The Christmas Stocking is a sock-like bag that children hang at the fireplace on Christmas Eve so that Santa can fill it with small gifts. The tradition spread around the world, thanks to its popularity in the USA. But do you really know where this custom comes from?

The Legend of the Christmas Stocking

According to a Dutch tradition, it started with a poor man and his three daughters. The young women wanted to get married and had suitors but the father had nothing to offer as a dowry. One day, St. Nicholas (the original Santa Claus) passed through this town and listened to the locals discussing the situation of these poor girls. St. Nicholas knew that the father would be too proud to receive a gift directly. So, on Christmas Day, he went to the man’s chimney and threw three gold coins into it. Coins fell into three socks. The young women had placed them there after washing them, to dry during the night. When they woke up, they found the unexpected gift. The coins were enough for the dowry and finally, they could get married. The tradition found its place in the hearts of children.

The Biggest Christmas Stocking

The world’s largest Christmas stocking is 106 feet 9 inches (32.56 m) long and 49 feet and 1 inch (14.97 m) wide. It weighed as much as five reindeer and had almost 1,000 gifts in it. The London Children’s Society made it on 14 December 2007.

Read another fun Christmas story here: The Christmas Truce

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