Select your language: 
The tradition of the hung Christmas stockings as an action to receive the Christmas presents has emerged from the English-speaking world. However, the origin of this legend dates from the Middle Age.
Apart from being used as a place where Santa Claus would leave the presents to the kids, socks are also used for the decoration of the house during Christmas.
Anyways, although it might seem a superficial idea, the original theme of hanging stockings on Christmas has been debated during many years.
Christmas stockings in Europe.
The legend we mentioned before comes from the Middle Age, when a noble man became widowed and his life was left in ruin.
The man had no money left and his three daughters were due to marry. But, according to the tradition, the girls needed dowries in order to get married.
Under those circumstances, the story reached Santa Claus´s hearing and the latter threw three coins through the chimney right inside some stockings.
That morning, the three girls found the golden coins and they managed to get the dowry needed to get married.
Christmas stockings in America.
The tradition of the stockings appeared in Europe. However, America is the place where this tradition became more popular.
During the 19th century, the tradition of the Christmas socks came to America from Europe and it changed into a very popular decorative style due to two essential factors.
During the 19th century, Thomas Nast (the person who represents the modern iconography of Santa Claus in USA) and the writer Clement Moore (author of “A Visit from Saint Nicholas”) were the persons who made the Christmas stockings become so famous.
Different authors still debate on the origin of the Christmas socks as a Christmas tradition or a simple decoration. There are different countries who use these stockings for different traditional celebrations.
