Christmas Socks

It seems as if making Christmas simpler has been a common topic among my friends this year.  Not only are gift items more expensive, but groceries are, too.  Besides that, it is as if a lot of the magic is lost in the mad rush.  These conversations brought me back to a poem that I wrote last year for my family honoring my late great grandmother.  She always gave us a simple pair of Christmas socks.

Oh how I looked forward to those Christmas socks!  They were the last gift of Christmas for me. We always visited Great Granny’s house on Christmas evening or the Sunday after Christmas.  It was something I looked forward to and those socks have stuck in my memory for so many years.

Christmas ‘Boggans

Recently, Kenny and I were doing his dad’s Christmas shopping for our grandkids.  We simply decided to buy them all a good toboggan instead of a toy.  We gathered with the Cornett family this past weekend and the kids all appreciated their toboggans.  They wore them all evening, especially on the cold ride that we took in the back of the truck with the cousins!

Those ‘boggans might not have been the favorite gift of the night, but I know they will serve a purpose.  I know they will be the most useful.  They will be used to keep little heads warm while helping Grandpa and I feed at the barn.  I can see them being used for sleigh rides and snowman building.  They can even be used to help Pap and Nan garden on a cold spring day.  I hope the kids think of Pappaw every time they wear them.

Christmas Tradition

Some day, I think I want to start a Christmas tradition like that.  No frills, just a precious thought for my family.  Maybe Christmas socks, or toboggans, or some other useful item that might come to my mind.  Wouldn’t it be nice to leave behind such a memory?

Christmas Socks Poem

Christmas Socks


Time passing does not dull some memories
They stay in the back of my mind
Cozy like socks on cold feet
There is nothing like Christmas socks to me
Small packages wrapped haphazardly and tucked in a pile 
Under the tree

Such a small gift but so significant!
The socks seem to speak across the years
“I can’t spend a lot, 
But I love you and I want your feet to be warm
And your heart.”

I hope I leave a memory like this 
Traveling across the generations
Like a pair of Christmas socks

By VC
In Memory of Georgeann Watts Spencer