A Christmas stocking is
an empty sock or sock-shaped bag that children hang on Christmas Eve so
that Santa Claus (or Father Christmas) can fill it with small toys,
candy, fruit, coins or other small gifts when he arrives. These small
items are often referred to as stocking stuffers or stocking fillers.
During
The Great Depression/WWI and WWII, the contents of the Christmas
stocking were the only toys children received at Christmas from Santa
Claus in many American families. Both of my parents used to look forward
to receiving citrus fruits and nuts in their Christmas stockings
because these items were rarely eaten during the cold months where they
grew up.
Tradition
in German and Dutch culture sometimes dictates that a child who behaves
badly during the year will receive only a lump of coal. A lump of coal,
however, is not always considered bad during the winter, holiday
season. Coal is equated with warmth and salt with good fortune and bread
symbolic for enough to eat for the coming year in England on New Years
Day.
The
tradition of putting out a stocking for St. Nicholas began in the
Orthodox Christian churches; the exact date for it's humble beginnings,
historians are not sure of. St. Nicholas, who was a real person, a
Catholic bishop, had quite a reputation for purchasing the freedom of
indentured servants (slaves). In legendary stories written about St. Nicholas, his character is revealed through a series of charitable acts.
One
of these charitable acts is demonstrated in a story about a poor man
and his three beautiful daughters. Because none of his children had
dowries (marriage settlements) and he feared they would need to be sold
into indentured slavery to keep from starving as was the custom for
many poor Roman citizens at that time. Saint Nicholas happened to be
visiting the small village where these three sisters lived and overheard
the villagers talking about their problem. The villagers warned him of
their father's pride, saying he would not eccept Christian charity. So,
St. Nicholas kept his donation secret by tossing gold coins for the
girls down their chimney at night.
What
about the stockings you say? Well, it was also the custom at that time
and for many centuries afterwards, to wash one's stockings out in a
basin and to hang these up to dry over night in front of a fireplace.
Some of those gold coins tossed down the chimney at night apparently
made their way into the three sister's stockings. With the telling of
this particular story, in the Orthodox Church, the popular tradition of
concealing gifts in stockings began.
There
are other variations to these stories told in churches about St.
Nicholas. So much so that artists have painted symbolic gifts along side
or in the hands or pockets of St. Nicholas throughout the history of
his depiction in art.
The
popular retelling of the charitable acts of St. Nicholas according to
American television are a far cry from the original stories. St.
Nicholas is now Santa who doesn't much resemble his former glory and
certainly does not take upon himself the necessity of telling little
children about Jesus. St. Nicholas was a very charitable bishop who
loved Jesus so much that he gave his family's entire fortune in exchange
for the freedom of others; he was a devoted abolitionist. The truth is
almost always more inspiring than fiction.
Make an heirloom stocking.
More Ways to Make Stockings:
- Faux Quilted Stocking Tutorial
- Citrus Holiday: Elf Stockings
- Appliqued Snowman Stocking
- Burlap Stocking Tutorial
- Elf Boot Stocking Tutorial
- Blue Jean Christmas Stocking Tutorial
- Knitted mini Christmas stockings
- Knitted Fisherman Pattern Stocking
- Zig-Zag Christmas Stocking
- Recycled Christmas Sweater Stockings!
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