Why do you get lumps of coal for Christmas? (2024)

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Why do you get lumps of coal for Christmas? ›

In the 19th and 20th centuries, coal was commonly burned to heat homes, so when Santa Claus came to visit, it was convenient to grab a lump to leave for children on his "naughty" list. Of course, Santa would never give children lumps of coal for Christmas... unless they asked for it!

Italian children know La Befana, the “Christmas witch,” leaves toys and candy for good children, while bad children get lumps of coal. Misbehaving Dutch and German children are warned of the Krampus, a scary sort of “anti Santa” who leaves coal for Christmas instead of presents.

Back then, children who didn't behave might have found their Christmas stockings filled with stones, sticks and even cold potatoes, instead of coal. While getting a lump of coal for Christmas is common American lore, the notion of leaving undesirable gifts for undeserving children is multicultural.

Dating back to the 9^th century, tradition states that in order to bring luck in the coming year the first visitor of the new year should be a tall, dark-haired man bringing gifts of salt, shortbread, whiskey and coal. Gifts of coal during wintertime ensure that you hearth will always be lit and your house warm.

So instead of coal, naughty kids got stones, ashes, cold potatoes, or – the most sinister of them all – a bit of a light whipping or a beating from the jolly red fellow.

In Italian folklore, the witch La Befana would leave coal for children who had not been good throughout the year. This tradition was also associated with St. Nicholas, who was said to punish naughty children by leaving them coal instead of presents.

So to send a message and encourage better behavior next year, they leave something less desirable than the usual toys, money, or candy—and the fireplace would seem to make an easy and obvious source of non-presents. All the individual would need to do is reach down into the fireplace and grab a lump of coal.

In 16th century Holland, children put their clogs (wooden shoes) by the fire on Christmas Eve. When they woke, their clogs would either have candy and goodies if they were good, or coal if they were bad.

3. At Christmas children hang up stockings to receive presents from Santa Claus, and a lump of coal is according to tradition what he leaves for naughty children. – StoneyB on hiatus. Dec 9, 2015 at 3:35.

Coal was common and plentiful, features that made it a bad gift, like the switches and stones of earlier years. The 1912 short story “A Prince of Good Fellows,” by Myron Adams, offers a clear link between coal and bad behavior.

What is the New Year's tradition of coal? ›

And finally, to top off the 10 New Year's Eve Irish traditions list, another common tradition that Irish people enjoy is to place lots of coal around the house. Having coal in the house is a sign that the New Year will be prosperous, and filled with wealth and abundance.

An ember, also called a hot coal, is a hot lump of smouldering solid fuel, typically glowing, composed of greatly heated wood, coal, or other carbon-based material. Embers (hot coals) can exist within, remain after, or sometimes precede, a fire. Embers are, in some cases, as hot as the fire which created them.

The first footer would traditionally arrive bearing gifts to bring good fortune and health to the home. Gifts generally took the form of a coin, shortbread or something edible, a lump of coal or wood for the fire and a drink of whisky to represent prosperity, food, warmth and good cheer.

Taking 20.75% of Christmas-celebrating children as naughty gives a total of 129 million who deserve coal. How much coal constitutes 129 million lumps?

Krampus is a mythical creature who is often depicted with horns and a demon-like face. According to myth, which likely originated in what is now Germany and Austria, the creature punished children who behaved badly.

It is a Christmas tradition for children to get presents and oranges in their stockings, while those who have been badly behaved may end up with a lump of coal.

: a black or brownish-black solid combustible substance formed by the partial decomposition of vegetable matter without free access of air and under the influence of moisture and often increased pressure and temperature that is widely used as a natural fuel.

Traditionally stockings are filled with small and less expensive gifts like Chocolate (coins or selection boxes), sweets, Christmas themed socks, small toys like playing cards, books and more.