Friday Five: Stockings

The legend of the Christmas stocking is almost as old as the stories of Santa Claus himself.

Rumor has it that many years ago, a very poor man had no money for the dowries of his three beautiful daughters. He was worried how they would fare after he passed if none of them were married.  Saint Nicholas overheard the villagers whispering about the girls, and knowing that the old man wouldn’t accept charity, crept in through the chimney and put three bags of gold coins in each of the stockings that the girls had hung on the mantelpiece to dry. The girls found the coins on Christmas morning, got married and lived happily ever after.

If that story is a bit old-fashioned for you, then take heart that there might have been even more songs written about the other kinds of stockings: sheer, fishnet, thigh-high and seamless. Take your pick this holiday season. We’ve got a little of each in this week’s Friday Five.

5. Black Jack Wayne — “Red Silk Stockings and the Green Perfume”

Northern California native Black Jack Wayne was a western pioneer in the 1950s by hosting an all-Western radio station KVSM out of San Mateo. He also had a one-hour television show on Stockton/Sacramento KOVR with the Bar 10 Ranch Boys.

 

4. Frankie Avalon – “From Bobby Sox to Stockings”

Released back in 1959, this top ten hit touched upon the leg wear that signified the transition from girl to woman.

 

3. The Andrews Sisters — “Dance with the Dolly with the Hole in Her Stockings”

LaVerne, Patricia and Maxene Andrews sold a whopping 75 million records over their long and illustrious career. That’d make any singer want to dance.

 

 2. Alison Krauss — “Shimmy Down the Chimney (Fill Up My Stocking)”

Alison’s got it bad for Santa in this holiday tune: “You never stay more than a minute, so I’m told / I know you’re just doing your job / But what am I supposed to do? When all I want for Christmas, darling, is to be with you.”

 

1. Suzanne Vega- Stockings

This one was released on Vega’s Nine Objects of Desire album in 1996. A woman wearing the stockings is one of those objects.