Where does the tradition of Christmas socks come from?
The tradition of Christmas socks goes way back. Nicholas a kind noble man born about 280 AD came from a wealthy family but unfortunately both his parents died during an epidemic. A true follower of the principles of Jesus Christ, Nicholas became a Christian priest where he used his wealth to help the poor, sick and suffering.
Although Nicholas never married and had no children, he loved children immensely and often gave gifts to the children of his hometown. Nicholas always gave his gifts late at night so that his identity would remain secret. Therefore, the children were always told to go to bed early or Nicholas would not visit. Eventually, Nicholas was named the patron saint of children and sailors and he then came to be known as Saint Nicholas.
Throughout the centuries, several stories and legends have been told about the life and deeds of Saint Nicholas. One of the most famous stories is about a poor farmer who lived happily in a small house in Patara (Turkey) together with his three daughters and his wife. However, their luck was not in their favor when the wife died suddenly due to illness leaving the husband and his three daughters in despair. All household chores now rested on the shoulders of the three daughters, while their father slept the days with a heavy heart (unhappy).
When his daughters reached marriageable age the poor father became even more depressed knowing that he could not get his daughters married. In those days one had to offer the future husband something of value, called a dowry. Without the dowry, the daughters would probably not be able to marry. Desperate, the father kept looking for a solution to allow the daughters to marry while the daughters did the housework.
The story of the poor farmer and his three daughters came to Saint Nicholas' ears. Knowing of the father's financial situation, Saint Nicholas decided to help him. However, Saint Nicholas wanted to do this in secret. One evening, Saint Nicholas went to the poor farmer's house with a bag full of gold and waited until the family went to sleep so he could put the bag of gold inside. That evening, after housework, the three daughters hung their socks by the fireplace to dry. As soon as the father and his three daughters were asleep, Saint Nicholas quietly snuck in and saw the daughters' socks hanging. Carefully he put a bag of gold in the sock of one of the daughters.
When the father woke up the next day and found the bag of gold he was ecstatic. There was enough gold to pay the dowry of one of the daughters. With this gift, the father could have his eldest daughter married to a beautiful groom. On another night, Saint Nicholas went back to the farmer with another bag of gold and put it in the second daughter's sock. The second daughter found the bag of gold the next morning and brought it to her father who could not believe his eyes. With this second gift, his father was also able to get his second daughter married.
By now the father had become so curious about the mysterious benefactor that he kept looking out the next night. Then Saint Nicholas returned for the third time with a bag of gold for the third daughter. The old farmer immediately recognized his fellow townsman. The old farmer fell on his knees before Saint Nicholas and thanked him with all his heart. With Saint Nicholas' blessing, the poor father was able to see all three of his daughters married. They all lived happily ever after.
This story led children to hang up their socks in anticipation of a gift from Saint Nicholas. The tradition of the socks originally began in Turkey where they were used on Saint Nicholas Day also known as December 5 (St. Nicholas). Increasingly, the socks were used for Christmas Eve. Since they are now part of the traditional Christmas decorations.
Fill your cowhide Christmas sock with fun little Stocking fillers & stuffers!
The tradition of hanging socks has changed over the years. Where very early on in the legendary night gold pieces were put in the socks, people started using big socks. For example, the large socks of father. Because a big sock meant more gifts! Nowadays, socks are about the size of a boot with each sock having the name of the family member (and sometimes the name of the pet!) on it.
Today, socks are no longer (often) filled with gold coins but with small stuffers or fillers, aka small Christmas presents or gadgets. Think of toys, candy or fruit. As Saint Nicholas used to do for the children of his village.
Looking for cowhide Christmas sock inspirations?
We regularly receive super cool Christmas sock inspiration photos from our customers. Are you looking for ideas for your home or maybe you want to hang some cowhide Christmas socks in your office? Then take a look at the pictures below and get inspired!
Want to see even more fun and cozy cowhide Christmas sock inspirations? Then take a quick look at the inspiration room.
Cowhide Christmas socks in different colors and sizes
With a generous selection of different cowhide Christmas socks, you will always have something unique for Christmas. Each cowhide Christmas sock has its own unique color and shape. All socks are specially made by hand. Our collection of cowhide Christmas socks consists of a wide variety of colors and sizes. We have brown, white, black, beige, grey, brindle and also the famous tricolors. The Santa Claus socks come in two different sizes, an adult size and for the little ones, a children's size.
