Why Do We Hang Stockings at Christmas? The Legend Behind the Tradition
It involves a saint, three sisters and some very lucky laundry.
Nobody knows for sure where Christmas stockings came from, but the most popular explanation is a legend about St. Nicholas, a bishop known for secret gift-giving. In one well-known version, he dropped gold down a chimney to help three poor sisters, and it landed in stockings they'd hung by the fire to dry. Over time, hanging stockings for St. Nicholas, and later Santa Claus, to fill became a Christmas tradition.
It starts with St. Nicholas
St. Nicholas was a bishop who lived around the fourth century in what is now Turkey. Not much is known for sure about his life, but he became famous in legends for kindness and secret gifts, especially to children and people in need.
Over many centuries, St. Nicholas slowly turned into the character Americans now call Santa Claus. That's a long career change.
The legend of the three sisters
The most famous legend goes like this: a poor man had three daughters but no money for their dowries, so they couldn't marry. St. Nicholas wanted to help without embarrassing the family, so he secretly dropped bags of gold through a window or down the chimney at night.
In the version that explains stockings, the gold landed in stockings the sisters had hung by the fireplace to dry. Different versions of the legend tell it differently, but the stocking version stuck.
A famous poem made it popular
Stockings got a big boost in America from the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," better known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." It describes stockings "hung by the chimney with care" and St. Nick filling them before he flies away.
Stockings already showed up in an 1821 New York poem about "Santeclaus," but the 1823 poem made them famous, and hanging stockings became a standard part of an American Christmas. Now they come in every size, and somehow one family member's is always mysteriously huge.
Why an orange in the toe?
Many families put an orange or a tangerine in the toe of the stocking. One popular explanation is that it stands for the gold in the St. Nicholas legend. Another is simpler: years ago, fresh fruit in winter was a real treat.
Either way, it's a tradition. And it's healthier than the candy that goes on top of it.
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