Stockings, Citrus & Winter Light: Why the Orange Became a Holiday Classic
Joshua Smith
December 18, 2025
When the snows settle and the wind begins to bite across northern Vermont and New Hampshire, there’s a little tradition many of us still cling to: hanging stockings by the hearth and finding a bright orange — or tangerine — tucked in the toe come morning. It seems simple, but that golden fruit carries a bit of winter history, a nod to old customs, and a reminder of how even the smallest gift once meant something special.
Stockings themselves became part of American holiday customs by the early 1800s. One of the moments that helped spread the idea was the 1823 publication of a poem that described stockings hung “by the chimney with care.” Within a generation, it became standard practice for children in New England households to hang their own, stitched from wool or a father’s old sock, hoping for nuts, sugar candy, or perhaps one shining piece of fruit.
The orange’s place in those stockings comes from both legend and logistics. Across Europe, the golden fruit symbolized generosity — a stand-in for coins dropped in secret by a kind benefactor centuries ago. But here in northern states, where citrus was rare, oranges became more than symbols. They were proof that trade routes, trains, and the new century could bring the taste of sunlight into a snowy valley. For a child in the hills of Orange County, Vermont or Grafton County, New Hampshire, it was the most exotic thing they might see all year.
In the late 1800s, local newspapers in Vermont reported merchants receiving “winter oranges” from Boston docks, selling them one by one for pennies. Families would save all month for a crate to split among children. During the Great Depression, when toys were scarce, that single orange was often the only bright thing in the room.
By the 1920s, Florida growers were marketing their fruit as “Sunshine for the Stocking,” advertising in magazines and rail depots. The orange was no longer a rarity but a cherished ritual. Even as modern convenience made citrus common, families across New England kept the custom alive.
Today, an orange tucked into a stocking may no longer be a miracle of trade, but it still carries the same spirit — light in darkness, warmth in cold, and gratitude for the sweetness that endures even through winter.
Sources
• Smithsonian Magazine, “The Legend of the Christmas Stocking” and “Why We Should Bring Back the Tradition of the Christmas Orange.”
• EatingWell, “Here’s Why You Get an Orange in Your Christmas Stocking,” 2020.
• The Kitchn, “Here’s Why We Put Oranges in Stockings at Christmas,” 2019.
• Citrus Industry Magazine, “Pieces of the Past: Christmas Traditions,” 2020.
• Vermont Historical Society, Holiday Customs in Northern New England.
Stockings themselves became part of American holiday customs by the early 1800s. One of the moments that helped spread the idea was the 1823 publication of a poem that described stockings hung “by the chimney with care.” Within a generation, it became standard practice for children in New England households to hang their own, stitched from wool or a father’s old sock, hoping for nuts, sugar candy, or perhaps one shining piece of fruit.
The orange’s place in those stockings comes from both legend and logistics. Across Europe, the golden fruit symbolized generosity — a stand-in for coins dropped in secret by a kind benefactor centuries ago. But here in northern states, where citrus was rare, oranges became more than symbols. They were proof that trade routes, trains, and the new century could bring the taste of sunlight into a snowy valley. For a child in the hills of Orange County, Vermont or Grafton County, New Hampshire, it was the most exotic thing they might see all year.
In the late 1800s, local newspapers in Vermont reported merchants receiving “winter oranges” from Boston docks, selling them one by one for pennies. Families would save all month for a crate to split among children. During the Great Depression, when toys were scarce, that single orange was often the only bright thing in the room.
By the 1920s, Florida growers were marketing their fruit as “Sunshine for the Stocking,” advertising in magazines and rail depots. The orange was no longer a rarity but a cherished ritual. Even as modern convenience made citrus common, families across New England kept the custom alive.
Today, an orange tucked into a stocking may no longer be a miracle of trade, but it still carries the same spirit — light in darkness, warmth in cold, and gratitude for the sweetness that endures even through winter.
Sources
• Smithsonian Magazine, “The Legend of the Christmas Stocking” and “Why We Should Bring Back the Tradition of the Christmas Orange.”
• EatingWell, “Here’s Why You Get an Orange in Your Christmas Stocking,” 2020.
• The Kitchn, “Here’s Why We Put Oranges in Stockings at Christmas,” 2019.
• Citrus Industry Magazine, “Pieces of the Past: Christmas Traditions,” 2020.
• Vermont Historical Society, Holiday Customs in Northern New England.
Stockings hung by the hearth — a 19th-century holiday scene
Public-domain postcard, via PICRYL archives
Public-domain postcard, via PICRYL archives
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