Stockings on a fireplace mantel. Christmas stockings were mentioned as an established American tradition as early as 1823 in the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas. The origin of the Christmas stocking is thought to originate in the life of Saint Nicholas.

Originally, children hung every day socks, the ones they wore, up for St. Nicholas. By the early 20 th century, special stockings, often decorated with holiday designs, were used instead. Today, many Christmas stockings are handcrafted by family members and personalized so that Santa would know which child belonged to the stocking.