Getting the boot

There are some days that my husband tells me something that makes me stop and say "what did you just say?" or "Really????"  This was one of those days.

We're walking along at the shopping center when he exclaimed "They put the boots out!  I remember getting these when I was a kid!" 

"A boot?"  I replied.  "Do you mean a stocking?"

"No.  It really is a boot!"  He then took me over to see the boots.  The plastic boots were each wrapped in plastic and filled with various snacks. 

I asked for more information.  "Are there toys in these boots or only snacks?  When did you receive your boot?"

I'm guessing that since Japanese homes don't have fireplaces or mantels, they don't have any places to hang stockings that are featured in so many Christmas scenes.  So, instead of stockings, they have boots - plastic ones in various sizes featuring different treats.  Typically there are not toys in them, but my husband says if one is willing to spend enough they might be able to find a toy hidden in there.

A friend clarified that the boots are given to children on Christmas Eve.  It comes from parents, not Santa.  Boots have been around for many years, but are still not given in every family. 

For me, stockings are one of the main symbols of Christmas, like bells.  Boots have not reached that iconic status yet in Japanese Christmas.