A true Christmas story · New York Times bestselling author Andy Andrews
Who wanted socks?
Christmas morning, 1968. Ten-year-old Andy got the basketball, the G.I. Joe, the baseball glove, the Incredible Edible Machine… and, from his Aunt Ruth, a pair of socks. Socks for Christmas is the true story of how the worst gift under the tree became the one he treasures most.
The story
The gift he didn't want. The lesson he never forgot.
Christmas morning has gone well. There's the basketball, the Candyland game, the baseball glove, the G.I. Joe, the Incredible Edible Machine. There are also two sweaters, blue jeans, a white belt… and the socks.
Then comes the best part of any Christmas Day for a ten-year-old: walking the neighborhood to compare loot with the other kids. Johnny Hamilton got a bicycle. Roger Loften got the electric football game Andy wanted. Danny Foster, across Cherokee Avenue, got everything. And a few houses later, at Timmy and Barbara Johnson's, a question about a pair of shoes ends the day in a way Andy never saw coming.
Funny, then tender, and all true. Families read it aloud in one sitting and come back to it every December.
- A true story
- Read aloud in one sitting
- The Andrews family's own Christmas photos
- Hardcover, signed by Andy
Socks! Who wanted socks? What kind of Christmas present was socks? I had socks. I had a drawer full of socks. I was not pleased.
Read a page
Christmas Eve, 9:00 p.m.
Two pages from the book, exactly as Andy wrote them.
I had gone to bed at 9:00 p.m. after leaving a note, pound cake, and a glass of buttermilk for Santa Claus. Every Christmas Eve, for as many of my ten years as I could remember, that's what I left him: a note, pound cake, and a glass of buttermilk.
The note contained the usual niceties about being careful not to slip on the roof and saying hello to Rudolph, but its primary purpose was, of course, to make one last stab at getting the presents I wanted. The pound cake was left over from Jesus' birthday party, which we had celebrated before bedtime, and the buttermilk . . . well, the buttermilk was always left because my dad insisted that it was Santa's favorite drink. Personally, I hated the stuff, but since my father drank it by the gallon, I assumed he knew.
Earlier I had heard on the local news that Santa's sleigh had been tracked on radar leaving Thailand, and the predictions were that he would soon be in Singapore. I wasn't sure where Singapore was, but I thought it might be near Mississippi, which was the state next to us. In any case, that's why I went to bed at 9:00.
Eleven o'clock. I wasn't even sleepy. I could smell the Christmas tree from the bedroom. My dad loved Christmas and would have had our tree up, trimmed, and glowing by Labor Day if my mom had let him; but as she told him every year, our family was not going to skip Thanksgiving.
Two editions
Same story. Two ways to give it.
The original hardcover comes with Andy reading the story on CD. The updated edition adds a second Christmas story set in Sawyerton Springs. Both are signed by Andy at no charge.
The original · 2005
Socks for Christmas
A Child's Discovery of the True Meaning of Christmas
- Audio CD tucked inside the back cover: Andy reads the whole story aloud
- The classic square hardcover, 64 pages, with the family photographs
- Autographed by Andy, free
The updated edition · 2022
Socks for Christmas
A Child's Discovery of the True Riches of Christmas
- Bonus story, A Not-Too-Silent Night: a snowy Christmas Eve in Sawyerton Springs
- The same true story, in a refreshed hardcover with the family photographs
- Autographed by Andy, free
At a glance
| What you get | Original | Updated |
|---|---|---|
| The true story, Socks for Christmas | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hardcover with the family photographs | ✓ | ✓ |
| Andy reading the story aloud (audio CD) | ✓ | — |
| Bonus story, A Not-Too-Silent Night | — | ✓ |
| Autographed by Andy | Free | Free |
| Signed to a specific name | +$7 | +$7 |
| Price | $14.99 | $16.99 |
Which one should I get?
If you want to hear Andy tell it, in the car or by the tree, the original is the one: the CD is in the back cover. If you'd rather have more to read, the updated edition adds A Not-Too-Silent Night. Plenty of families keep one and give the other.
Does the updated edition come with the CD?
No. The audio CD is only in the original edition. Andy's reading of the story is also on Wisdom Harbour if you'd rather listen there.
Can Andy sign it to someone?
Every copy is already autographed. To have Andy sign a copy to a specific first name, type the name above before you add it to your cart. It's $7 per personalized book.
Give it
One book for everyone on the list.
Teachers, neighbors, the office, your clients, the whole family. A short, true Christmas story that reads aloud in an evening, signed by the author. Order a stack and the price comes down.
Christmas listWho's getting one
- Mom & Dad
- Aunt Ruth
- The Hamiltons next door
- Mrs. Carter, 4th grade
- Everyone at the office
- Our top 12 clients
- Danny Foster
Mix and match. Every book counts toward the discount.
Signed by Andy, free
Every copy is autographed before it ships. Want it signed to a specific first name? Add the name when you order, $7 per book.
Buy more, save more
The discount counts every Andy Andrews book in your cart, so mix the two editions, or add Return to Sawyerton Springs.
Free shipping over $50
On orders of $50 or more shipped within the continental U.S. We also ship to Canada.
Rather listen? Andy reads Socks for Christmas on Wisdom Harbour, where plans start at $5.99/month.
And to this day, there is one Christmas gift I treasure above all others—the gift of a pair of socks.
The last line of the book
What do you want for Christmas?
Orders ship from Wisdom Harbour Studios in Orange Beach, Alabama. Questions? shipping@andyandrews.com