Stockings hanging from the fireplace are a sure sign that the Holidays have begun. But there was a time when hangingstockings was an everyday sight as people regularly dried their clothes by the fire. One can almost imagine a parent or husband slipping a small gift into a stocking as a surprise.

The link between stockings and Christmas began to emerge with the legend of Saint Nicholas. Centuries later, Clement Moore (1779-1863) penned his famous words “...The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...” and stockings became a Holiday fixture—one that endures to this day.