The Emmaus Historical Society brought back an Emmaus tradition Dec. 10 by inviting children to come to the museum to meet with Santa and Mrs. Claus and receive an orange and a box of chocolate.

According to EHS board member Andrew Kerstetter, “it was a tradition in Emmaus to take your kids to town hall or the fire company on Christmas morning and Santa Claus was always there handing out candy and oranges.” The committee decided to resurrect that tradition to “bring a little of the past into the present.”

Stories on the Internet say the tradition of giving oranges stretches back hundreds of years to St. Nicholas, who was born in what is present-day Turkey. He inherited a large sum of money, but devoted his life to helping others, and eventually became a bishop.

According to the story, St. Nicholas learned of a poor man who wasn’t able to find suitors for his three daughters because he didn’t have money for a dowry. St. Nicholas traveled to the house and tossed three sacks of gold down the chimney for each of the dowries. The gold landed in each of the girls’ stockings which were hanging by the fire to dry. The oranges we receive today are a symbol of the gold left in the stockings.

Another story is based during the Great Depression of the 1930s where money was tight and many families simply didn’t have the means to buy gifts. Instead, it was such a treat, even a luxury, to find things like a sweet orange or some walnuts in your stocking on Christmas.

Some also offer the idea fresh oranges were hard to come by, especially in the north, so finding one of these fruits in your stocking was a huge treat and a way of celebrating the holiday.

Another theory behind the tradition is December is the season of giving and the orange represents the ability to share what you have with others.

At the historical society Ruth Kemmerer shared memories of going to the firehouse on Christmas morning.

“This was a great memory for me for my sister and I, when we were little girls back in the late ‘30s and ‘40s. It was a wonderful pleasure for my sister and I to walk up to the fire company with my father every Christmas morning,” Kemmerer said. She said it was a great treat for them to get an orange and a box of candy. “I remember it did have a string on it. We could carry it and it was our very own. Of course in those days you didn’t get many presents and it was always a wonderful memory for us.”

The event was so successful, the historical society hopes to continue the tradition again next year.