by Gordon Hamilton

Created on: December 18, 2008

Like so many traditions associated with Christmas, and indeed life in general, the origins of hanging a stocking by the fire are clouded by the mists of time, rumour and heresay. Some say that the practise originated in Holland, where Dutch children in centuries past used to leave their clogs by the hearth filled with straw for Santa's (Sinterclass') donkey, while a more tasty morsel would be left close by for Santa himself. There are similar recounts from both France and Italy. The tradition evolved to socks and onwards to the commercial red stockings with white tops we recognise today.

The most common tale, however - and most people's favourite explanation, I would imagine, including mine - is of the nobleman who lost his beloved wife to serious illness. Distraught with grief, he foolishly squandered what wealth he had, leaving nothing to provide dowries for his three young daughters. One night, when the daughters had been washing their stockings and had hung them by the fire to dry, kindly St Nicholas became aware of their plight and dropped three bags of gold down the chimney in to the stockings, one for each daughter. They therefore had their dowries and went on to find husbands, living happily ever after. This event inspired children in the village in which they lived - and soon far beyond - to hang stockings in similar fashion for St Nicholas to fill.

The items which are placed in Christmas stockings are commonly known either as stocking fillers or stocking stuffers. The nature of these items has varied considerably over the centuries but they generally symbolise gifts given to children by Santa Claus, St Nicholas or Father Christmas, depending upon the country. There was one tradition, believed to have originated in Germany, whereby each stocking would contain five gifts, one to stimulate each of the human senses. Oranges were frequently used to stimulate taste as they were representative of the bags of gold given to the nobleman's three daughters. I often heard my mother recount how the stockings of her and her brothers each Christmas morning would contain an orange and an apple and - if they were lucky - a small and very basic toy. That was the nature of the time.

In modern times, of course, there are fewer and fewer of us have traditional fireplaces from which to hang Christmas stockings, so they can be hung in a variety of places, from the end of a child's bed, to close by the Christmas tree. Wherever they are hung, the tendancy each year is for them to contain ever more numerous and elaborate gifts. Like so many traditions, the origins and original meaning of the Christmas stocking are therefore in danger of being lost in this rising tide of commercialism. That would be a very great shame.

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