Sock It to 'Em!

 

When my boys were teenagers, it became increasingly difficult to contrive gifts they would like and that wouldn't break the bank.....UNTIL I happened to be browsing at a nearby discount department store. Scurrying through the men's section, bursts of colors, patterns, and designs grabbed my attention, as if catching sight of the Land of Oz from Dorothy's colorless farm back home in Kansas.

Drawn to this visual delight, I strode closer to its source, reached out my eager hand, and touched my first pair of....."Happy Socks"!

The moment my fingers made contact, I knew those babies belonged in my household!  What I couldn't reconcile was who would wear these specimens of joy?  My husband would shun their whimsical appearance, since his sock drawer played host to exclusively solid brown, black, navy, gray, and white foot coverings.  Perhaps my sons would dare to adorn their adolescent feet in those mirthful creations of cotton and polyamide?  I decided I HAD to find out!

Purchasing a couple of pairs for each boy, I'll admit that I experienced some apprehension at following through with my plan to introduce these tokens of happiness into my household via young men whose style and trend setting skills were still underway.

I presented my sons with their small, gift-wrapped packages, and held my breath as they each began to remove the decorative paper that hugged our family's future tradition.   As the socks emerged from their encasements, one son looked at the other; the other returning the gaze from the first.  Lo and behold, almost simultaneously, the corners of their mouths began to turn upwards.

I had done it!  So....I tried it again for Valentine's Day just to make sure that the magic hadn't worn OFF and that their enthusiasm for more Happy Socks hadn't worn OUT.  Having met with success AND their approval, my boys proudly donned their festive footwear.

It did not take take long until their father challenged:

"Hey!  Why don't I ever get any Happy Socks?"

"Because you only wear sold brown, black, navy, gray, and white ones."

"I think I can start branching out now."

The next holiday season, I lined up numerous pairs of Happy Socks, like brightly uniformed soldiers.  All three men in the house took turns selecting just the right pairs to compliment their wardrobes, or those that fit the description of:  the wilder, the better!

This activity was lovingly dubbed the "Sock Draft", which has become a fun, highly competitive family tradition.

Because the Happy Socks "technically" fell in the category of men's clothing, since they were catalogued in the store as "Menswear", it did not occur to me to include myself, my daughter, or my daughter-in-law in the sock draft.  The two of them eventually self-advocated, saying that they, too, might enjoy having "happyfeet", and that men's socks worn by women, after all, didn't have to fit like a glove.

The following year, the game doubled in its number of players, and the need for more Happy Socks grew exponentially.  Over the years, I have perfected the strategy of meeting the supply and demand, "collecting" (Okay, hoarding) these little gems throughout the year(s) and s(t)ockpiling them so that we can continue our ritual into perpetuity.

We are closing in on almost a decade of sock drafts, each year, introducing a new twist to keep the competition "fresh".  One of the guidelines that was established early on is that no one is allowed to have first choice two years in a row.  Accordingly, we now draw numbers to determine the order of the current year's draft picks.  With that bit of "housekeeping" out of the way, my family begins to devise individual tactics by which to acquire their favorite pairs.

The "must haves" are the socks that make the boldest statements and have the best, most outrageous designs.  When one family member secures a highly coveted pair, it is not out of the question to see some "after hours trading" occur among the participants - for instance, relinquishing two pairs of great-looking socks for one pair that might.....well....knock your socks off!

Countless other trademarks are now promoting very similar products.  I, however, am loyal to the "Happy Socks" brand - for no other reason than its name aligns with positivity.

Reflecting on the many years of fun that my family has enjoyed carrying out this tradition, it solidifies my belief that incorporating a diversity of hues and tints into our lives is essential to visual gratification.  I am certain that some people still insist that solid brown, black, navy, gray, and white are the only shades required in their world.  I say, mix it up, pop some color, and "Sock it to 'em"!

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