The tradition of putting tangerines in stockings traces back to legends of St. Nicholas and 16th-century French nuns who left socks filled with fruit, nuts, and coins at the homes of the poor, symbolizing the gold that Bishop Nicholas reportedly tossed through a window to save three sisters from poverty.
Why We Put Tangerines in Christmas Stockings
Every Christmas morning, children around the world find a familiar sight nestled in the toe of their stockings: a bright orange tangerine. It's such a universal tradition that most people never stop to wonder why citrus fruit became a holiday staple. The answer takes us back through centuries of charitable giving and one very generous bishop.
The Legend of St. Nicholas
The story begins with Nicholas of Myra, a 4th-century Greek bishop known for his secret gift-giving. According to legend, Nicholas learned of a poor man who couldn't afford dowries for his three daughters—a situation that would have forced them into lives of servitude or worse.
Nicholas, determined to help while preserving the family's dignity, visited their home under cover of darkness. He tossed three bags of gold coins through an open window. In some tellings, the gold landed in stockings hung by the fire to dry. This act of anonymous generosity became the foundation for our modern Santa Claus.
French Nuns Carry the Torch
By the 16th century, French nuns had transformed Nicholas's legendary kindness into organized charity. On the eve of St. Nicholas Day (December 6th), they would creep through villages leaving stockings filled with:
- Fresh fruit, especially oranges and tangerines
- Nuts and dried fruits
- Small coins
- Simple treats
The round, golden oranges served as a humble stand-in for the bags of gold in the original legend. For poor families, receiving exotic citrus fruit was genuinely special—oranges were expensive luxuries that most could never afford.
Why Tangerines Specifically?
Tangerines became the fruit of choice for several practical reasons. They're small enough to fit perfectly in a stocking toe. Their arrival in European markets coincided with the winter holiday season. And their bright color and sweet fragrance made them feel festive and precious.
For families who couldn't afford elaborate gifts, a tangerine represented something magical: a taste of sunshine in the darkest part of winter, a rare treat that transformed an ordinary sock into a vessel of wonder.
The Tradition Crosses the Atlantic
European immigrants brought the custom to North America, where it flourished. During the Great Depression, a tangerine in the stocking might be the only "luxury" a child received. Elderly Americans often recall that fruit and nuts were their entire Christmas haul—and they remember it fondly.
Even as stockings grew stuffed with electronics and gift cards, the tangerine endured. It's become almost ceremonial now, a nod to simpler times when generosity meant sharing what little you had.
A Symbol That Endures
The tangerine in your stocking connects you to French nuns trudging through snowy villages, to a bishop's midnight act of kindness, and to centuries of families finding joy in small, sweet things. It's a reminder that the best traditions often begin with someone simply wanting to help.
So this Christmas, when you reach into your stocking and feel that familiar round fruit at the bottom, you're holding more than breakfast. You're holding a piece of history—golden, fragrant, and still capable of making someone smile.