"The origin of the fireplace stocking owes more to myth than fact. We know, thanks to
Twas the Night Before Christmas
, that hanging stockings by the chimney with care dates back at least to the poem's 1823 publication. But the story of how the footwear came to be hung by the fire seemingly is a hazy one. Legend says the original Saint Nicholas, who traveled around bringing gifts and cheer to those in need, came upon a small village one year and heard of a family in need. An impoverished widower, devastated by the passing of his wife, could not afford to provide a dowry for his three daughters. St. Nick knew the man was too prideful to accept money, so he simply dropped some gold coins down the chimney, which landed in the girl's stockings, hung by the fireplace to dry. (Or so the tale goes.) Thus the modern tradition was born, though present-day stockings are commonly stuffed with tiny gifts and candy, not gold."
Kayla Webley, 2010, Christmas Traditions,
Time Magazine
