“The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.”
‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’, poem by Clement Clarke Moore, 1822
Where did the idea for a Christmas stocking first originate?
It has been told that in the early 1800’s St Nicholas would drop gold coins down the chimney of impoverished families on Christmas Eve where the family had hung their stockings and socks out to dry by the fire.
The tradition of the Christmas stocking is thought to have gained momentum in Germany, where socks were filled with five traditional gifts based on the senses: fruit (taste), toys (sound), brightly coloured trinkets (sight), clothes (touch) and perfume (smell).
By the mid-to-late 1800s in the US, stockings became an essential part of Christmas decoration and tradition. In the late 1800’s an illustrator called Thomas Nast drew a couple of stockings on a mantlepiece in George Webster’s Christmas book “Santa Claus and his Works” – image below.
An 1883 New York Times article proclaimed, “the stocking was for so many years so closely associated with Christmas that Christmas without stockings seemed inappropriately and insufficiently celebrated.”
By 1888, a lithograph-printed cotton pattern became available for purchase that could be cut and sewn at home and by the early 20th Century fully stitched and ready-to-hang Christmas themed stockings could be bought in stores.
Are there Christmas Stockings in France?
Do the French hang stockings by the fire on Christmas Eve? Sort of! Like many European countries, children leave their winter boots and shoes by the fireplace and fill them with carrots and treats for the donkey of Père Noël’s (Father Christmas / Santa Claus). The donkey’s name is Gui (Mistletoe) – so cute! Père Noël collects the treats and, if the child has been good, a gift is left for them to open on Christmas morning. The presents are, just like what we call, stocking stuffers, small enough to fit inside their shoes like lollies, coins or small toys.
Our French Consul Christmas Stockings are very much inspired by vintage French Ladies’ Boots, combining the best of all these Christmas Stocking traditions. What might Santa drop into yours? Joyeux Noël + Merry Christmas!
