Without Googling

[Brengirl]

Does anyone know why we hang up a stocking at Christmas?

[janeyo]

Duh! To put the presents in...

[jackie j]

So father Christmas can fill them up with lots of lovely pressies of course. Silly bren, lol

[Flummery]

Traditionally it was a shoe or slipper. St Nicholas was a bishop if my memory hasn't completely done a runner, and heard 3 young girls talking about the fact that were so destitute that they might, to use the modern parlance, have to go 'on the game' to stay alive. He passed by their cottage and threw some money down the chimney as an anonymous gift and it landed in their shoes by the fireside, saving them from a fate worse than death (taxes?)

So we hang up shoes or stockings by the fireside to collect any gift thrown there by a passing generous bishop. Or Santa.

[Florence Fennel]

Can't really hang it down can we Bren?

[piskieinboots]

cos Santa's a perv

[Florence Fennel]

Like that Pisk

[binley100]

Can't really hang it down can we Bren?

unless it's a support stocking.........

[Florence Fennel]

Or maybe hold ups? I've never got on with those, they turn into "marry-me-quick" like the old fashioned thick wrinkly ones modelled by Nora Batty.

[Flummery]

And here's me thinking Bren wanted a serious answer!

[binley100]

And here's me thinking Bren wanted a serious answer!

'tis the silly season Flum

[Flummery]

I thought generous bishops was silly enough!

[Florence Fennel]

And here's me thinking Bren wanted a serious answer!

I think she did Flum and a very good one yours was. I think we're just in the Silly Season as Bins put it.

[arpoet]

When i were a lad we hung a pillowcase up at the bottom of the bed and lain awake until santa, who by this time had enjoyed millions of brandy laced mince pies and what must have been gallons of sherry, came upstairs burping and swearing to fill em with goodies.. he dint half sound like our old fella did santa.
Roger..

Anyone who wants to read some of my humourous Xmas poems send me a PM with your email addy and i will oblige.
Here is a free sample:
=========================
Santa’s Dilemma,
C2010 By
Roger Turner

Old Santa is in a dilemma,
And he don’t know what to do,
For he’s found a sack full of presents,
From nineteen-sixty-two.

He was cleaning out an old barn,
That hadn’t been used ages,
So he could turn it into a holiday let,
To supplement his wages.

[Brengirl]

And here's me thinking Bren wanted a serious answer!

and so I did Flum. This lot "what are they like"
Let's just ignore them. Kids today take everything for granted without giving a tinkers cuss as to where or what it came from.