Christmas Stocking Full of Toys

About this drawing

Long before anyone filled a stocking by the fireplace with candy, there was a story about Saint Nicholas. A poor father could not afford dowries for his daughters, so the bishop secretly dropped gold coins down the chimney one night. The coins landed in stockings left to dry near the hearth, and the family was saved.

That tale traveled across Europe and took root in everyday life. Dutch children set out wooden shoes, while families in other countries used whatever footwear they had. Once the custom reached the United States, the stocking became the favorite, and the famous 1823 poem that begins with the night before Christmas described stockings hung by the chimney with care.

American families soon began sewing bigger stockings just for the holiday, often decorated with felt shapes or stitched with a child's name. Small gifts went inside: nuts, candy, little toys, and usually an orange tucked into the toe, a sweet echo of those gold coins in the old story. Some people also joke about a lump of coal for naughty children, a warning that has been part of the fun for generations. Today, many homes without a real fireplace simply hang their stockings on a staircase or a shelf.

• christmas stocking
• fireplace
• toys
• holly