Christmas stockings filled with gifts to delight

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) October 14, 2011 -- Many pictures on Christmas cards show Christmas stockings filled to overflowing. Christmas stockings are very much part of the Christmas theme as much as the Christmas tree is.

There is a legend behind the Christmas stockings. It is believed that a foolish man had squandered his wealth and was crying over the fact that he did not have any money for dowries for his three daughters. Saint Nicholas who is noted for his charitable deeds on hearing this decided to help. It is said that the three girls had put their stockings to dry by the fireplace and that St Nicholas had stuffed the three stockings with gold coins. This is what led to the Christmas stockings to be hung near the fire place.
In Holland the people believe that the origin was when in the sixteenth century children would leave their clogs near the fireplace filled with straw and carrots for the reindeer and that there would also be a treat of milk and biscuits for Santa Claus. In return Santa would fill the clogs with little treats. As the years went by the clogs were replaced by what we know today as Christmas stockings.

There are others who believe that Christmas stockings originated in North America during the late nineteenth century. They believe that an illustrator Thomas Nast drew pictures of Christmas stockings hung near the fire place and that the writer mentioned it in his story about Santa Claus.
It was also a tradition that the gifts used to fill the Christmas stockings should please the five senses. Sometimes a fragrant of a cake of soap would be put in to stimulate the sense of smell and for taste something nice to eat. Similar gifts were put to satisfy the other senses.

Come Christmas Eve and children will place their Christmas stockings near the fire place with the anticipation of it being filled by gifts from Santa Claus. They also believe that if the child has been naughty during the year the Christmas stockings will not be filled with gifts but with lumps of coal. Most families put out personalized Christmas stockingswhich are gaily hung across the fireplace.
Today with the commercialization of Christmas, Christmas stockings could be bought in stores without the hassle to make them. However there will be nothing to beat the homely feel and the satisfaction of making one’s own Christmas stockings to be hung out near a fire place.

More information can be found online at http://www.dinodirect.com/christmas-stockings-hangers/

Christmas stockings