Christmas Stockings

One of the most established holiday traditions in Western society, the Christmas stocking is synonymous with the anticipation of the big day. Anyone who takes a moment to picture the scene conjured up in their mind by the phrase “Christmas stocking” will almost inevitably picture a roaring fire in an old brick hearth , with tinsel and holly taking prominent positions as the “halls” are “decked” in preparation for the 25th of December. There are few things more Christmassy than that, when it coes down to it.

But where does the idea come from? Do you know the full story? Until recently I didn’t, and it’s a shame because the story is a lovely one. A poor man had three daughters, but despaired of ever seeing them marry because in those days the bride’s father was expected to pay a dowry to his daughter’s fiancé. Unable to raise a dowry, the old man believed they would remain single and feared for his daughters’ happiness (which goes to show how old the story is – many women these days would give anything to be single again).

Anyway, one evening the daughters washed their clothes and went to bed. While the family slept, a young man named Nicholas visited the house and looked in the window, where he saw the daughters’ stockings hanging by the fire. At this, Nicholas reached into his money pouch and drew out three small bags of gold. He threw one nag into each stocking, and when the daughters awoke in the morning and went to get dressed, they found enough money in their stockings to allow them to marry. You see, Nicholas was the young man who would go on to become Saint Nicholas, who we know better these days as Santa Claus.

As a result of this story, children have taken to hanging stockings close to the fire, and into these stickings go small presents (generally not enough to pull together a dowry though). In many places you can buy special small bags of chocolate “coins” wrapped in gold foil as a “stocking filler”, as a nod to the old story. Of course, the world being what it is, “stocking fillers” these days tend to be more in the order of CDs and jewellery, but hey – at least they’re still shiny and mostly circular. But there’s no reason it has to be that way . why not use your imagination this Christmas and give someone a truly thoughtful stocking filler?