Depends. If you buy me socks today its a terrible idea… I have about 100 pairs.
If you asked me 5 years ago when I casually made the comment “I really need more socks, I don’t have many” they were great gifts that first christmas, even if getting socks from multiple people on one occasion was a little odd… OK the first birthday after that… questionable on fathersday… and not totally appreciated every holiday since where I keep getting more and more socks despite overflowing with them because I dared ask for socks five years ago and now its the only thing anyone buys me and I keep telling everyone “no more socks” and yet people buy me more anyway.
At this point I feel a bit like the apprentice in the magicians apprentice where the brooms keep multiplying until there are thousands of them and it’s causing me to drown. Drowning in socks.
@OnionSoup Okay, here’s a possible solution; make yourself a kilt out of socks. Wear it for every gift-liable occasion, and when they ask why, say “Because I had to find some way to get them out of the sock drawer, and box, and pile in the corner of the closet, and bin on the upper shelf.”
Someone I know made a kilt from neckties for this reason, and the idea backfired; people started raiding the thrift stores for ties to make kilts imitating his. OTOH, if the idea caught on, maybe you could market the surplus as “sock kilt kits”.
The right socks are a good gift. Exactly the right socks for exactly the right person might make them a “great” gift. But for most people (and socks), even when they’re a well-thought-out match, it’s just going to be “good”. The wrong socks, or socks for the wrong person, will range from “meh” down to “oh, fuck, what am I supposed to do with these?”
Great gift if I can actually use them. It seems that whenever I get socks, they’re the super thick heavy winter socks that I don’t use unless I am shoveling snow. I need socks in the summer, too!
@Willijs3 Lightweight cotton just-over-crew-length cotton socks that don’t sag, don’t corrugate the calf, and don’t strangle are the best thing out there, and they are really hard to find in my size at a reasonable price. (Women’s size 13.) Land’s End has them intermittently, but those are a bit pricey even when they’re on sale. (I’m a real cheapskate at times.) (TeeTurtle’s socks are near perfect, but they’re even pricier.)
Good and bad:
Bad: I feel like sport socks are personal as you may need a specific fit for the type of sport you do.
Good: Comfy cozy warm socks are always nice as a gift as they just need to be warm and don’t need to perform a major function that might hurt you if the fit isn’t right.
I’m of the ilk that IF I need socks, underwear, or items like it, I’ll buy it myself. I don’t view them as a giftable products. Not quite a snob, but I want what I want & am fairly stuck in my ways liking a certain manufacturer, fit, style, etc.
@tohar1 Same here, after having people fetch back exactly what I said I did not want. And some of the well-known online suppliers of “high quality” stuff have hidden gotchas. Like the Bombas socks that are only wearable if you fold the top down, because otherwise they strangle your calf. (And I don’t have large calves. Normal boot shafts are very loose on me.)
Speaking of socks…Meh used to sell a bunch of that one brand of socks…umatched?? I can’t remember. Lots of cute patterns and designs, especially holiday ones. I used to buy them all the time for my boys but they’ve all worn out now. I noticed the other day that my oldest is on his last pair.
If it’s something you need, it’s not a bad gift. My wife’s grandma used to ask for toilet paper and paper towels for Christmas. She said she had enough stuff, and those were things she would use. We would wrap them up so she had something to open on Christmas morning.
So if somebody needs socks, why would they be a bad gift?
you can always use socks.
As with all things, only great quality socks make a good gift. Slouchy, cotton, oversized feet puppets do not get it done in the gift department
Depends. If you buy me socks today its a terrible idea… I have about 100 pairs.
If you asked me 5 years ago when I casually made the comment “I really need more socks, I don’t have many” they were great gifts that first christmas, even if getting socks from multiple people on one occasion was a little odd… OK the first birthday after that… questionable on fathersday… and not totally appreciated every holiday since where I keep getting more and more socks despite overflowing with them because I dared ask for socks five years ago and now its the only thing anyone buys me and I keep telling everyone “no more socks” and yet people buy me more anyway.
At this point I feel a bit like the apprentice in the magicians apprentice where the brooms keep multiplying until there are thousands of them and it’s causing me to drown. Drowning in socks.
@OnionSoup You need to:
@rockblossom unfortunately I think everyone finds it funny to buy me more socks now so I don’t think the torment will end.
@OnionSoup Okay, here’s a possible solution; make yourself a kilt out of socks. Wear it for every gift-liable occasion, and when they ask why, say “Because I had to find some way to get them out of the sock drawer, and box, and pile in the corner of the closet, and bin on the upper shelf.”
Someone I know made a kilt from neckties for this reason, and the idea backfired; people started raiding the thrift stores for ties to make kilts imitating his. OTOH, if the idea caught on, maybe you could market the surplus as “sock kilt kits”.
The right socks are a good gift. Exactly the right socks for exactly the right person might make them a “great” gift. But for most people (and socks), even when they’re a well-thought-out match, it’s just going to be “good”. The wrong socks, or socks for the wrong person, will range from “meh” down to “oh, fuck, what am I supposed to do with these?”
The right socks for the right person make a fantastic gift.
My sister who’s always cold can always use good wool socks. (She also wears holes in them super fast.)
My niece wears quirky ankle socks and loses them more than anyone else I’ve ever met.
My husband on the other hand, never needs socks.
Like with any gift, it’s about knowing your giftee’s wants and needs, rather than just checking off a name on your list.
Great gift if I can actually use them. It seems that whenever I get socks, they’re the super thick heavy winter socks that I don’t use unless I am shoveling snow. I need socks in the summer, too!
@Willijs3 Lightweight cotton just-over-crew-length cotton socks that don’t sag, don’t corrugate the calf, and don’t strangle are the best thing out there, and they are really hard to find in my size at a reasonable price. (Women’s size 13.) Land’s End has them intermittently, but those are a bit pricey even when they’re on sale. (I’m a real cheapskate at times.) (TeeTurtle’s socks are near perfect, but they’re even pricier.)
Good and bad:
Bad: I feel like sport socks are personal as you may need a specific fit for the type of sport you do.
Good: Comfy cozy warm socks are always nice as a gift as they just need to be warm and don’t need to perform a major function that might hurt you if the fit isn’t right.
I’m of the ilk that IF I need socks, underwear, or items like it, I’ll buy it myself. I don’t view them as a giftable products. Not quite a snob, but I want what I want & am fairly stuck in my ways liking a certain manufacturer, fit, style, etc.
@tohar1 Same here, after having people fetch back exactly what I said I did not want. And some of the well-known online suppliers of “high quality” stuff have hidden gotchas. Like the Bombas socks that are only wearable if you fold the top down, because otherwise they strangle your calf. (And I don’t have large calves. Normal boot shafts are very loose on me.)
Especially if they are really cool socks. I really like BlueQ ankle and no show socks
Keeping your feet warm in winter is critical !!
Speaking of socks…Meh used to sell a bunch of that one brand of socks…umatched?? I can’t remember. Lots of cute patterns and designs, especially holiday ones. I used to buy them all the time for my boys but they’ve all worn out now. I noticed the other day that my oldest is on his last pair.
@SnDMommy are you thinking of Unsimply Stitched socks?
@panafonics YES!! Those were great socks!
My socks are $18 a pair, please gift them to me.
If it’s something you need, it’s not a bad gift. My wife’s grandma used to ask for toilet paper and paper towels for Christmas. She said she had enough stuff, and those were things she would use. We would wrap them up so she had something to open on Christmas morning.
So if somebody needs socks, why would they be a bad gift?
Kind of a hard gift to give unless you are good at guessing shoe sizes but everyone can use them and I love socks with fun patterns.