to think everyone knows that Santa leaves you a lump of coal in your stocking if you are naughty?

[DrSeuss]

DH, (Southerner, has lived in the Glorious North for thirty years), has never heard of this! No idea what I was referencing when I said it! But he does, he left some for my uncle in the late 1940s, although that was Gateshead, so properly Northern. Do naughty Southerners not get anything or are their crippling house prices considered punishment enough?

Oops - xpost.

Lumps of coal threatened in Ireland too. And we say Santa here...or Santy
Ireland here too. If I ever hear my children say Santy, I'll chuck them down a coal mine. I hate it.

Wow, that escalated maybe just a ice of coal, maybe chucked down a coal MINE if you're naughty.

I hate Santa, it's Father Christmas for us.

Anyone who uses the term "santa" rather than "Father Christmas" should get a piece of coal.
I can’t stand “Father Christmas” 😐😐😐😐😐😑

Haha Sinterklaas (Dutch) leaves sweets in your shoe if you're good, but coal if you're naughty!
I remember when I was little, one of my friend's mums telling us that she had got coal once when she was naughty, so we all knew it was true!

I'm a northerner and I've heard of it but never known anyone actually do it

I'm in the south and it's thing. When my DF was a little boy, one year, he and one of his brothers did get a lump of coal!

Mmm so looks like I have to get a garden, some 20p and find a dark haired male who would be here on NYE. Does it have to be dark haired?

I was born up north never heard of them. Coal in the stocking. Yea had it happened quite a few times. First time I sobbed, second time I was upset. 3rd time I realised it was a sham, could understand if I was always naughty. They carried on until they realised I didn’t care.

It’s a weird custom. Punishing a child for trying their best. Never mind giving the consequences twice. Even worse when it happened beginning of December never mind March, cos either way the child has forgotten. And why do we need the threat of this unknown person to help with discipline. (Yea I know I overthink things.)

Coal for heat I can understand especially when it came from a time coal was used for heating.

And how is the coal punishment for the child. It punishes everyone really. All those little coal fingers touching everything. Is that why houses from way back then always had dark and dreary rooms? It was charcoal really from naughty children 😂 not like drawing on walls is a new thing

I've heard of it but I'm from the South East. Also the Easter Bunny shits in your slippers if you've been naughty - no? Just us then

I've never heard of a lump of coal in your stocking if you were naughty!

I never heard of coal at Christmas, first footers at New Year would bring coal, that was in the North West.
In Germany they have Schwarzer Peter on 6th December, St Nicholas' Night, and the children would put a red wellie outside their door. Sweets for the good child, a bunch of willow twigs for the rest, presumably a metaphorical beating.