HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1989-12-22, Page 22PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1989.
A history of the Christmas stocking
One of the most beloved symbols
of generosity at holiday-time is the
Christmas stocking. From its ori
gins in age-old legend to the
present day, the stocking continues
to have an important place in the
tradition of gift-giving.
While no one can say for certain,
many people believe that the
custom of stuffing Christmas stock
ings began with an act of Saint
Nicholas, the original Santa Claus.
A bishop in Asia Minor in the
fourth century A.D., Saint Nicholas
is credited with many acts of
kindness and generosity - acts by
and large performed at night and in
secret.
Among these was the provision
of dowries to three sisters who,
because of their poverty, were
unable to wed. To help each of
these young ladies in turn, Saint
Nicholas dropped a bag of gold
down the chimney of their home on
three separate occasions.
The bags fell into their stockings,
which were hung out to dry - an
accident of fate which was the
starting point for a long-lasting
custom.
Eight centuries later, the custom
of giving presents in the name of
Saint Nicholas came into being,
when French nuns began giving
gifts to the children of poor families
on December 5th, the Eve of Saint
Nicholas’ Day.
These gifts, left secretly for the
children to enjoy, comprised the
sorts of treats, such as nuts and
exotic fruits, that during the rest of
the year were beyond their means.
The custom of giving presents
such as these on Saint Nicholas’
Eve spread and took hold, particu
larly in Belgium and the Nether
lands.
There, children traditionally left
out their wooden shoes, filled with
carrots and hay for Saint Nicholas’
horses, before they went to bed on
Saint Nicholas’ Eve. When they
awoke in the morning, they hoped
to find their shoes filled not with
fodder for horses, but with small
toys and sweets.
Children in other countries also
left out shoes - not stockings - to be
filled. In rural France, Christmas
Eve is the big day; in the Basque
region of Spain, in the shadow of
the Pyrenees, the children wait till
the Eve of Three Kings Day to set
their shoes on the windowsill, in
hopes that the traveling Magi will
leave them a gift.
Saint Nicholas, too, is a traveler,
in a more figurative sense, for it is
he who, by the early years of the
19th century, had crossed the
Atlantic Ocean to America, becom
ing Santa Claus along the way.
Mention is made of Santa Claus
in a newspaper articles as early as
1773 and, by 1810, when the New
York Historical Society organized a
Celebration of the Festival of Saint
Nicholas, not only Santa Claus, but
the stockings he traditionally filled,
had become commonplace.
It must be remembered, of
course, that New York, once New
Amsterdam, boasts Dutch roots.
However, it was not a Dutchman,
but a man of Scottish ancestry,
Washington Irving, who really
brought Santa Claus and his Christ
mas stockings to the attention of
the American public.
In his History of New York,
written under the pen name of
Diedrich Knicherbocker, Irving
Many events
happened on
Christmas
December 25th is best known, of
course, as Christmas - declared
centuries ago as the day of Christ’s
birth. But, while no one can say for
certain if accuracy has kept pace
with tradition, numerous other
noteworthy events have in fact
occurred on Christmas Day.
In the year 800 A.D., Charle
magne was crowned Emperor of
the Holy Roman Empire by Pope
Leo III on Christmas Day. And, in
1066, another world-renowned lea
der, William the Conqueror, fresh
from his success at the Battle of
Hastings, ascended the throne of
England on December 25th.
Crossing the Atlantic, in 1492,
Christopher Columbus’s ship, the
Santa Maria, landed on the island
of Hispaniola, today occupied joint
ly by Haiti and the Dominican
Republic, on Christmas Eve.
Columbus left a colony of his
sailors behind and headed back to
Spain, convinced he had found not
a “new world’’ but a short cut to
the Far East.
One of the most famous occur
rences of the American Revolution
happened on Christmas evening in
1776, when George Washington
and his troops crossed the Dela
ware River from their encampment
in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, into
New Jersey.
There was good reason for this —
Washington rightly assumed that
the Hessian troops employed by
the British and ensconced across
the river would be in the midst of
celebrations and therefore less
alert to forays by the revolutionary
army.
mentions not only Santa’s habit of
“drawing forth magnificent pres
ents and dropping them down the
chimneys of the favorites,” but
also how stockings hung on Christ
mas Eve are * ‘found in the morning
mysteriously filled.”
It was left to Clement Clarke
Moore, diffident author of A Visit
from Saint Nicholas, to round out
the picture, drawing a portrait of
Santa Claus which has remained
with us now for over 150 years, and
confirming in the annals of Christ
mas merriment the tradition of
putting out stockings for Saint
Nicholas to fill.
Today, Christmas stockings are
still “hung by the chimney with
care,” though they are more likely
to be bought or made for the
purpose than simply one’s every
day, homespun hose.
Also, they are usually filled with
gifts more exotic or sophisticated
than the traditional oranges, apples
and shiny coins - or even the lumps
of coal, the customary reward of a
child who has misbehaved. And not
only the children, but mom, dad,
even Rover and Mittens are likely
to have one, making filling the
family’s stockings an increasing
challenge to creativity.
To our many friends, neighbours and * I
customers, we’d like to take this opportunity \
to thank everyone for their kindness and K
generosity, Wishing everyone a Merry
Christmas and God Bless.
CARL, LENA, RON, RUSS & BRENDA
Nesbitt Construction
Its Christmas!
Joyous wishes to you
and yours, as we
express our
appreciation for your
very special friendship.
Here’s to a magical night and a
glorious holiday!
Enjoy.
Howard & Joan Bernard
Bernard Fuels
Brussels 887-6377
MCDONALD
Brussels
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