Milk Maid

You know the drill. It’s Christmas Eve and before the family retires for the night, the stockings need to be hung and delicious cookies and a refreshing glass of milk need to be set out for Santa Clause.

I’ve been seeing a lot of cute photos floating around on social media from dairy friends of mine reminding folks to set out milk and cookies for Santa. It had me wondering, how did that tradition begin? After doing a little research, the answer isn’t clear.

According to one theory, the tradition of milk and cookies is derived from an older tradition, when families would stuff stockings with goodies for Santa and hang them by the chimney, his preferred mode of entrance, as a welcoming gift, that was introduced in the United States by European immigrants. Those stockings are usually chock-full of treats and smaller gifts for the family members themselves. Hence, the popular phrase “stocking stuffers.”

What’s interesting is that every country has their own traditions of what to leave out for Santa. In Ireland, a pint of Guinness is customary and in Australia a mince and meat pie is totally normal.

Leaving cookies and milk for Santa—and perhaps a few carrots for his reindeer—took off as an American holiday tradition in the 1930s, during the Great Depression era. In that time of difficult economic hardship, many parents tried to teach their children that it was important to give to others and to show gratitude for the gifts they were lucky to receive on Christmas.

Many years later, that tradition is alive and well as many children still set out cookies and milk for Santa, whether out of the goodness of their hearts or as a bribe to receive more gifts from the bearded jolly man in the red suit.

Another theory of this holiday food tradition goes back even further—all the way to ancient Norse mythology.

Odin, the most important Norse god, was said to have an eight-legged horse named Sleipner, which he rode with a raven perched on each shoulder. During the Christmas season, children would leave food out for Sleipner, in the hopes that Odin would stop by on his travels and leave gifts in return.

This tradition continues today in European countries like Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands, where children still believe that horses carry Santa’s sleigh instead of reindeer.

On Christmas Eve, they leave carrots and hay—sometimes stuffed into shoes—to feed the exhausted animals.

In return, they might hope to receive such holiday treats as chocolate coins, cocoa, mandarin oranges and other sweets. If you suppose that millions of children around the world leave out cookies, Santa theoretically consumes around a billion calories in cookies alone.

It’s a good thing he gets out at every stop. However the tradition began, it has definitely stuck around.

Don’t forget to set out your milk and cookies for Santa this year!