Stocking Stuffers in Time
Christmas has many delightful elements that bring surprise to gift giving. None has more potential of surprise than the time-honored stocking stuffer.
Often thought of as spurious or last-minute gifts, stocking stuffers can be small gifts of great impact.
~ Where Stocking Stuffers First Became Part of Christmas ~
For many, the history and tradition of stocking stuffers begins with the Legend of the Christmas Orange, or the Bishop’s Gold.
This is the story of St. Nicholas and his legend from the very beginning. Nicholas was a Bishop in the City of Myra, where he was famous for meeting the needs of the poor.
As the legend is told, a man with several daughters was distraught because he lacked the money to take care of his family and was entertaining the horrible thought of selling one of his children into slavery.
Bishop Nicholas heard of the situation and in the dark of night he slipped a bit of gold into the stocking of the child in question, who had hung the stocking up to dry by the fire.
Some say it was a bag of gold, other versions of the tale say it was a ball of gold. Regardless, the fairly modern day practice of putting an orange in the toe of the stocking is said to be symbolic of the Bishop’s gold.
This legend is the core of gift giving under the name of Santa Claus – or his known variables in other languages – and leaving treasures in a stocking or a shoe. These practices date back hundreds of years all over the world and they are as legendary as Santa himself.
~ 19th Century Stocking Stuffers ~
Clement Clark Moore perpetuated the legend of Santa Claus with his viral 19th century work, A Visit from St. Nicholas.
As the poem described “stockings hung by the chimney with care” it led to widespread stocking hanging in America on Christmas Eve.
In fact, it became the tradition in most American homes for anxious children to find the largest of their father’s socks to hang by the fire.
Such big stockings came with big expectations. On Christmas morning, children were excited to find treats like the “orange in the toe”, candy and nuts. This was long the expectation and the hope of a Christmas stocking.
As the Christmas tree became more of a staple in American homes in the mid-1850s stockings had to compete for the tree as the place for Christmas. Placing gifts on the branches of the tree was a thing for a long time before putting them beneath the tree became popular.
In later years after the publishing year after year of A Visit from St. Nicholas in newspapers nationwide those children of the 1820s and 1830s had children of their own – and they wisely shared the traditions of the stocking with their children and grandchildren.
For many years, the reminiscing of Christmas’ past were published in newspapers along side of A Visit from St. Nicholas, cementing the traditions of the Christmas stocking and the traditional gifts it held.
But people also started to augment those gifts – and even make them more specialized, expensive and meaningful.
Hair brushes and clips, button hooks, pocket mirrors or other personal items frequently “fancied” with silver handles were found in stockings. For me, it would be buckles, shoe shine items, or personal care items such as mustache wax or trimming supplies.
For children, popular toys included miniature rag dolls, tin horns, toy drums, and small books.
~ 20th Century Stocking Stuffers ~
New media and the relentless march of technology changed the stocking stuffer in the 20th century.
While the old fashioned candy-and-nuts were common during the Great Depression all that changed during the post-war boom of Christmas after World War II.
Stocking stuffers became more elaborate. Slinkys, jacks, dice, cards, make-up, film, and small food treats beyond candy started to fill stockings.
The stocking was the smart place to share small and expensive surprise gifts, such as engagement rings, watches, necklaces and other valuable jewelry items.
Innovations in small toys also made their way into Christmas stockings as silly putty, yo-yos, and playdoh all were perennial Christmas stocking staples.
Sometimes technology during the 60s and the 70s allowed for transistor radios, batteries, flash lights and flash cubes for cameras to be put into stockings.
Candy food fads such as Lifesavers, Tootsie pops, and bubble gum were frequently found in stockings along side useful items such as socks, toothbrushes, and small toiletry items such as soap, shampoo, hair spray and other self-care items. Here is a selection of 20th century ads featuring stocking stuffers:
~ 21st Century Stocking Stuffers ~
Stocking stuffers continue to evolve in the 21st century and technology drives that more than any other kind of product.
A stocking in our modern times feature cell phones and all their various accessories, thumb drives, headphones, batteries, sunglasses, tablets, microphones, bluetooth speakers and gadgets of nearly every shape and size.
Food is, and perhaps will, always be a stocking favorite. Fresh fruits such as oranges remain in style but vitamins, energy drinks, protein bars and other healthy snacks are considered quite giftable and trendy.
The Christmas stocking has become, like the Christmas tree, a thing of holiday creativity – something that seemingly gets redefined now every Christmas.
