Where does the tradition of the stocking come from?
Well, it’s a bit of a mystery! There are no written records to confirm a definite origin of the tradition. But there are several popular legends. The most well known tells the story of an old, poor man who lived long ago with his three beautiful daughters. The man had no money for his daughters to marry and feared for their future. St. Nicholas heard of the girls’ troubles and wanted to help, but knew the old man wouldn't accept charity.
So, one night, St. Nicholas crept down his chimney carrying three bags of gold coins, one for each girl. As he was looking for a place to leave the bags he noticed three pairs of stockings that were drying on the mantelpiece. He put one bag in each stocking and fled. The girls woke up the next morning, found the bags of gold coins, married and lived happily ever after. That’s the story anyway!
A must-have, given the traditional story about the origin of the stocking. If you want to go totally traditional, use a bag of tangerines.
Sweets are another popular stocking treat. Whether you’re filling a stocking for little kids or big kids, pop in a few favourites.
The custom is to put a handful of one and two pence pieces in the bottom of the stocking. But if you’re feeling generous you might want to put a fiver in.
Nothing too fancy needed here, just a few small bits and pieces to stoke the excitement and bring a smile to the face.
The world’s largest ever Christmas stocking was made in London in 2007. It was made out of 6,000 squares of red knitting and measured 32.56m long by 14.97m wide (heel to toe). It weighed the equivalent of three reindeer. Imagine trying to fill that with presents!