A Stocking Tale on Christmas

A Christmas stocking is a little pouch that Santa and fills it with little toys, coins, or even candy to young children. The objects put in the stocking are often referred as stocking stuffers.

Although, there are no written records of the origin of the stockings there are many legends and beliefs that have their own view on Christmas tradition and beliefs.

One very popular origin story is written from Morris Desmond saying, “a very long ago, there lived a poor man and his three very beautiful daughters. He had no money to get his daughters married, and he was worried what would happen to them after his death. Saint Nicholas was passing through when he heard the villagers talking about the girls. St. Nicholas wanted to help, but knew that the old man wouldn't accept charity. He decided to help in secret. After dark he threw three bags of gold through an open window, one landed in a stocking. When the girls and their father woke up the next morning they found the bags of gold and were, of course, overjoyed. The girls were able to get married and live happily ever after. Other versions of the story say that Saint Nicholas threw the three bags of gold directly into the stockings which were hung by the fireplace to dry.”

Although that is a very popular legend, many also believe that one day a very long time ago they was a little town; the people in the town didn’t have a lot of money and never celebrated Christmas. A man named Saint Nicholas saw the little town and felt badly for them. He decided to make little wooden shoes and put them on the doorsteps of houses, he put coins and sweets in each shoe for the children and from that point on children kept the wooden shoes and put the out every year on Christmas night.

There are many stories and legends on how stocking’s really started, but the magic of it is not really knowing, but putting your own belief in it, and telling your own story for generations.