Beginning to look a lot like Christmas?

We all have those little Christmas traditions which spark our festive spirit and get us in the mood for the holidays. Christmas is a time for tradition. Whether popular or personal, Christmas traditions are an important part of the festive season, and it’s safe to say we love ‘em!

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be busy making mince pies, going to the littlies’ nativity plays, writing Christmas cards, purchasing poinsettias and of course, decorating trees. All these lovely, Christmassy things fill us with festive cheer, but how often do we stop and think, “why do we do that?” How do our Christmas traditions become “traditions”? What are their histories?

Perhaps the most deeply entrenched and popular of all the Christmas traditions, fir tree decorating, dates as far back as the 1500s. Eastern Europeans would celebrate Christmas by erecting a decorated tree in their local market place. Locals would dance around it and finally set it alight. When Queen Victoria’s husband, the German Prince Albert, came to England in 1840, he brought with him the tradition of the decorated fir tree. The European novelty soon caught on; by 1848 a decorated fir tree in the Christmas home was the height of fashion.

Would Christmas be Christmas without carols? Probably not. Whether you’re shopping on the high street, in the supermarket, at work or watching the Eastenders Christmas Special, you can be sure to hear Do They Know It’s Christmas and Fairytale of New York at least 50,000 times before you see in the new year! But why do we sing carols at Christmas time? In actual fact, carolling in days of yore had nothing to do with Christmas. In both the 12^th and 13^th centuries, liturgical carols were the exclusive preserve of the clergy; rarely were they championed by laymen. The traditional carols we’re familiar with today date back to the 1800s. Popular verses such as Hark the Herald Angels Sing and The First Noel were written and enjoyed during this period.

And what of the most curious of Christmas traditions; hanging hosiery fireside on Christmas Eve?! When and where did this catch on?

Why we hang stockings on Christmas Eve is more mythical than the factual history of the Christmas Tree. Legend has it that the real Santa Claus – Saint Nicholas – came across an impoverished widower whilst doing his gift-giving rounds in a little European village. Alone and anxious, the widower feared his three, beautiful daughters would never marry as he could not afford their dowries. Good ol’ Saint Nick knew that the widower was a proud man, and he would not accept straight-out benefaction, so late one night he happened upon the widower’s home, and dropped gold coins down the chimney, which were caught in the daughters’ stockings, drying fireside. And so, a Christmas tradition was born.

And that little satsuma you always find at the bottom of your stocking? When did this become “a thing?” Well, a variation of the Saint-Nicolas-And-The-Widower story tells that Saint Nick dropped small balls of gold down the Chimney that Christmas Eve, not gold coins. The gifting of small, round, gold-coloured (kind of) oranges as stocking fillers pays homage to this myth, albeit a lot less extravagantly!

Whether you’re planning to fill their stockings with satsumas or balls of gold this Christmas, make sure you have a good, sturdy stocking in place. Our fantastic selection of 100% pure wool stockings boasts superb and traditional, oversized beauties, perfect for holding lots of Yuletide swag! Crafted from an excellent, enduring yarn, they will stand the test of time, serving your expectant little (and not-so-little) ones for years to come. Which is your favourite?

Christmas Stocking Giveaway!

We’re getting in the festive spirit! Fancy WINNING one of our fantastic Fairisle stockings? A wonderfully oversized, Christmas-morning essential, this pure wool accessory could be yours, personalised with your initials stitched on no less! If you’d love to get your hands on this terrific piece, just head over to our Facebook page and tell us how many oranges you reckon we can fit in one of our oversized stockings. Good luck!

EDIT 19/12/16: Congratulations to Annette Philip who is the lucky winner of the personalised stocking! Thanks to everyone who entered our competition, we hope you have all have a wonderful Christmas!

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Terms & Conditions

• This competition is only open to those based in the UK, excluding employees of WoolOvers and their immediate families, or anyone else professionally connected with the promotion.
• The Prize – The prize is one WoolOvers Pure Wool Fairisle Stocking (X03) worth £29.00, personalised with the winner’s initials (oranges not included).    
• This prize is non-negotiable, non-transferable and non-refundable. No cash alternative is available.
• The competition closes at midday on Monday 19th December (GMT)
• Each entrant can only enter once – any additional entries won’t be counted.
• Entrants must comply with the entry rules; like the competition post, then comment with their guess of how many oranges are in the stocking. Any entrant not complying with this sequence won’t be eligible to win.
• The winner will be the first person who correctly guesses the correct number, or the closest number to the correct number.
• In the event of unforeseen circumstances beyond our reasonable control, we reserve the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the prize draw competition or these terms and conditions, either in whole or in part, with or without notice.
• Our decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.
• This competition is in no way endorsed, sponsored, administered by, or associated with Facebook. 
• Facebook can not be held liable for anything related to the competition.
• The prize must be claimed by the winner within 7 days of announcement or a new winner will be chosen.
• The Winner will be announced after midday on the 19th December via Facebook.