Why Do We Hang Stockings at Christmas?

Hanging Christmas stockings began with a legend about Saint Nicholas secretly giving gold coins to three poor sisters who needed dowries to marry. According to the story, Nicholas threw gold through their window and the coins landed in stockings drying by the fireplace.

The Legend of Saint Nicholas

Saint Nicholas lived in the ancient city of Myra in what is now Turkey around 300 AD. He came from a wealthy family and became known for his generous gift giving to those in need. The most famous story about Nicholas involves three sisters from a poor family.

How the Tradition Spread to Europe

In many countries, children began leaving shoes or stockings out on December 5th, the eve of Saint Nicholas Day. Parents told children that only those who had been good would receive gifts, while naughty children might find coal or sticks. The tradition of stockings specifically became most popular in countries with fireplaces where families naturally hung wet stockings to dry.

The American Christmas Stocking

The Christmas stocking tradition came to America with European immigrants in the 1700s and 1800s. The custom became widely popular after 1823 when Clement Clarke Moore published the poem A Visit from Saint Nicholas, which begins with the line Twas the night before Christmas. By the late 1800s, most American families with fireplaces hung Christmas stockings.

What Goes in a Stocking

Traditional stocking stuffers were small practical items and treats that fit inside a regular sock or stocking. Nuts in shells, candy canes, small toys, coins, and handkerchiefs were common contents. Poor families sometimes put only an apple or orange in the stocking, making it a special treat.

Modern Stocking Traditions

Today, Christmas stockings come in countless designs, sizes, and materials. People use mantel hooks, stair railings, or special stocking holders to display their stockings. Many families open stockings first before moving to presents under the tree.

Stocking Traditions Around the World

In Italy, children hang stockings or leave out shoes on January 5th for La Befana, a kind witch who fills them with candy or coal. In parts of Germany, Saint Nicholas fills shoes with treats on December 6th, separate from Christmas celebrations. In Iceland, children receive small gifts in shoes placed in windowsills for 13 days before Christmas from the Yule Lads.