The time of giving is upon us, and we are all “hanging our stockings with care in the hopes that St. Nicholas soon will be there.” Actually, did you ever wonder why we hang stockings on the mantle and fill them with presents at Christmas?
Historians don’t seem to be able to completely agree on the origin of the stockings themselves, but there is a legend to which is attributed the stocking stuffer tradition. According to the story, a very poor man was lamenting that he could not provide a large enough dowry for his three daughters to marry well. St. Nicholas, hearing of the man’s troubles and knowing that he would never accept charity, went to the man’s house, saw three freshly-laundered stockings hanging in front of the fire to dry, and filled each one with a bag of gold. Other versions of the legend refer to three gold balls instead of bags of gold. In fact, this most likely led to oranges being used as a traditional stocking stuffer well into the 20th century. Oranges symbolized the gold balls St. Nicholas left in the stockings, and were a rare treat in colder, northern climates.
These orange-colored baubles aren’t exactly packed with vitamin C, but they are the perfect stocking stuffer for that special someone this Christmas.
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18 karat blackened white gold, Mandarin garnet, “Cup” ring by Solange Azagury-Partridge. Size 6 ½.
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18 karat yellow gold mounting, centered with one oval-shaped orange sapphire, weighing 1.78 carats, flanked by two diamonds with a total weight of 1.15 carats. Size 6.
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Sources: The Smithsonian, The St. Nicholas Center, The Atlantic
