Figure 1.-.

The white knee socks were awful as for us white socks were as we boys instantly realized for girls only. Of course Gran had no inkling of this. Mum I think nunderstood somewhat as she would never buy them for us. But mums being mums, she did not fully understand how we felt and at any rate was more concerned about my behavior in front of the family. Mum made me wear them both Christmas Day and Boxing Day and it caused a lot of trouble that year! The ones my Grandmother bought me did not have turn-over-tops so I didn't wear garters and kept trying to push them down to hide them. As they were new, the elastic holding them up (woven in to the top of the sock themselves) was still quite strong. So Mum didn't believe me that they had fallen down by themselves and after the thrid time she saw them pushed down, I had smacked legs and a warning to keep them up. She just didn't understand how embarrassing it was for me to be wearing them and nor did Gran but my brothers and cousins did and enjoyed every moment of my ordeal! That got me into further trouble both from Mum and my Grandfather and all over a pair of socks, but to me it was important to at least make my protest known as I would never have voluntarily worn white knee socks!

Christmas

On Christmas Day we always went down in our pyjamas to open our presents when Gran or Mum came for us and then went up for our bath and to be dressed for Christmas. Gran normally bought us bits and pieces of clothing and there was chocolate that Mum put away until after the meal. Our main presents Mum bought back in London and our Grandparents sent her money to help with that too so they were waiting at home when we got back. They were normally clothes as we got older too. As a matter of course Gran bought us wooly hats and gloves wrapped up and new stocks of her Winter underwear which weren't really like a present to me but Mum appreciated the help. Then there was something special to wear for the day as a kind of main present. My elder brother had had hankerchiefs or something and my Grandad was going to buy him something later – I think he got a new watch. He was already up and dressed in his suit. That year I was in for a shock! Me and my little brother took turns in opening Gran's “main present”. He had a blue velvety waiscoat that Mum absolutely loved him in with a blue bow tie to match. Gran never normally bought shorts or trousers for him because, like Mum, she preferred to try them on us at the shops first. She did say that she had seen a lovely pair of blue cords that would go with his outfit and would take him to buy them after Christmas. That would have made me mad because she was talking about long trousers and he did get some eventually as I remember him wearing them, but I don't know if Mum bought them in London or Gran did. He did get to wear long trousers more often at an earlier age than me or my elder brother had though.

My Present

Anyhow when it was my turn I didn't know what to expect. Gran would have bought me shorts without me being there as I was exactly the same size as my cousin Robert and if they fitted him they would fit me. That's how I came to have the horrible check shorts like his and it had come to be expected that I wore them on Christmas Day along with whatever else she had bought me. To my horror along with a red jumper and a red bow tie (which was bad enough) Gran had bought me a pair of white kneesocks almost exactly like the girls wore at my school! I was shocked and Gran said they would look Christmassy and she had bought me socks as my brother's waistcoat was more expensive than my red jumper so that evened things up. Mum could see that I was unhappy and had to remind me to thank Gran which was the LAST thing that I wanted to do! The white knee socks were awful as for us white socks were as we boys instantly realized for girls only. Of course Gran had no inkling of this. Mum I thinknunderstood somewhat as she would never buy them for us. But mums being mums, she did not fully understand how we felt and at any rate was more concerned about my behavior in front of the family. Mum made me wear them both Christmas Day and Boxing Day and it caused a lot of trouble that year! The ones my Grandmother bought me did not have turn-over-tops, making them look more like girls' socks.

Getting Dressed

Anyhow then Gran took us up for our bath and after that Mum came up with our clothes for the day. She had of course brought the new present clothes up as Gran expected us to wear them. She had brought out my check shorts too but now they were the least of my problems. They weren't proper bow ties but made up ready and fastened with elastic round the back but I had to wait while Mum and Gran got my brother ready – white shirt, bow tie, grey school shorts and grey school socks with the blue rings that Mum had packed for him. Finally Gran put on the waistcoat and Mum was thrilled. I normally put my socks on first when I got dressed, but this time I was stalling for time. I had a white shirt to wear too and Mum then fixed the bow tie before sitting down to hold out the check shorts for me to step into. She was surprised how co-operative I was but as I say getting out of wearing the socks was my immediate concern. Luckily Gran took my little brother downstairs to show my Grandfather how he looked and I asked Mum if I could wear a pair of my school socks like my brother. She must have known how I felt but she wasn't going to upset Gran on Christmas Day and she told me not to be silly and that I would look nice in the new omes Gran had bought. I tried to plead again but she got up clicked her fingers at the socks (which was always a bad sign!) and said “Get them on and come down” immediately. Like the check shorts I hated to have to put them on myself and if she'd have done it I'd have had to let her. I just sat there trying to think what to do. My cousins were coming over and they would laugh at me and my brothers would enjoy it too. Finally Mum came back up and told me in no uncertain terms to get them on and come down or she would send my Grandfather up to me. I had no choice then but I put them on and then folded them neatly down to my ankles so that at least they weren't showing too much.

White Knee Socks

All this I could tolerate--with rhe exception of the white knee socks. White socks to an English boy, especially white knee socks, is a completely different thing to French boys like I have seen in photograohs and catalogs. Thecsame I think was trie of Germany. As I'm sure any red-blooded English boy would tell you, white knee socks are for girls. You never see English school boys in particular wearing white knee socks. They are, however, commonly worn by girls. (It was Christmas so that was probably her idea of making me look "angelic"!). She thought that red and white would look "Christmassy". I guess we did. The red sweathers were really bright and stood out. People commenting on the fact that we had matching shorts as they really stood out. As much as I disliked those checked shorts, that was not what really bothered me. All this I could tolerate--with rhe exception of the white knee socks. It was those white knee socks I hated. Even today, white kneesocks are rarely worn by boys. White knee socks were for girls and grey or khaki for boys. White socks were thus no-no for boys - but little boys sometimes wore short ones and I once had to wear long ones due to my Grandmother. Well of course, boys are not that interested in looking angelic. But even mire to the point, boys do not want to wear items primarily associated with girls and this was just what white knee socks were. These were the only knee socks that I ever wore (was made to wear!) which didn't have turn-over-tops. I have seen (on HBC again) some Scout bands that had the Cubs wear white knee socks but that is with their green garter tabs and have turnover tops so are not so bad.

Family Christmas Reunion

When I went down Mum noticed immediately and she took me outside into the hall and told me that if she had to take me back upstairs I would know all about it Christmas Day or not! She then stood over me while I pulled the socks up to my knees and then told me to put my shoes on (which like the belt on the check shorts made me feel trapped in those socks). Anyhow when I came back in my brothers were already smirking and Gran smiling and saying how nice I looked. When my cousins arrived I knew that they noticed immediately and the girls found it amusing whereas Robert understood my plight and was sympathetic. He was wearing his check shorts too but with normal grey or maybe fawn kneesocks and the girls ironically were wearing wooly tights under their skirts so I was the only one wearing girl's socks (as I saw it) in the room. My uncle was sympathetic too as he gave me a wink to cheer me up but I was devastated. I normally looked forward to seeing my cousin Robert and my uncle but I felt that Gran had humiliated me in front of them (which of course wasn't her intention at all but I was that mad and at my Mum too for making me wear them). As thewhite knee socks dodn't have turn over tops, I didn't wear garters. And I kept trying to push them down to hide them. As they were new, the elastic holding them up (woven in to the top of the sock themselves) was still quite strong. So Mum didn't believe me that they had fallen down by themselves and after the thrid time she saw them pushed down, I had smacked legs and a warning to keep them up! She just didn't understand how embarrassing it was for me to be wearing them and nor did Gran but my brothers and cousins did and enjoyed every moment of my ordeal! That got me into further trouble both from Mum and my Grandfather and all over a pair of socks, but to me it was important to at least make my protest known as I would never have voluntarily worn white kneesocks!

Christmas Dinner

Anyhow to cut a long story short (well shorter!) after I had been sulking for the rest of the time up until the meal was served and trying to avoid eye-contact with my brothers and girl cousins and only talking a bit with Robert it finally came to a head during the meal. I had lost my appetite genuinely I was so upset and Mum kept trying to tell me to eat something. Gran then got worried that I was sick (I was of her buying me white socks!) and finally my Grandfather exploded and said that he wasn't going to have his Christmas ruined by a sulking child and said if I didn't want to eat the food provided I could go up to bed. As I say Mum didn't normally let my Grandfather punish us in any way but in his own house he was definitely the boss and Mum was pretty mad at me too. She agreed and led me upstairs, undressed me and put me into bed in my pants and vest. I was lucky that I hadn't had a spanking from her I know and at least I was out of the socks. She probably did understand more than my Grandmother about white socks on boys but on the other hand, like with the check shorts, she thought that I should at least grin and bear it for one day and she also saw it as my being wilful which she didn't allow with us. I was quite happy to lie in bed away from it all even if I was missing out on Christmas dinner and when, much later, my Mum brought my little brother up I pretneded to be asleep. I don't think he had a bath that night either as Mum must have been tired out and so was Gran.

Bill