Just about every person agrees that Christmas is the most joyful and fun holiday for anyone who celebrates it.
Whether it’s a family exchanging gifts, a couple spending time together, or friends surprising one another with presents, all of it is a time to celebrate.
Not to mention, the number of traditions that are associated with the holiday, such as Christmas stockings.
Still, like any other holiday, it can seem confusing why some of these traditions exist.
With this in mind, why do we hang stockings at Christmas?
To answer this question…we hang stockings at Christmas so Santa Claus can fill them with presents if you’ve been good. According to tradition, Saint Nicholas put gold coins in the stockings of three poor sisters after the girls left their stockings drying over a fireplace. Since, the tradition has been a significant part of the holiday, where many families give their kids candy in the stockings instead of coins.
Considering Christmas is such a fun and jolly experience for so many people, it’s quite remarkable the traditions have remained a part of the holiday for so long.
Although not everyone does the stocking tradition, it’s still a significant part of the holiday that so many people are a part of.
With this in mind, we’re going to discuss everything you’ll need to know about Christmas stockings.
We’ll highlight where hanging stockings at Christmas came from, if all people hang stockings at Christmas, what stockings symbolize, and much more.
Let’s take a look!
Where did hanging stockings at Christmas come from?
As you can expect with a tradition that’s been attached to Christmas for as long as most people can remember, the origin of Christmas stockings is a lengthy one.
After all, the holiday has been celebrated for nearly 2000 years, making it one of the oldest holidays in the world to be celebrated.
As for when Christmas stockings originated, the story dates back to a nobleman named Nicholas, born in 270 A.D.
Similar to the modern story of Santa, Nicholas dedicated his life to using his wealth to help impoverished and suffering people.
Thus, we see the modern story involving Santa Claus and gift-giving in general.
Like so many holidays, it’s about the spirit of the holiday more so than anything else.
After all, it’s a time to celebrate and rejoice rather than worry about what’s going on in your life.
It’s one day a year where people can relax and look forward to something.
Do all people hang stockings at Christmas?
Although more people hang stockings on Christmas than those who don’t, there are still many people who don’t hang stockings at all.
This isn’t because they have a natural hatred toward the tradition, they just might stick to gift-giving instead of hanging up stockings to give each other.
On the other hand, there are a few countries where Christmas is banned.
So, in those countries, people don’t hang up stockings at all since it’s illegal for any sort of Christmas celebration.
There are also many people who don’t celebrate the holiday for religious reasons, so those people don’t hang up stockings either.
What do Christmas stockings symbolize?
The stocking itself doesn’t symbolize anything, but it’s hung on Christmas eve so that Santa Claus (Saint Nick) can fill it with small toys, candy, and other gifts.
It has been in tradition for a long time, and many look forward to it for their love of candy and other small gifts in stockings.
Some claim the stockings are there to remind us of coherence and reciprocity, just like Saint Nick did years ago when he gave gold coins to three poor sisters.
Regardless, it’s a fun part of the holiday that has been around for a long time and will continue to be a part of it for years to come.
Do Germans hang Christmas stockings?
Believe it or not, the tradition of hanging Christmas stockings first came to life in Germany.
Although the tradition has been around for a long time, it first originated in Germany due to the Saint Nicholas story.
So, if you’re a major fan of Christmas stockings, you have the German Christmas traditions to thank.
The Germans actually have several Christmas celebrations that many other countries haven’t adopted yet.
It’s a massive celebration in the country and has been a part of the culture there for several years.
Definitely look up some German Christmas celebrations to see just how spectacular the holiday is there.
What traditionally goes in a Christmas stocking?
As already touched upon already, the original Christmas stockings originated from the story of Saint Nick giving three poor sisters coins in their stockings.
Since, the tradition has grown in popularity primarily because of Germany and the German celebrations pertaining to Christmas.
Nowadays, people range in what they put in Christmas stockings.
Obviously, they have a significant size limit with what they can put it in since stockings can’t fit more significant gifts.
Parents typically fill stockings for their kids since stockings mostly have fun toys and candy in them instead of gifts adults would prefer.
- Small Toys
- Candy
- Fruit
- Coins
- Small Gifts
Why do we hang Christmas stockings on the fireplace?
As already discussed, the reason Christmas stockings are hung on the fireplace is because of the story of Saint Nick putting gold coins in three poor sisters’ stockings that were hung on the fireplace.
Since, the tradition has remained where many people look forward to Christmas day to see what’s in their stockings.
Why do Christmas stockings hang to the right?
There is no real explanation why stockings hang to the right.
It’s just the natural way stockings go when they’re hung.
However, not every stocking hangs to the right, with some stockings actually being straight or hanging the other way.
It heavily depends on the stocking itself.
Regardless, stockings are a significant part of Christmas and will remain for a long time.