When (And Why) Did People Start Leaving Out Cookies for Santa?

Don’t forget to leave milk and cookies out for Santa. It’s something that most children do on Christmas Eve, making sure that Santa has his refreshments for a long night of delivering presents. There’s also usually water and carrots left out for the reindeer, because they need some fuel as well, right?

While this is now just a standard Christmas tradition, it’s important to understand the root of it. When did people start leaving out milk and cookies, and why did it specifically become milk and cookies? Well, this depends on location, and the answers may surprise you.

Milk and Cookies for Santa Started Post-World War I

Something that may surprise you is hearing that the idea of leaving milk and cookies for Santa came at a time when money was short. It started in the 1930s in the United States, which was the time of the Great Depression.

While many families struggled financially, there was a push for parents to remind their children that it was important to show gratitude for others. History states that originally, it wasn’t milk and cookies for Christmas. Originally, the stockings were filled with small welcome gifts for Santa, but over time, those gifts were replaced with items for the family members. Instead, the milk and cookies replaced the stockings full of gifts.

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Either way, the idea was to show gratitude for the gifts left at Christmas. And maybe there was a little bit of bribing thrown in there—the better the cookie, maybe the better gifts Santa would leave?

Different Countries Have Different Traditions

While the United States and Canada leave out milk and cookies, that’s not the case everywhere in the world. In Britain and Australia, children will leave out mince pies instead of cookies, and then an alcoholic beverage is usually included. This could be a small dram of whiskey, some brandy, or even sherry. It often depends on what the parents have in the house.

In Ireland, there’s a pint of Guinness often left behind, while the French will leave out a class of wine. More often than not, the drink is connected to the location.

Then there’s a completely different tradition for children in Germany. They will leave handwritten letters for the Christkind, who is the German version of Santa, the Christmas spirit who brings the presents. Sometimes, these letters are mailed out ahead of time, as there are official addresses similar to the way there is an address to send letters to Santa, but the tradition is for the letters to be left on Christmas Eve for the Christkind to pick up.

Some German children do follow the story of Santa, and it’s here that we even find the precursor to the Christmas tree. According to The Kitchn, Germans would decorate a paradise tree with apples and cookies so that Santa could snack while on his journey. Due to mice likely eating the snacks, the decorations on the tree started to become more symbolic, which is why we decorate the tree with baubles and ornaments. Meanwhile, the snacks are left on the side for Santa to enjoy.

Before Milk and Cookies Came Another Tradition

All of these traditions are rooted in pagan traditions, according to History. They can all go back to the Norse mythology, with children leaving food out for Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse that Odin would ride on. This was a gift for Odin to stop at their house and offer gifts, and there are still similar traditions in various parts of the world, especially in the Nordic countries.

In fact, this is where the idea of leaving carrots out for the reindeer came from. The sleigh is heavy to pull, and the reindeer have to work hard all night, so they need refreshments to help.

All of this was done around Yule, not Christmas, which is celebrated days before, even today.

There is also a theory that the tradition developed from the Dutch. St. Nicholas was a bishop in the third century who was known for his generosity to children and the poor. People would hold a grand feast for him on December 6, and children would leave out snacks for the bishop and other guests who had travelled, since they were too tired to stay up. It’s this St. Nicholas who was a precursor to the modern-day Santa.

And now, the traditions continue. Children leave out their milk and cookies to make sure that Santa has something to help him fuel his travels. The idea is to do something good for the man who spends all night delivering presents to children around the world. The best thing is, there’s no wrong or right answer when it comes to the types of desserts that are left out or even the drink that is shared. Parents are sure to know what Santa would like best.