Dec

Ten Christmas Traditions Stuffed in Stockings ‘n Shoes

by Janine Boylan on December 24, 2012

Christmas stocking showing Christmas traditions in different cultures

American Christmas stocking
© Janine Boylan

How Different Cultures Fill ‘Em Up

Every Christmas morning, plump velvet stockings line our hearth. And Christmas tradition dictates that each stocking has a tangerine and a brand new penny in it.

Getting the Hang of Stockings and Shoes

According to legend, the Christmas stocking originated when three impoverished girls hung their freshly-washed socks by the fire to dry. Walking by their home that evening, Saint Nicholas saw the stockings, and, feeling pity for the girls, secretly filled each sock with a generous bag of gold. The gold changed the lives of the girls forever.

Shoe stuffed with gifts representing Christmas traditions of different cultures

Traditional gifts in a modern shoe
© Thinkstock

Today, oranges or tangerines symbolize the bags of gold. I never thought too much about this until the first Christmas with my husband. Finding his tangerine, he said, “What’s this for?”

A basic Oh, I see moment—not everyone has the same traditions around stockings! In fact, in many different cultures, the shoe is the item of choice for stuffing.

Though the concept of giving is common across cultures, timing and traditions differ, bringing a true gift, the gift of cultural diversity, to our world.

Traditions Across Different Cultures

Just take a look at how variations of holiday stocking and shoe traditions abound worldwide:

United Kingdom Stockings are hung on the mantle or from beds in order to catch the coins that Father Christmas drops down the chimney. If there are no stockings, the money will be lost.
Ecuador Some children tuck Christmas lists into their shoes. The lists are replaced by Papa Noel with new shoes and presents.
France French children neatly arrange their shoes in front of the fireplace on Christmas Eve. Père Noël comes during the night and fills the shoes with candy and toys. In anticipation, wooden renditions of Père Noël often grace the doors of homes in Southern France.
Wooden Père Noël in a Provence village
© Sheron Long
Slovak Republic St. Nicholas leaves candy and fruit in children’s shoes. Unruly children find coal.
Hungary Children set boots in the window. Mekulash, the Hungarian Santa, fills well-behaved children’s boots with fruit, nuts, and chocolate. Misbehaving children receive a stick or switch. Apparently few children are perfect: many children find their boots have both candy and a switch.
Iceland During the Christmas season, children leave their shoes on the windowsill. Thirteen mythical elves called Jolasveinar visit one at a time over thirteen days to leave gifts in the shoes of the good children. Bad children receive potatoes!
A European window ready for Christmas boots
© Thinkstock
China Although Christmas is not widely celebrated in China, some children hang muslin stockings for Dun Che Lao Ren, Old Man Christmas, to fill.
Italy Broom-riding La Befana visits Italian children and delivers toys, fruit, and candy. Disobedient children find coal-filled shoes instead.
La Befana fills children’s shoes in Italy
© Thinkstock
Netherlands Children fill their wooden shoes with hay and carrots for St. Nicholas’s horse. He exchanges their offerings with toys and candy.
Spain Children leave their shoes near the door, fireplace, or balcony for the Wise Men on Three Kings Day. Children may leave hay for the camels as well. In the morning, the children’s shoes are stuffed with toys and candy.

And What About That “Naughty or Nice” Idea?

Not only does the custom of shoes or stockings vary in different cultures, but also whether or not the stuffings reflect that concept of “naughty or nice”—coal and switches on the naughty side; toys and candy on the nice.

If you participate in Christmas customs, do you follow the tradition of “naughty or nice”? Take our reader poll and let us know what you’re expecting this year.

Silly Santas, showing Christmas traditions in different cultures

Santas bearing trees
© Sheron Long

[polldaddy poll=6786830]

If poll does not display, take it here.

VIA Museum of Science and Industry

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Janine Boylan Comments

Cultural Diversity/Cultural Heritage & Traditions/Worldwide Sites

Dec

Meaningful Action After the Sandy Hook Shootings

by Janine Boylan on December 17, 2012

Flowers signifying sympathy for the victims of the Sandy Hook shootings and the need for meaningful action

Thank You, Robbie Parker, for Your Inspiration

After the December 14 tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, our world will never be the same.

President Obama called on the nation to respond with “meaningful action.” Schools are making plans to increase their security. Policy makers are debating about creating more stringent gun laws.

But what meaningful action can I take today, right now, as an individual? My solemn Oh, I see moment came from the words of Robbie Parker, who lost his daughter Emilie last Friday:

“Let it not turn into something that defines us, but something that inspires us to be better, to be more compassionate, and more humble people.

Let us please keep the sentiments of love that we feel for our families and the compassion that we feel for others—even complete strangers—and keep them with us at all times, not just in times of sorrow and tragedy.

And may we do this so that we can better all of our communities, and all of our cities, and all our states so that we can make everyone, everywhere in this country feel safe.”

During Sunday’s service in Connecticut, Obama noted, “We can’t tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change.”

There must be powerful, long-lasting, meaningful change in our society. Thank you, Robbie Parker, for your words that inspire us as we take steps to make that change.

VIA Christian Science Monitor and Huffington Post

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Janine Boylan Comments

Making a Difference

Dec

Life Lessons Tied Up In a Bow

by Janine Boylan on December 10, 2012

sneakers, showing life lessons on how to tie your shoes

What I Learned from Tying My Shoes

I absolutely would not watch.

I was only about four years old, but I remember it like it was yesterday. For months, my mom had been trying to teach me a basic life lesson: how to tie my shoes. I, however, absolutely DID NOT want to learn from her.

Whenever she tied my shoes, Mom would tell me to watch. Instead, I would twist my head as far around as possible and cover my ears while still strategically keeping my shoes where my mom could tie them. I was completely and utterly annoyed that she wanted to teach me to tie my shoes.

One day, tired of her persistent requests, I thought of a way to end it for once and all. I tied my own shoes. Then I announced that she could stop trying to teach me.

Fast forward many years to my own four-year-old daughter. Not wanting to force feed shoe-tying, I would encourage my daughter to try to tie her shoes, but I never told her to watch me. She seemed to be making no progress with this life lesson, but I was patient.

One day my mom and my daughter were laughing and chatting in the back seat of the car as I drove along. About five minutes into the ride, my daughter joyfully exclaimed, “Look, Grandma taught me to tie my shoes.”

That’s not how I remember learning.

But, fine, at least my daughter knew how to tie her shoes now.

Fast forward again to the present. My daughter and I were watching Ted Talks and came across a video by Terry Moore on the correct way to tie shoes.

If the video does not display, watch it here.

As the video ended, my daughter said, matter-of-factly, “That’s how Grandma taught me to tie shoes.”

Oh, I see. I guess I should have let my mom teach me after all.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Janine Boylan Comments

Life Lessons

World Views:

Topics

Author Archives: Janine Boylan

Ten Christmas Traditions Stuffed in Stockings ‘n Shoes

How Different Cultures Fill ‘Em Up

Getting the Hang of Stockings and Shoes

Traditions Across Different Cultures

And What About That “Naughty or Nice” Idea?

Meaningful Action After the Sandy Hook Shootings

Thank You, Robbie Parker, for Your Inspiration

Life Lessons Tied Up In a Bow

What I Learned from Tying My Shoes