Not only is it true, but when the oldies used to get an apple, an orange, and a piece of candy dropped into the bottom of a Christmas sock and pinned to the end of the bed, they were happy and grateful. Tell that to the kids of today and they think you're joking. Okay, so my generation had upgraded to a pillow case at the foot of our beds, but my parents and their parents before them, will all tell you that a half filled Christmas sock was your lot and you were grateful for what you got. My youngest lad still doesn't get it. "How can you get a new bike into a sock silly" he jests. It's little remarks like that which make me realise just how much Christmas and the meaning of it has changed so much over the last few generations.
Still, the Christmas stocking is still a nice part of Christmas even if it is only used for decorative purposes these days. Actually, I’ve had the same Christmas sock since I was three years old. My aunt is an avid knitter, and after my brother was born, she made a colorful set of Christmas socks for my whole family. You can buy a colorful stocking to hang on the fireplace at Christmastime in almost any retail store these days, but there is nothing like old-fashioned, homemade Christmas stockings.
When we unpack our decorations during the holiday season, and start to prepare for the coming holiday, I look forward to hanging my Christmas stocking more than any other tradition. It is the same sock that has been hanging in my house at Christmas since I’ve been old enough to remember.
My special stocking brings back so many memories from my Christmases as a child. When I see my sock each year, I think about when I was a child and I would wake up on Christmas morning to see my Christmas sock so overstuffed with toys that Santa had to place it on the couch because it would’ve fallen off the wall if he’d tried to hang it back up after stuffing it. Luckily my aunt made my Christmas sock using a pattern that allows for the yarn to be stretched so that it can hold maximum gifts. I’m pretty sure she planned it that way.
Mind you, even with my stretchy Christmas sock, it was really only for those little extras, or stocking fillers as we used to call them. I have to admit, I was more than a little spoilt as a child, and my pillow case at the end of the bed was equally overflowing from Christmas gifts from family members. However, the humble Christmas sock is such a lovely part of the festive spirit and should be enjoyed by all. My mother is making a needlepoint Christmas stocking for each of my young children this year, and I just hope they will treasure them and show them to their kids in years to come.
My old Christmas sock is made mostly of bright red yarn, with green and white accents around the top and bottom. It has a picture of a Christmas tree on the front made out of green yarn, with small bells attached at the edge of each branch on the tree and my name is written across the top of the sock in white yarn. It was made in the late sixties so it has that classic garish look so popular during that time.
The Christmas socks I see in stores are usually tastefully done, in muted, rich Christmas colors like maroons and dark green, but I wouldn’t trade my sock for even the most beautiful modern Christmas sock in any store. The memories my sock holds far outweigh its somewhat tacky appearance.
So there we have it. A Christmas sock is not just a woolen space to stuff a few extra presents, it's a decoration, it's a gift, it's sentimental, and as the years pass by, just by seeing and touching it can bring back many happy memories of Christmases gone by for the family. Have you got your Christmas sock yet
