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• Christmas stockings are empty socks or sock-shaped bags that children hang on Christmas Eve so that Santa Claus will fill them with small presents.

• Fast Facts

  1. Christmas Day is December 25
  2. Christmas 2009 falls on a Friday
  3. Made from socks or fabric sewn into sock shaped bags
  4. Commonly filled with small presents, candy and fruit
  5. Hung on the fireplace mantle traditionally, but can be hung anywhere if the home does not contain a fireplace

• History

  One legend states that originally wooden clogs were filled with straw and left by the fireplace on Christmas Eve as a treat for Santa's reindeer. Once the reindeer were finished eating the straw, Santa would leave small gifts in the clogs for the children.PlumpStocking.com: History of the Christmas Stocking

• The Nobleman and his Daughters

  An old story tells of a nobleman whose wife passed away after a long illness. After his wife passed, the nobleman lost all of his money and belongings, and he and his three daughters moved into a peasant's cottage. When the time came for the young women to marry, the nobleman had no money to provide for a dowry, so they would not be able to marry.

  One evening, Saint Nicholas stopped by the family's house to comfort the despairing father, but the family had gone to bed. Saint Nicholas wanted to help the family, so he took out three pouches of gold and contemplated how to get them inside. While looking through the window he noted that the three young women had washed their stockings before bed and hung them to dry by the fireplace. Saint Nicholas dropped the bags of gold down the chimney and they landed in each of the girls' stockings. When they woke the next morning, each of the young women had more than enough gold for a dowry.Santa Stocking: The History of Christmas Stockings

• Related Mahalo Pages

  How to Make Christmas Stockings | Christmas | A Christmas Story | Bad Santa | Christmas Day NBA Schedule | Christmas Songs | Christmas Special Schedule | Christian Christmas Songs | Christmas Ringtones | Christmas Ham | Christmas Turkey | Eggnog | Fred Claus | Christmas Traditions | Holiday Cookies | Vintage Christmas Ornaments | Christmas Tree Ornaments

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