5 More Fun Foot-Filled Holiday Customs

If you’ve been following us, you might remember that last year at this time, we shared a blog about some fun foot-centered holiday traditions from various parts of the world. This year, we discovered 5 more fun foot-filled holiday customs. Dr. Hubert Lee at CarePlus Foot & Ankle Specialists in Bellevue, WA, shares them with you today, including right here in the U.S.

1. United States: As you know, we have a few foot-related holiday customs. Families across the country hang stockings and strategically leave out cookies and milk so Santa will deliver plenty of presents to good children everywhere. But did you know that in some places St. Nicholas Day is celebrated on December 6? Like so many other countries, anxious children leave their shoes by the window or fireplace in hopes of finding treats in them when they awaken. 

2. Spain: Children in Spain will set their shoes out, hoping to receive treats and gifts. But instead of December 25, they carefully set them out beside the fireplace, balcony, or door on January 6, which is Three Kings Day or the Epiphany. They fill their shoes with hay for the camels carrying the Wise Men, and in return for their kind act, their shoes get filled with fun toys and delicious candy!

3. Venezuela: When Venezuelans go to church to celebrate the holiday, it’s a tradition to wear their roller skates! And because it’s a holiday custom there, the streets are blocked off to make the trip safe, easy, and more enjoyable. 

4. Netherlands: Netherlands’ children anxiously prepare for the arrival of St. Nicholas by stuffing their wooden shoes with carrots and hay for his horse. When morning arrives, they find their shoes filled with candy and toys in exchange for their horse food gifts.

5. United Kingdom: In a similar fashion to the U.S., families in the United Kingdom hang stockings on their mantles or from their bedposts in anticipation of a visit from Old Saint Nick. Stockings get hung in the hopes of catching the coins that Father Christmas drops down the chimney. Residents there will anxiously awaken the next day to stockings filled with tangerines oranges, both of which represent bags of gold or coins. 

So, what are your family’s holiday traditions? Share in the comments below.

Merry Christmas from Dr. Hubert Lee at CarePlus Foot & Ankle Specialists in Bellevue, WA, and his staff!