Christmas Stockings

In Holland, clogs are put out to be filled with sweets. In the UK, USA and a fair few other Western countries that celebrate Christmas put stocking ups.

No mantle is complete without the family stockings hanging down, and while nowadays there are many ‘Stocking Filler Deals’ withcheap items to stuff inside, the legend of where stockings came from is simple.

The most popular legend as to why stockings are hung up is based on a story involving a recently widowed father of three girls. Set in 4th Centrury, the father was struggling to make ends meet and even though his daughters were supposedly beautiful, he was concerned their improverished status would make it difficult to marry.

St. Nicholas, an early Christian bishop of Greek descent, was wandering through the town where the man lived. He heard the local villagers discussing the widowers plight and wanted to help. He figured the proud father would refuse any direct help or charity so instead slid down the family’s chimney and filled the girls’ recently laundered stockings, which were drying by the fire, with gold coins!

The girls now had a dowry each and so were eligible to wed, meaning their father could rest easy. Celebrations all round!

It’s an interesting story for sure, and after hearing the tale, people would put their stockings up in the hopes St. Nicholas would do the same for them. Let’s not go down the road of accepting a stranger coming into a house but appreciate where the message came from - to help someone out.

St. Nicholas and his reputation of secret gift giving brought to life the traditional model of Santa Clause who keeps a list and checks it twice. Santa is portrayed as a rather rotund male with white beard, rosy cheeks and dressed in a red soot with white trim and black boots. This image became popular in the United States and Canada in the 19th century due to the significant influence of the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas." and has been reinforced through song, radio, television, children's books, films, and advertising. Coca-Cola advertising helped shape him too.

This is a clear example of current consumerism and more more more but we can have a fresh start and go back to the roots.

When the tradition of stockings began, stockings were hung up on St Nicholas’ saint’s day - 19th December - but in the 1800s this moved to Christmas Day.

Oh - ever wondered why an orange tends to be added to the stocking as a traditional item? One theory is it was when fresh fruit was difficult to come by so having an orange in your stocking was a real treat. Another version goes back to the widower and his daughters, and instead of coins filling their stockings, St. Nicholas left three solid gold balls. Find out why candy canes are popular HERE.

And now, let’s stock..ing up! Welcome to my 12 Days of Christmas, #ecoedition continuing with Day 9! Check out the quiz question at the bottom of the page and stay tuned for the answer tomorrow!

QUIZ ANSWER FROM DAY 8: Which charity does Christmas Jumper Day raise money for? Save the Children

Did you know:

Stock up on stocking facts:

• In 2019, 93% of Americans celebrated Christmas - that is about 305 million from the total population of 328 million

• In 2019, 93% of British people also celebrated Christmas which is about 60 million from the population size of 66.65 million

• So just using these two countries for context, the potential number of stockings hung up is 365 million…which can equate to a LOT of waste

• Rumour has it stockings are filled at night, in secret, because St. Nicholas did this to avoid being seen or recognised

• The average size of a Christmas stocking now is 20 inches

• The largest stocking recorded was measured at 168 feet and 5.65 inches

• A survey of 333 parents in 2014 revealed 51% spent $10 - $25 per stocking

• 79% also said they fill them with sweets and chocolate

• 94% of those parents surveyed said they hand stockings up at Christmas

fun and Eco friendly alternatives

Why not try one or more of the below ideas:

• Use old socks that you have or invest in one that will last every year

• Why not make your own stocking for new family members and reuse it every year. Keep it a traditional and historic decoration that comes out every year

• Do your parents or grandparents have their childhood stockings around? Could they be handed down?

• If you need a bigger stocking, why not use a pillowcase instead of buying a sack?

• If you do buy a stocking, try to buy second hand or support small or local businesses

• Also avoid glitter and try to opt for natural materials vs synthetic materials in the stocking

• Go back to the roots of stockings and limit the amount of items included. Think quality instead of quantity

• Avoid trends and instead purchase items such as plastic free chocolates, books, write up special recipies, a jar of ingredients for their favourite treat, items that are fun and useful and will last longer than a day. Or just fill it with treats and some dosh, like back in the day

FUN QUIZ QUESTION - find out the answer tomorrow!

The Children’s Society produced the largest Christmas stocking made in December 2007. How many presents did it hold?

Good luck and get those stockings sorted!

Please note, I am not affiliated with any company mentioned in this post.