This Christmas Stocking with Santa is about 7 inches tall. The stocking is of a fuzzy dark blue material with a fuzzy red and green striped trim. The top half of Santa is visible with the rest presumably in the stocking. This is the traditional looking Santa dressed all in red with white trim on his cuffs, a red stocking cap with white trim that has colored sequins on it and a white pom-pom on the end all done in fuzzy material. Santa also has a very fuzzy beard made of fuzzy strings. In his right hand is a small wooden bell and in his left is a small wooden wrapped gift. There is a gold lame cord attached to his cap to allow you to hang this beautiful ornament. Select this link to view our Christmas Ornaments.
Old World Christmas Santa Claus.
Santa Claus truly represents a veritable melting pot of cultures, beliefs and traditions. As immigrants arrived in the New World centuries ago, along with their hopes and dreams for a better future, they brought with them their beliefs and customs surrounding the holidays. The Germans brought their Belznickel and Christkind, the Scandinavians their gift giving elves and the Dutch introduced the Sinterklaas, all representing the celebration of St. Nicholas. The American legend of Santa Claus embodies childhood innocence and magical delight, as Santa Claus is the bearer of gifts and treats for children everywhere. With his home at the wintry North Pole, he and his merry elves created the toys that put the magic into the holidays. He was a kind and gentle figure, and starry eyed children awaited his annual visit with spirited anticipation. Select this link to view our Christmas Gifts.
The legend of Santa Claus is derived in part from the benevolent European figure St. Nicholas, and in part from American writers who wrote children’s poems in the nineteenth century. Clement Moore, who wrote “A Visit From St. Nicholas” in 1822, and Thomas Nast, the famed political cartoonist who depicted Santa Claus in the 1860’s as an elfin figure, contributed greatly to this fantasy. Their descriptions of the jolly man clad in red and white created the folk hero children around the world dream about on Christmas Eve. This American patron saint of children certainly brings joy and delight to all during the holidays.
Christmas stocking
Christmas stocking is an empty sock or sock-shaped bag that children in the United States and some other cultures hang on Christmas Eve so that Santa Claus can fill it with small toys, candy, fruit, coins, or other small gifts when he arrives. These small items are often referred to as stocking stuffers or stocking fillers. In some Christmas stories, the contents of the Christmas Stocking are the only toys the child receives at Christmas from Santa Claus. Other presents are wrapped up in wrapping paper. Tradition in western culture dictates that a child who behaves badly during the year will receive only a piece of coal. By tradition, the stocking is hung on the fireplace, but, since many modern homes do not have fireplaces, stockings may be hung in almost any location. The tradition started up in Germany. One traditional practice is to reserve the stocking for five gifts that stimulate each of the five senses, for example: Something to eat, like fruit or candy. A toy or other item that makes a noise (this can even include nuts to crack). An item that is visually pleasing in any way like jewelry, cuff-links or a coloring book. Select this link to view our Santa Claus Ornaments.
Something that has tactile appeal such as modeling clay, a soft toy, lingerie or a pair of novelty Christmas socks. Any item with a distinctive scent such as bubble-bath, cologne, perfume, etc. Originally, children simply used one of their everyday socks, but eventually special Christmas stockings were created for this purpose. Today, stores carry a tremendous variety of styles and sizes of Christmas stockings, from small and conservative, to long and stretchy, to gigantic. Many families create their own Christmas stockings with each family member's name applied to the stocking so that Santa (or the family members) aren't confused about which stocking belongs to which family member. Select this link to view our Santa Claus Gifts.