Put on Your Own Shoes Day – Dec. 6, 2026

Expected Put on Your Own Shoes Day Deals

While specific 2027 promotions for Put on Your Own Shoes Day are rare, the spirit of the holiday often aligns with broader December shopping trends for footwear and children’s items. Look for potential discounts from major shoe retailers like Zappos and DSW, or special offers on kids’ shoes from brands like Stride Rite and Plae. Parenting and educational toy brands such as Fisher-Price might highlight products that promote fine motor skills and independence. Keep an eye out for deals on comfortable and easy-to-wear shoes from brands like Crocs or Skechers. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as December 6 approaches.

History of Put on Your Own Shoes Day

Shoes have been a component of the human wardrobe since ancient times. In fact, the oldest preserved shoe in the world was discovered in Armenia and is estimated to be around 5000 years old. Historically, shoes were quite basic and were simply used for practical reasons such as to protect the feet from the elements, rather than for comfort and fashion. It was actually not until the 1800s that shoes began being made specifically for the left and right feet. Footwear has come a long way since then and has changed drastically over the centuries.

Made from palm leaves, papyrus fiber, and raw leather, the first sandals, which were stretched and tied at the end of the foot, appeared in ancient Egypt. Initially, only clerics and the pharaoh wore sandals but, later, all ancient Egyptians began wearing them and they came in various colors, which symbolized the different social classes.

During the Renaissance period, European royalty often wore shoes with high heels as high as 30 cm to show off their superiority. This also allowed them to casually walk through puddles. These were the first examples of modern platform shoes. King Louis XIV of France played a significant role in spreading the popularity of high heels. Even now, men’s high heels are referred to as French shoes by many fashion historians.

Footwear wouldn’t start being truly fashionable until around the baroque period when the design of a person’s shoe was a key indicator of their social class. The higher their heels, the higher their class. Anyone walking around without any shoes on probably wasn’t doing so well.

The biggest boom in the production of footwear occurred during the Industrial Revolution. Inventors and craftsmen in the United Kingdom and North America developed a footwear sewing machine and began mass-producing shoes made of fabric. Jan Ernst Matzeliger came up with a shoemaking method that allowed about 700 pairs of shoes to be produced each day. Footwear became accessible to everyone and, finally, from the middle of the 19th century, shoes were customized for left and right foot!

Today, shoes are a multi-billion dollar industry.

How Businesses Can Celebrate Put on Your Own Shoes Day