Christmas Sock

What is a Christmas Sock? It's not a fluffy red and white Christmas stocking, it's a plain ole gray woolen sock!! read on....

The Christmas Stocking
I Will Forever Cherish

My family lived in the northwest region of the country known for its majestic redwoods. This explains how often and how hard it rained. (Those redwoods needed a lot of water to grow).

My father worked for the Pacific Gas & Electric Company and when power outages were reported he would have to go outside in the middle of the night. In the cold, wet, windy, and sometimes lightening storms he would climb 30-60 foot poles to find the trouble causing the outage. After he found the break in the line, he had to restore power for the homes and/or businesses or wait for crews he called out to help if the problem was too hard or too involved to do alone. The storms frightened me because my dad was outside in it; this is when I learned to count from the lightening strike to the thunder to find out how far away it was from our house. (That's another story)

One year, I used one of his long gray wool socks that hewore under his boots to keep his feet and calves warm onthese nights to hang on our fireplace mantle for Santa. (Thekind of sock that used to be used to make stuffed monkeys - long gray body with the red heel and toe for the face and the bottom).

The sock was very long and therefore when I was small, I thought I would get more toys and treats from Santa, but when I grew up I kept the sock to remind me of my childhood and reminisce about those winter nights... hopping in bed with mom, until my dad came home, knowing he was alright and safe.

This is why his boot sock is my most cherished Christmas possession.