

The poem goes on to describe Santa filling each stocking, then exiting up the chimney and flying off in his sleigh, wishing “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night” as he departed. Incidentally, in the same poem, Moore established the names of Santa’s reindeer.

Stockings Losing to Rival Christmas Trees?

Later in the century, the view of Christmas stockings was somewhat jaded. An 1883 New York Times article noted that the prevalence of stockings had declined, replaced by the Christmas tree. The article strongly disapproved of the trend, noting:

“The extent to which of late years, the Christmas tree has superseded the Christmas stocking has been lamented by persons of artistic and devout tastes. The stocking for so many years was so closely associated with Christmas that Christmas without stockings seemed inappropriately and insufficiently celebrated.”

This Just In: New York Times Disses Christmas Trees

The article went on to disparage Christmas trees, which had been introduced to the United States by German immigrants.

“The German Christmas tree – a rootless and lifeless corpse – was never worthy of the day, and no one can say how far the spirit of rationalism which begins with the denial of Santa Claus, the supernatural filler of stockings, and ends with the denial of all things supernatural, has been fostered by the German Christmas trees, which have been so widely adopted in this country.”

Stockings vs. Trees: A Matter of Size

Part of the reason for the decline of the traditional stocking was a matter of size, the Times noted, with at least two distinct regional styles being problematic.

The “New England-style” Christmas stocking, the Times declared, was much too small to hold many gifts. Conversely, the “Chicago-style” (deep dish?) stocking was too large, and thus too expensive to fill with presents.

“Hence in New England, the substitution of the capacious Christmas tree for the stocking was an act of generosity to the children, while in Chicago a like substitution was made for the interests of the parents,” the paper noted.

An Innovative Compromise

A new stocking still soon saved the day. The “Smith Christmas Stocking” as it was known, was made with elastic to accommodate both large and small presents. It even featured a watertight compartment in the toe for treats such as molasses candy.

That was a happy invention to the Times, which praised the resurgence of stockings. The Gray Lady even went on to call for the demise of Christmas trees and their dangerous candles and “rationalism.”

“The Christmas tree, dropping melted wax on the carpet, filling all nervous people with the fear of fire; banishing the juvenile delight of opening the well-filled stocking in the dim morning light, and diffusing the poison of rationalism, thinly disguised as the perfume of hemlock, should have no place in our beloved land. It has had its day and the glorious reaction in favor of the sacred stocking will sweep it away forever.”

By the turn of the century, the jolly red felt stockings we know and love today were becoming common, a tradition that continues to this day. And at least so far, the newspaper of record was mistaken about the fate of Christmas trees.

What Goes in Them?

Today’s stockings most often get filled with candy, small toys and trinkets, and in a nod to tradition, an orange or tangerine.

Why an orange? That represents the gold St. Nicholas left in the stockings of the widower’s daughters.

There’s another reason as well. During the Great Depression, times were tough. An orange or other fresh fruit was often a rarity, particularly in the colder parts of the country. Finding one in your stocking on Christmas morning was an extra-special treat.

Custom Christmas Stockings

Today, the traditions of both Christmas stockings and Christmas trees are going strong. Custom Christmas stockings are available both as personalized gifts and as organization promotional items. They’re a fun way to keep your business, nonprofit group, club or association name visible in the holiday season. They’re available in multiple colors (not just red and white) and sizes. (Although you probably won’t find either the Chicago- or New England-style stockings today.) If you’re looking for a fun way to decorate your facility for the holiday season, these are a terrific way to go!