This site has become a collection of odds and ends that may not fit together but may still hold just what you were looking for … much like a basket full of odd, lonely socks!
I started this blog years ago while trying to create my own zine, for which I have still not settled on an appropriate title. The Lonely Sock was intended to be its home - a testing ground for the different kinds of articles, essays, and assorted content I intended to self-publish.
Above are four wooden hanging decorations that I bought unfinished from Dollarama. Unfortunately I do not have "before" pictures to show what they looked like before I painted them. I found them last year in the seasonal section of the store which usually includes craft decoration supplies partaining to the holliday or season. I painted them using Acrylic craft paints, some of which can be found at Dollarama as well in the craft section.
Baby Chicks
I chose to use colours typically associated with Easter and Spring such as pale pinks, purples and yellows, Lime Green, and Turquoise Blue. Though pale shades are often used in Easter decorations, I also included darker shades of pink, purple, yellow, and green because all shades are usually found in nature. Easter is closely associated with the beginning of Spring and end of Winder, new life, and thus with nature itself, so I thought it was important to include other shades typical of flowers, grass, the sky, etc ... I also outlined or drew features such as eyes using a dark, inky pen after the paint was dry.
Close-Up Images
Easter Bunnies
For the Easter Bunnies I outlined eyes, noses, whiskers, and other details with pencil before going over them in pen. I chose to give them a cartoonish rather than realistic appearance. I also chose to use two different shades of green for the grass to add more colour. I added some flowers to the background of one decoration to make it more colourful. Since the shapes of all four decorations are those of the Easter Basket, I painted the basket handles each with three different colours of stripes. While the stripes don't actually look woven like a basket, I do think the colours chosen give the right effect. If I could redo the pieces, I would probably choose shades that compliment each other more for the handles, and would paint the stripes to look woven in the stile of baskets.
Greetings fellow bloggers! I have taken a sabbatical from writing about the fascinating world of socks to put most of my energy towards physiotherapy. To be specific, I have been told that the best treatment for my Fibromyalgia is daily aerobic exercise, and so for the last 3 months I have been exercising daily using myNintendo Wii.
I have had Wii Fit for a long time now, but have only been able to use it regularly since the start of the new year. For the last two years the game was sitting in our living room closet barely used, and I felt wasteful and guilty for having asked my parents for it in the first place. But now that I have started a new medication, my energy and motivation is greatly improved, so I am now able to be more proactive about my condition. Now that I am actually physically capable of exercising regularly, I am so thankful that I had the Wii Fit waiting for me. For the last 3 months I have been completing my aerobic activity using Basic Stepand Advanced Step. Originally I was only able to complete15 minutes of aerobics per day, repeating the 3 minute Basic Step workout 5 times. Now I am able to complete 35 minutes of aerobics per day, repeating the 3 minute Basic Step5 times and the 5 minute Advanced Step 4 times.
I should note that I have never been much of a “gamer,” the only video game I had any real experience with was Super Mario Bros. 1 released in 1985.
And when I asked my parents for a Nintendo console for my birthday, I only wanted one that I could use to play the old Super Mario games from my childhood. So basically, when I ripped off the wrapping paper and found the strange, unfamiliar Nintendo “Wii”, I was actually quite disappointed.I also felt pretty stupid that the included game disc included what I thought to be childish games. Tennis? Golf? Bowling? Who wants to sit in their living room hitting
balls back and forth by pressing buttons with their game contro
ls!? I might as well play the old Pong game from 1975!
Not being very tech-savvy, I had no idea at first that this console came with a motion-sensor, and thus game play involved actually exercising with the Nintendo. I felt rather stupid upon discovering this, as I had actually shouted at my parents for buying me such a boring, childish game. I decided to try to find out more about the games that were available for this console, and came across Wii Fit and its accompanying balance board. I immediately recognised that this could be useful in my rehabilitation from Fibromyalgia and discussed this with my parents. After many wild-goose chases for the recently released product, my father finally came home with one and my mother and I were overjoyed. When I registered my information on the game while awkwardly learning how to use this new-fangled technology, I became very quickly discouraged. My Wii Fit age wasn’t too bad, but I was informed of my weight in such a way that you would think I was as obese as it was possible to be! Furthermore, when I actually attempted the 3-minute Basic Step, I felt stupid for even thinking I was capable of using this device to exercise in the first place! Clearly this was designed for complete jocks who had no physical health problems and who probably coasted by at university on football scholarships. After such discouragement, I didn’t touch the gadget for months. I did get it out occasionally, however, to try to complete the aerobic exercise necessary for my eventual independence, and each time it was with the intention of using the device regularly at 3 times per week at the very least. Despite my good intentions, I had only used my Wii Fit, on average, once a month for the last 2 years! Now, that’s all changed.This year I have used myWii Fitalmost every day for the last 3 months – almost 90 days in a row. I have used it more in the last 3 months than I have in the last 2 years. This really reaffirms for me that my lack of physical activity has not been due to laziness – despite what the average ignorant asshole destined for Hell seems to think – but that it was simply a matter of being on the wrong medication. Now I know that no matter what insecure girls with body image issues try to convince me of, I am truly hard working when it comes to my health and fitness, and any lack of work on my part is due to legitimate problems that caused legitimate obstacles. In other words, the insecure girls who hate their bodies who have actually pressured me to exercises might as well have pressured a quadriplegic to stop being lazy and taking the elevator, and to take the stairs in order to heal their paralyzed limbs.
Though I am not yet completely able-bodied, I feel thatWii Fithas helped me a lot with my Fibromyalgia in the short time that I have been using it.I love this game for the following reasons:1. Users can easily see their improvement over time, which is extremely encouraging as it shows evidence that practice has been effective.
The motion sensor, Balance Board,WiiRemote, and Nunchucks can register your movements, and thus determine your accuracy in each activity. Your accuracy is then used to determine your score, which is then shown to you on a top 10 list of your best scores. So each time you attempt a specific activity, you can see how your accuracy compares to your previous attempts. Seeing your score improve is evidence that your accuracy has improved and thus users can feel that they have achieved results. Even an improvement by 3 or 4 points from one day to the next is evidence of improvement. This is extremely important to me because I have never felt that practicing a sport or physical activity has led to improvement of my skill or fitness. Perhaps this is because I have always had physical problems, but I always felt to some extent that exercise was futile. With Wii Fit, I always see even the most minor improvements. 2. Wii Fitrewards users for their accomplishments and completion of various activities by making available new activities or harder versions of the exercises. This allows users to feel a sense of accomplishment and reward, while allowing for some variety and novelty in the activities. 3. Several Wii Fit activities are creative, fun, and humourous, which allows users to have fun while exercising. Fun and humour should never be under-estimated! One of my favourites is a game calledPenguine Slide, in which the user’s avatar is dressed in a penguin costume and has an audience of cheering penguins who are all very supportive and encouraging! The game takes place aboard a floating, wobbly ice berg, on which the user must shift their weight from the right foot to left and so on in order to catch as many fish as possible. The music alone makes this game worthwhile, but the fact that I am surrounded by penguins who seem to be big fans makes me smile every time I play this game! Watch a demo of Penguine Slide by clicking on the screen below. 4. Wii Fitgames can allow users to participate in existing sports which the user may never have played, and may never get the opportunity to try.One aerobics activity I often played is called Rhythm Boxing. I enjoyed this because I have never before taken boxing lessons or even an aerobics class that involves the use of a punching bag! For people like me who have health problems, this is a wonderful feature, as some of us cannot often leave the house any time we wish!
I would also like to note that a famous character with a famous health problem has been known to use a Nintendo Wii for just this reason. Fans of HBO’sTrue Bloodmay recall the scene in which Vampire Bill Compton is seen on a bright sunny day on what appears to be a golf course. At first this is quite confusing, as the vampires of True Blood cannot go outside during the day as the sun burns their skin. As the camera slowly zooms out, viewers see that Vampire Bill is not playing with a real golf club, but is holding a Wii Remote, and that he is actually in his living room playing Wii Golf, and it is in fact night time. Even True Blood vampires use the Nintendo Wii to exercise and participate in activities that their condition would otherwise render impossible! You can see Vampire Bill Compton playing with his Nintendo Wiiin the True Blood clip below:
5. My favourite thing about Wii Fit has to be that it gives me something to look forward to each day.
This might seem a little bit silly to some people, but the combination of the above 4 qualities make Wii Fit the highlight of my day. It makes me feel good to see that I improve in each activity, and it makes me feel good to think of how much more aerobics I can do each day compared to when I first started. I love the novelty of the activities, and this is why I eventually purchased Wii Fit Plus. This has 15 additional activities, and I am trying not to try all of them right away so that I'll have something new to master. The fun and humourousness of the activities is also important to me because I do not often get to go out and have fun in the same ways that other young people my age do. Often, just discovering a new activity or option about the game can be entertaining, though other young people who are more used to video games may not find these new discoveries as amusing as I do. And of course, I get to feel good about knowing that everyday I am doing something to improve my health and ultimately lead me to be more able-bodied and independent. But in the meantime, Wii Fit is allowing me to make up for experiences I wouldn't otherwise be able to have right now, such as Boxing, Kung Fu, and Skiing.
In conclusion, I would just like to say that people often comment on our use of technology, expressing a fear that we are in fact becoming to dependent on technology. I don't deny this. But if the wheel is an early development of technology, then this means that the wheel chair is in fact a product of technology. Wheelchairs are a product of technology that make it possible for people with disabilities to be mobile and allows for a degree of independence. For people with certain disabilities, the wheelchair is an extremely important piece of technology. So while I agree that our increasing dependence on technology is disturbing and often unnecessary, I will also be the first to say that, for those who are not perfectly able-bodied, technology makes it possible to experience life and remain independent - whether it is the wheelchair aiding in mobility, or a video-game that simulates sports to aid in physiotherapy and rehabilitation from a health problem.
Maybe reliance on technology is only disturbing when we are able to live comfortably without it and its use ultimately causes us not to use our own abilities and thus to eventually lose them altogether. But maybe technology should be praised when it makes it possible for us to do what we otherwise could not and aids in our health and independence. Maybe the key to judging whether a piece of technology is beneficial or harmful is to determine whether it leads to dependence or INdependence.
Okay, the following is my new list of New Year's Resolutions for 2011, and I plan to record the progress of my following these goals right here on The Lonely Sock! Here goes:
1. Have Fun! Everyday, read the entry from The Almanac of the Infamous, The Incredible, and The Ignored by Juanita Rose Violini.
Everyday, read the entry from This Book Will Change Your Life by Benrik, and actually attempt as many tasks as possible! --> Record progress on blog and join Benrik cult!
Go to a different restaurant, cafe, or bar, every 1-2 weeks! --> Record progress on blog and evaluate restaurants.
2. Improve Fibromyalgia – Become Physically Independent!
Exercise daily, mostly with Wii Fit or other Nintendo Wii exercise programs.
Abstain from Fast Food, Soft Drinks, Candy, and other Junk Food.
3. Be Creative!
Complete 1st issue of magazine. Make crafts using reused and recycled materials. --> Post pictures of all on blog along with instructions Design, sew, and paint original clothes. --> Post all clothes on blog.
4. Read More!
Record books or essays read on blog and briefly discuss/review. Record all books I plan to read on blog.
I have to speak out about this. Proactiv Solution commercials totally insult the public's intelligence! Maybe I'm just noticing this because I've become so interested in AMC'sMad Men, a show about an ad agency - but I have been paying a lot more attention to ads lately, particularly those that use ridiculous tactics.
Ads for Proactiv Solution feature celebrity endorsement, but it’s clear that the endorsements are scripted in such a way that they specifically use and rely on the public’s perception of that celebrity – even if those perceptions are false. It’s as if Proactiv Solution knows that many people identify celebrities with the characters they play and their portrayals in the media, and thus assumes that everyone is ignorant enough to do so.
For example, one ad features actress Jenna Fischer who plays receptionist Pam Beasley on NBC’s The Office. Her character is one who works nine to five, Monday through Friday at a desk in an office. Her character is one who has to get up early, get ready, drive to work and be there at a specific time just like many average working people. Now, I’m not saying that actors and actresses don’t have to do this as well while they are filming, but I think their schedules might be a tad different than average people. If you watch her Proactiv Solution commercial below, you will see that Jenna Fischer emphasizes the time she has had to spend in the morning concealing her acne.I find this odd since it implies that she has a regular nine to five, year-round job that she has to wake up early to get to. She’s an actress ... even if she does have to wake up early to get to her job, there is a make-up artist at the set who puts make-up on for her when she gets there ... she wouldn't even be putting on her own make-up!
It's clear to me that Proactiv Solution assumes that the public will see the receptionist Pam Beasley from DunderMifflin rather than the actual actress who plays her, and is actually counting on the public to have such a misconception in order for their ad to work!
So far, I think every annoying Proactiv Solution commercial has done this, however subtle.
For example, one version with singer Avril Lavigne states that she"doesn't let acne push her around."Of course she doesn't! She's wearing a leather jacket in this ad, so obviously she's really tough! Even people who don't know much about her know that she's been seen in "tomboyish" and punk clothing, which people probably associate with nonconformity, boldness, and toughness.
Usually when companies use celebrity endorsements, it seems like they aim the ad at fans who might wish to be like those celebrities, and thus people who know a little bit about that celebrity. Proactiv is doing the opposite. The ads are geared to everyone, so they rely on assumptions the public makes about specific celebrities due to their portrayals in the media, the characters they play, the clothes they wear, or the way they appear in magazines.
Bottom Line: I've been somewhat curious to try Proactiv Solution myself but every time I see one of their commercials I realize I can't bring myself to give money to a company that assumes I'm stupid enough to associate celebrities with stereotypes.
One of my goals for this blog and my eventual magazine (yes, I still plan to create one) is to include craft instructions for inexpensive projects that require re-used or recycled materials found in the home. This is important to me for two reasons:
1. The prices of craft supplies sold in stores are disgustingly high.
It seems to me that an unfinished item sold for the purpose of finishing or altering should not be so expensive.When you buy something, you are partly paying for the work or service of having it put together, painted, completed, etc ... and since raw materials are by definition not completed and meant for the buyer to complete, I believe they should be far less expensive than a completed item.
2. With the poor economy, I think it is doubly wrong to sell an unfinished, raw materials for just as much money as a finished item, if not more.
It seems to me that only the affluent can really afford craft supplies such as scrap-booking supplies, and I’ve always seen crafts as originating from the actual trades that people learned to make a living (occupations such as carpentry, pottery, quilting, etc ...) Skills that used to be learned for the sake of earning money are now near-impossible to use to make a little bit of extra money because it would be impossible to break even. Craft supply industries have become for-profit industries.
In conclusion, I would like to provide less expensive craft ideas that include recycled materials that one might normally throw away, thus saving money and promoting environmentalism and resourcefulness.My first item is a decorative storage project, entitled DVD Storage Box.
I developed this idea because I was running out of space for DVDs and wanted to use some kind of box that could:
. easily hold the remaining DVDs upright instead of sideways or lying down in piles . be pulled out and pushed back out of sight like a drawer . display the DVDs when pulled out so that rummaging through them would not be necessary . appear to compliment the decor of the family room so that it would not look out of place
I thus chose the following materials: - cardboard box left over from an 18-pack case of Coca Cola
- dark red fabric that closely resembled the red of the family room rug
- gold ribbon
- scissors
- stapler
- hot glue gun
Instructions
1. Measure the amount of fabric needed to cover the outside and inside edges of box so that no cardboard will be visible. You may also wish to cover the inside and outside bottom with the fabric.
2. Cut the desired amount of fabric.
3. Staple or hot glue fabric in place so that fabric is taut around edges. Try to keep all staples or glued areas level. Use as many staples as desired. Staples and glued areas may face outside, inside, or both if necessary to hold fabric in place.
4. Choose a ribbon that will best compliment the fabric colour and decor of the room, and measure enough to line the box so that it covers any staples or glued areas inside and outside.
5. Cut the desired length of ribbon.
6. Using the hot glue gun, glue the ribbon along a straight line all the way around the box so that it covers and hides any staples or glued areas. Do this along the inside and outside of the box. You may also wish to glue an additional line of ribbon around the box parallel to the first, as well as one along the rim. Use your best judgement and your own imagination.
This was my finished product:
It stores many of my DVDs so that they are standing upright side by side instead of lying down one on top of the other in towering piles. This box slides behind a row of DVDs kept on a shelf beneath our TV, and if we go to the side of the TV we can easily slide it in and out like a drawer. This is much neater, more attractive, and far more convenient than having the remaining DVDs stacking in piles behind the other DVDs.
Ideas for Variations
. You can also use this craft idea for CDs, Video Games, Computer Programs, and Books that you wish to keep neatly and conveniently displayed.
. You may also wish to line the box with some kind of paper like gift wrap.
. It might be interesting to try using leftover wall paper, especially if the box is used in the same room where the wallpaper is visible.
If you have any craft ideas that involve recycled or re-used raw materials, I would love to hear about them. Please share any ideas that might promote environmentalism, resourcefulness, and just plain common sense.
Welcome to the belated Christmas edition of Spectacular SOCKS! Since Christmas is still very fresh in our minds, I thought it would be appropriate to devote this segment of Spectacular SOCKS to the Christmas Stocking. I’ve searched the web this holiday season for some beautiful – and some rather unusual – Christmas Stockings to display, and so below you will find what I thought were some truly Spectacular Christmas Stockings!
This was created by Aubrey Schwartz, founder of Mauby’s (My Life. My Passion. One Design At A Time).
Posted on Wednesday, December 8, this stocking is made with beautiful earth tones that remind me a lot of autumn and the harvest. The fringed, earth-toned patches of fabric give this stocking a rustic feeling, which is perhaps part of the reason I like it. It reminds me a lot of nature and the outdoors. The patches also give the impression that it was made from fabric scraps, but it would probably be very complicated to find various fabric scraps that complement each other so well. To me the fabric-scrap appearance reminds me a bit of a collage – a fabric one instead of a paper one!
See more pictures of this great stocking, along with instructions on how to make it yourself at Mauby’s website:
Anyone remember this eye-sore from the 1983 film A Christmas Story ...
... well, fans of this nostalgic Christmas classic will be pleased to know that they can purchase a Leg Lamp Stocking for their very own from A Christmas Story House Gift Shop! If you ask me, displaying this stocking would be far classier than actually having the real leg lamp, which you can purchase from this website as well if you are bold enough. But wait – that’s not all! You can also purchase leg lamp key-chain ornaments, leg lamp neckties, leg lamp pyjamas, a leg lamp snow-globe, a leg lamp string of lights, and (I think this is my favourite) a leg lamp cookie cutter! You can buy these all and probably much more from:
One style I like a lot for decorative use is the “curly-toe” stocking. I like this a lot because it reminds me a little bit of the kind of shoes sported by Christmas elves in most Christmas movies – think Will Ferrell in the 2003 film Elf. They also remind me a little bit of clowns or court jesters. Here is a great example:
Red and Green Satin Velvet Personalized Christmas Stockings fromCaribbean Charms.
Both red and green are great Christmas colours, and they look great together. The swirl-pattern of the fabric makes these stockings look very elegant, and the hanging tassels add a nice touch. The pompoms on the toes add to the elf- or clown-like fashion of the stockings in addition to the “curly-toe” style itself.
I love a lot of the more elegant yet whimsical stockings that I've seen in stores and online. As discussed above, many have curled toes that allude to Christmas elves, clowns, or court jesters. Here are some examples from Essentially England.com. Some, like the Luxurious Christmas Stocking on the left, are designed to appear as though they could fit an actual person. Perhaps this is because it is meant to recall a different era in history, as the website states that it "wouldn't have looked out of place at the court of King Charles I."It's colours, design, and elegant detail remind me of royalty, and thus of fairy tales as well.
The stocking on the right is entitled Crazy Christmas Stocking "Masquerade", and I think the name is definitely appropriate. The colours vibrant and rich, but unlike the stocking on the left, this certainly does not look like it could fit a human being! To be honest, I think that it's unwearable shape is what I like about it ... it calls to mind some oddly-shaped character out of a fairy tale that isn't quite human, and therefore must be magic! The "Masquerade" in the title also calls to mind the masquerade scene in Andrew Lloyd Webber'sThe Phantom of the Opera, and all the beautiful costumes worn by the characters.
The elegant whimsical stockings like those at Essentially England.com may be more expensive than traditional children's stockings and would best be suited to decorative use than for stuffing on Christmas Eve. View more stockings from this website at the following link:
One stocking style I’ve noticed out in the stores the last few years is the high heeled boot-style stocking. Unlike the traditional stocking-like stockings that really just resemble large socks, this is meant to resemble a large feminine, high heeled boot! I’m guessing these are meant to appeal to the real shoe-enthusiasts who love shoe-shopping and own several pairs of shoes in different styles ... basically the characters on Sex and the City.
The Personalised Ornate Shoe Christmas Stocking from A Special Gift.com
Though I am not a shoe-enthusiast myself – let’s face it, socks are cheaper, comfier, and take up less room – I still love this stocking. The green at the heel and toe actually appear to be the same shape as a high heel shoe and the matching bow at the back is a great touch. The hanging tassels remind me a little bit of a fringe that might hang down from the hem of a dress, but it could also look like a fancy garter belt!
On one website called Earth Daughter Arts, I came across two beautiful gothic stockings! These stockings are available for purchase at the website's online store. To the left we have Victorian Goth-Steampunk - an elegant silver stocking that combines the styles of the a "high heeled boot" and the "curly-toe." The black pattern is certainly reminiscent of Victorian fashion while the fringe at the top again calls to mind the hem of a dress. The red stocking to the right is entitled Pirate Bay -appropriately named for the skull and cross-bones pattern. The shiny red and black fabric make this a rather dark and sexy Christmas stocking, as does the lacy, garter belt-like fringe at the top! I also think the diagonal black stripes give this stocking a dark and mysterious style!
Spectacular SOCKS segments are all about celebrating socks and all things made from socks. Yes, Christmas Stockings are essentially socks, but so is the iconic sock monkey, so what could be more sock-related than a Sock Monkey Christmas Stocking? Probably nothing!
Every time I've gone shopping lately, I've seen tons of things related to the sock monkey - not just actual sock monkeys, but sock monkey T-shirts and even a sock monkey 2011 calendar! If sock monkeys are supposedly IN right now, I couldn't very well ignore them in a sock-related blog article, now could I? So I searched the web and found this cute Sock Monkey In A Stocking Christmas Ornament. While this piece is not a stocking itself, I can assure you that there are sock monkey-related Christmas stockings available. I chose to include this piece not only because it is 2X sock-related, but because of its design and colours. I love the red polka-dots against the Grinch-like green background, and how the red of the stocking matches the red of the monkey's lips and hat. I also love the red patches on the heel and toe of the stocking - this makes it look very sock-like and sort of reminds you that the stuffed animal inside is indeed made from a sock itself ... very clever! I found this particular ornament on Amazon.com, but it may be available elsewhere as well:
Though I'm more in favour of old-fashioned, home-made Christmas stockings for actual use on Christmas morning and perhaps the more elegant stockings that can be nice on display in the home, I still admire the humourous and sarcastic Christmas stockings like those from Cafe Press. This website has a VERY WIDE selection of humourous Christmas stockings that can appeal to a wide variety of people. For example, the caption on one stocking reads, "I Have AUTISM And I Think You're Weird Too." I find it very interesting how there are several Christmas stockings on this website that are designed to raise awareness of and express pride in different health conditions such as Autism. For example, one stocking has a caption that reads,"Autism Is Not A tragedy. Ignorance Is A Tragedy." They even have some that have to do with my personal favourite health problem - Fibromyalgia!
Of course this website also has other humourous stockings, some that even poke fun at Christmas celebrations! The stocking to the right, for example, displays zombie snowmen hungry for human brains! Another stocking on this website had the caption, "Santa Claus has the right idea - visit people only once a year." I think these are great for people who are a little fed up with Christmas, especially the commercialized, profit-driven aspect of it all.
Check out the wide variety of funny, sarcastic, and even awareness-raising Christmas Stockings at Cafe Press:
Literature buffs like myself would probably appreciate the following stockings, especially lovers of children's literature. These Christmas Stockings are much more expensive than many that I have shown so far, and thus would be better suited to decorative use than for stuffing with small gifts.
Katherine's Collection Christmas Stocking
Madhatter Stilt Leg from Laraines.com
I love that this stocking is named after the Mad Hatter from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. Depictions of Wonderland usually involve wild colours and outrageous costume designs, and the colours and design of this stocking definitely reflect the wonderful madness of Wonderland! This beautiful, colourful stocking also reminds me of circusses and clowns, perhaps because of the vibrant colours, and the heel and toe being large in comparison to the ankle. http://laraines.com/christmas-stocking-leg.html
Also from Laraines.com we have Katherines' CollectionLas Vegas Harlequin Christmas Stocking.Though geered towards "card sharks" or Vegas lovers, I am including this stocking as a Magical Land stocking because this too reminds me of Wonderland. Anyone familiar with Carroll's Alice stories knows that Wonderland is ruled by the Queen of Hearts and that other playing-card characters live in Wonderland, their suit denoting their profession. When I saw this stocking, I imediately thought of the Wonderland characters in their playing-card attire, and though I realize it is geered towards card-lovers, I think devote Alice fans will likely be drawn to this stocking as well!
Wizard of Oz 20'' Legs and Sequinned Ruby Slippers Christmas Stocking by Kurt Adler. Wizard of Oz lovers will certainly recognize these wicked feet! Oz-lovers could hang this stocking as a symbol of their love for the movie, or perhaps as a souvenir commemorating the time they crashed in Oz and accidently landed on the Wicked Witch of the East! Not only do you have the Ruby Slippers to prove it, but you have the stockings from the witch you defeated!
Okay, maybe that's a morbid interpretation of this stocking. How ever you look at this stocking, it's available at Amazon.com at the following link.
Some stockings I've come across appeal to people in specific professions, feilds, or hobbies. This handcrafted Ballet Slipper, for example, is available at Boot and Crown. Again, this stocking is more expensive and perhaps better suited to decorative use. I particularly like the idea of a ballet slipper as a Christmas Stocking because it reminds me of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker,a ballet about a young girl's adventure on Christmas Eve. Perhaps non-dancers who simply love the Nutcracker and its soundtrack would display this stocking along with an assortment of wooden nutcrackers as an homage to this classic Christmas story.
Last but not least I am including another stocking you may have seen in stores this holiday season. I think The Ice Skate Stocking is popular because ice-skating is a winter sport that only takes place this time of year. For example may recall the openning of A Charlie Brown Christmas, in which the Peanuts Gang are ice-skating on a frozen pond! And, I don't know about you, but I always assumed that Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, and all of the elves at the North Pole were quite capable of ice-skating as easily as they could walk! It certainly makes sense given their icy climate. Instructions on how to make this particular Ice Skate Stocking are posted on Disney's Family Fun website, along with all the materials necessary.
Well, that's the end of my review of Spectacular Christmas Stockings. I hope it was enjoyable, even though this is a rather belated posting.
If you have any photos of Christmas Stockings that you would like to share with me - and of course photos of Christmas-related socks - please leave a comment and a link! I would also love to read what you think of these Christmas finds, and whether or not you think there are any other types of Christmas Stockings I have neglected to include.
Today I wanted to talk about something that has eluded me for a long time, something I have been following and trying to understand for quite some time now – the White Rabbit!
Okay, I haven’t literally been following him, and it’s not so much him that I am trying to understand; I am trying to understand the deeper meaning of Lewis Carroll’s Alice stories – Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland and Alice Through The Looking Glass. They seem to be children’s stories, and yet I feel that they must be so much more than that, and isn’t that how it is with all “children’s” stories – they appear to be simple and straightforward and yet underneath they are so much more than what they seem? Putting it in those words, it’s almost as if the children’s stores are the White Rabbit – they appear to be simple, common, and un-noteworthy and yet to the trained eye there are clues that there is something waiting to be discovered beneath the surface!
I’d like to discuss here, my theories about the significance of the White Rabbit in this particular story, and compare him to similar figures in other stories. To begin with, I will start by discussing just who the White Rabbit is in what Joseph Campbell would call, the Monomyth.
Perhaps I should take a detour here and define theMonomyth. The most basic way I can explain the Monomyth, is this:
Think of the Monomyth as the skeleton that every story has in common. If you took every story ever written and stripped it down to its most basic elements and compared them, you would see that each story is actually the same story, just retold with a new spin. Kind of like how The Wiz is the African American version of The Wizard of Oz, and how Star Wars is actually a science fiction version of Lord Of the Rings. The bare bones of every story, and thus the elements they all have in common make up the Monomyth.
For further information on the Monomyth, visit the following Wikipedia page:
or read some of the works discussed on the page by Joseph Campbell such as The Hero With A Thousand Faces. Reading about Jungian archetypes will help too!
So now that we have that out of the way, I would like to draw your attention to an important part of the Monomyth, and that is the “call to adventure.” This is summed up on the Wikipedia page as the following:
“The hero starts off in a mundane situation of normality from which some information is received that acts as a call to head off into the unknown.”
In other words, for Joseph Campbell, the call to adventure in all stories has the following:
- hero going about his or her usual business / daily routine - hero experiencing boredom in that routine - hero receives information from elsewhere - information sparks curiosity in outside world of unknown - discovering unknown seems better than current boredom - curiosity drives hero to leave current boring situation
This describes exactly what Alice experienced in Chapter 1: Down The Rabbit Hole! The opening paragraph shows our hero Alice in a very mundane situation:
“Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, `and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice `without pictures or conversation?'
So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her.” (Alice In Wonderland page 1-2)
Let’s take a break and look at what corresponds to Campbell’s call to adventure so far:
- hero going about his or her usual business / daily routine ...... check! - hero experiencing boredom in that routine ................................ check!
Let’s continue:
“There was nothing so VERY remarkable in that; nor did Alice think it so VERY much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself, `Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!' (when she thought it over afterwards, it occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); but when the Rabbit actually TOOK A WATCH OUT OF ITS WAISTCOAT- POCKET, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.
In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.” (Alice In Wonderland page 2)
Now let’s see if this fulfills any of the other characteristics of the call to adventure on our list:
- hero receives information from elsewhere .......................................... check! - information sparks curiosity in outside world of unknown ............. check! - discovering unknown seems better than current boredom .............. check! - curiosity drives hero to leave current boring situation ...................... check!
So, we can definitely see that what Alice experiences in Down the Rabbit Hole corresponds to what Campbell calls the call to adventure, and likewise, the White Rabbit corresponds to what Campbell calls the “herald” or the character who calls the hero to adventure.
It may appear that the White Rabbit is not literally calling Alice to follow him – in fact, he appears completely oblivious to the fact that he has sparked her curiosity! But let’s look at what exactly a herald is. A herald can literally mean:
- A messenger, especially one bringing important news - A harbinger, giving signs of things to come
Keeping these things in mind, let’s look at what Campbell actually says about the herald:
"The herald or announcer of the adventure, therefore, is often dark, loathly, or terrifying, judged evil by the world; yet if one could follow, the way would be opened through the walls of day into the dark where the jewels glow. Or the herald is a beast (as in the fairy tale), representative of the repressed instinctual fecundity within ourselves, or again a veiled mysterious figure – the unknown."(The Hero With A Thousand Faces - page 53)
The White Rabbit is definitely a fairy tale beast, but also a mysterious figure who represents the unknown, and this is what it is about him that draws Alice away from her mundane world – the indication that people and things are different elsewhere and that there is a whole different world yet to be discovered! If we examine some images of the White Rabbit, we see more evidence of his role as a herald who calls the hero to adventure. For example, when we first meet the White Rabbit, he is dressed in very human attire and looking at his watch – a sort of prop that he has become known for carrying. The first words that Alice hears him speak are a declaration that he is shall be late if he does not hurry ...
it is very likely that Alice not only wondered what he would be late for, and whether it was something very important, but also if it was not something she would feel sorry for missing. To me, the White Rabbit appearing in this way, passing Alice by is a reminder that time is passing us by ...
... and that if we do not heed the warning that it is getting later and later, we will soon find our lives have passed us by. In this sense, the White Rabbit could represent time passing us by, but also life passing us by. If this is the case, the White Rabbit is certainly a messenger, and certainly brings signs of things to come. He acts as a Memento Mori - a reminder that one day we will all die.
To illustrate my point, I would like to compare this appearance of the White Rabbit to another famous character who has given us just the same warning:
Anyone who has ever seen Ferris Bueller’s Day Off would probably agree that the title character is all about the call to adventure, and knows that he literally lures his friends away from their mundane routine high school day by convincing them to skip class for a day and go out on the town! Ferris knows that life moves pretty fast, and he doesn’t want his friends to miss it either. Though Ferris is the hero of his story, he too is the herald!
You can see in the following clip that Ferris literally calls his friend Cameron Frye to adventure – although he calls him on the phone, I’m sure you get the picture. Cameron demonstrates what often happens initially when the call is received – "the refusal of the call."
Not all stories involve a refusal, however, and from the paragraph quotes above we can see that Alice certainly didn’t refuse. But I showed this clip of one herald physically calling another person to adventure to explain how I see another image of the White Rabbit.
Though the White Rabbit was not trying to call Alice to follow him in the first place, and Alice has already accepted the adventure at this point in the story, this illustration of the White Rabbit blowing a horn actually appears to be a call. It is as if he is blowing the horn to call us or get our attention and holding out the scroll to indicate that he has a message for us. For this reason, I think this image visually indicates that the White Rabbit is a sort of herald, a messenger, perhaps giving signs of things to come.
Joseph Campbell has more to say about the herald who calls the hero to adventure:
“Whether dream or myth, in these adventures there is an atmosphere of irresistible fascination about the figure that appears suddenly as guide, marking a new period, a new stage, in the biography. That which has to be faced, and is somehow profoundly familiar to the unconscious – though unknown, surprising, and even frightening to the conscious personality – makes itself known ...” (The Hero With A Thousand Faces page 55)
I found this to be a very enlightening quote. The herald is often something very intriguing, irresistible, and enigmatic. After all, look at this picture of the White Rabbit ... isn’t he mysterious? Don’t you just want to follow him into the dark ... wherever he might be going?
So, while a big point I’m trying to make is that the White Rabbit and many other figures like him in literature act as a herald calling the hero to adventure, I want to put forth some more theories as to what I think this means. As I stated above, I think the herald in this case can often be a Memento Mori – a reminder that life is short and time is constantly moving forward. The White Rabbit may be a more obvious Memento Mori as he actually carries a watch, but perhaps there are similar less obvious heralds who remind us that the clock is ticking ...
Remember this handsome devil from Peter Pan? This is the crocodile who chased Captain Hook ever since he swallowed his severed hand. Hook’s arch-enemy Peter Pan cut off his hand in a duel and threw it to the crocodile, who liked the taste of Hook’s hand so much that he followed him ever since, “licking his lips” for the rest of him! Luckily, this croc swallowed, of all things, a clock! So, even though Hook is terrified of the crocodile, he is warned every time he hears the ticking of the clock that the crocodile is approaching.
It’s interesting isn’t it? Like the White Rabbit who carries a watch in his coat pocket, the crocodile sort of carries a clock in his belly, except that we see the White Rabbit’s watch and can only hear the crocodile’s clock. The message is still the same. Since the ticking accompanies the approach of the crock, when Hook hears the ticking he literally fears his own time running out and death approaching! As with the White Rabbit, the ticking clock is again a reminder that life is short and will one day end, and yet Hook doesn’t take this as a sign, or a message to act. Instead it paralyzes him with fear and drives him to seek revenge against someone who, coincidentally, will never have to experience the feeling of aging and life passing him by. It seems Hook misunderstands that his mortality and aging are reasons to live, but thinks instead that these are reasons to be angry and takes out his anger on the young who have more time.
So perhaps for Captain Hook, the crocodile could play the role of the herald, calling him to adventure and to live. And Campbell did say that the herald “is often dark, loathly, or terrifying, judged evil by the world ..." He too acts as a Memento Mori, but while the White Rabbit may be a Memento Mori that represents life and life passing by, perhaps the crocodile represents the opposite – the approach of death.
That said, I think the more obvious herald in Peter Pan is Peter Pan himself! Visually, he is a counterpart to the crocodile in that the crocodile is green and Peter is the only other character who wears green. Peter wears green because he is dressed in leaves, perhaps representing his close ties with nature, while the crocodile is an animal and thus a part of nature. We may be tempted to think of the crocodile as evil in comparison to Peter, but both do seem to be allies against Captain Hook, and I do think there is a very iconic scene in which Peter too becomes associated with a clock:
I think Peter Pan as a herald is a good example of another aspect of the call to adventure that the White Rabbit – and even Ferris Bueller – represent. This is the call to be "open to experience".
According to good old Wikipedia, Openness To Experience is one of five major domains used to describe human personality, and consists of "active imagination, aesthetic sensitivity, attentiveness to inner feelings, preference for variety, and intellectual curiosity.”
An active imagination ...? Curiosity ...? A preference for variety ...?
Weren’t these the traits that Alice had? Were they not also the traits that Wendy had?
Wikipedia explains further that “people who score low on openness are considered to be closed to experience. They tend to be conventional and traditional in their outlook and behavior. They prefer familiar routines to new experiences, and generally have a narrower range of interests.”
Preferring familiar routines? I’m sorry, but this is just not what the call to adventure is all about! Something tells me that people who are “closed to experience” don’t see White Rabbits go by or ask their mothers to leave their nursery windows open so that a strange boy can come back!
Maybe that's what's so important about keeping the nursery window open in the first place ... maybe it isn't really the nursery window we are keeping open, but our hearts and minds! Peter could only enter the nursery windows that were open, and so perhaps to keep the window open, is to keep your mind and heart open to adventure so that when the herald arrives, he knows that you are one of the very few who are ready or can even recognise the oportunity for adventure in the first place!
The open window, is the sign welcoming invitation that you will let him in so that he can show you all sorts of new possibilities ...
According to Wikipedia, there are 6 elements of openness to experience:
1.Fantasy - the tendency toward a vivid imagination and fantasy life. 2.Aesthetics - the tendency to appreciate art, music, and poetry. 3.Feelings - being receptive to inner emotional states and valuing emotional experience. 4.Actions - the inclination to try new activities, visit new places, and try new foods. 5.Ideas - the tendency to be intellectually curious and open to new ideas. 6.Values - the readiness to re-examine traditional social, religious, and political values.
Openness corelates to creativity, and interestingly, "there are social and political implications to this personality trait. People who are highly open to experience tend to be politically liberal and tolerant of diversity. As a consequence, they are generally more open to different cultures and lifestyles. They are lower in ethnocentrism and right-wing authoritarianism."
I think the above excerpts from Wikipedia allow us to see a common bond between the people who get called to adventure – or at least the people who accept the call without refusing. They are all people who are open to being called, of experiencing a new world with new rules, and maybe getting to experience another society or culture! Furthermore, they are all able to imagine that such unique places may exist, and more importantly, are not arrogant enough to assume that their world is better than anything that may differ from it!
Another great demonstration of how being open to experience is necessary in order for the herald to call the hero to adventure is in the lyrics to Bob Dylan’sMr. Tambourine Man. I realize that many are convinced that Mr. Tambourine Man is simply about a drug, either marijuana or LSD, and that perhaps the Tambourine Man is the drug itself, or the drug dealer! But I have another theory, and I’m sticking to it:
The Tambourine Man is the White Rabbit, Peter Pan, the herald whom the hero must follow in order to leave the mundane, routine world, and the invitation to play a song corresponds to keeping the nursery window open! It is the indication by the hero that the hero is open to experience, and thus ready to accept the herald’s call to leave. Still not convinced? Look at the following lyrics:
Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin’ ship My senses have been stripped, my hands can’t feel to grip My toes too numb to step Wait only for my boot heels to be wanderin’ I’m ready to go anywhere, I’m ready for to fade Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way I promise to go under it http://www.bobdylan.com/#/songs/mr-tambourine-man
Of course these are only some of the lyrics. The rest of the lyrics can practically tell an adventure story! While some think the words “take me on a trip,” “senses have been stripped,” and “smoke rings of my mind” indicate that the song is about a drug-induced hallucination, I would like to point out that the Wikipedia page about the Monomyth states that Bob Dylan is one of many artists influenced by the Monomyth – therefore, though the page does not cite this specific work by Dylan, I think it makes perfect sense for listeners to hear this song as an indication of openness to experience and a call to adventure.
The last verses of this song struck me as very interesting, and reminded me of another adventure story I know. The verse is as follows:
Then take me disappearin’ through the smoke rings of my mind Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves Let me forget about today until tomorrow
While references to a windy beach, haunted trees, a diamond sky, and a sea and waves could easily remind me again of Alice’s Wonderland and Peter’s Neverland it reminded me of another mysterious land – a mysterious island to be specific, complete with foggy ruins and smoke rings ...
Yes, of course I am talking about the mysterious island of ABC’s LOST! While this show begins as a show about the survivors of a plane crash who land on a strange island and must learn to survive and get along with each other, it turns into a story about each character sorting out their baggage. Perhaps this is why we literally see characters sorting through the plane’s luggage in one of the first episodes!
In another of the very first episodes, we see that one of the main characters experiences a vision – a vision of someone in his life who has recently died.
This episode is appropriately entitled The White Rabbit, and when Dr. Jack Shepherd confesses to seeing and following a vision of his recently deceased father to a man named John, John replies, “You’re chasing the White Rabbit!”
At first Jack is confused by this statement, so John asks him if he is familiar with the Alice stories. Coincidentally, Jack replies that his father used to read him the Alice stories when he was a child. Now it would appear that his father is the White Rabbit, and Jack is Alice in a bizarre Wonderland.
This picture is very similar to the picture of the White Rabbit with his back turned to us, but walking on into the dark in such a way that the viewer feels compelled to follow!
SPOILER ALERT for those who have not seen LOST and plan to. For those who have seen all 6 seasons of LOST or do not care to have secrets revealed, by all means, read ahead!
Those of you who have seen all 6 seasons of LOST know that Dr. Jack Shepherd had a relative on the island with him who, unbeknownst to him, happened to be his half sister, sharing the same father. So, it would seem that, since Jack’s father appeared to him, he might just appear to his other child as well ... and he did! Claire Littleton is Jack Shepherd’s half sister, and with her long blond hair and youthful appearance, doesn’t she just remind you of Alice?
It makes sense that he would appear to her, driving the point home that he is the White Rabbit on this show – or at least one of many, for there are many heroes who each experience a call from a herald unique to them. Nevertheless, it makes sense that someone referred to as a White Rabbit would appear to someone so Alice-like while she was asleep. And wouldn’t you know it? She disappears after she sees him!
Again, those of you who have seen all 6 seasons of LOST know why Christian Shepherd has appeared to his son Jack and daughter Claire - because he isn’t Christian Shepherd ... he’s the smoke monster in disguise!
Yes, this supposedly human man is actually a manifestation of the mysterious devil-like villain that inhabits the island. Most of the survivors of Oceanic 815 and other inhabitants of the island have witnessed this creature, whom most refer to as "the monster". It usually appears as a cloud of black smoke that shoots around the island at will, often in a slithering manner like a snake and making what another character referred to as a “ticka ticka sound.”
So, keeping this in mind, can the apparition of Christian Shepherd, or the Smoke Monster in disguise, count as a White Rabbit, a herald calling the characters to adventure? After all, devout viewers can see that this creature is evil and has actually murdered other characters. Certainly he cannot be the same as the White Rabbit can he?
My answer to this? Yes and No. No, he is not the same as the White Rabbit. The White Rabbit was not evil, even if his appearance to Alice may have caused her to have an accident and fall down a large hole into a sort of underworld ... If anything, the villain in Wonderland might be the Queen of Hearts, although Alice seems to experience many other threats from various other characters ... but the White Rabbit doesn’t seem to be one of them. So what’s going on here?
Well, the Smoke Monster is not the same as the White Rabbit in that his only role is the herald during the call to adventure – the Smoke Monster also plays the role of the villain. This is sort of the opposite of how Ferris Bueller played the role of both the herald and the hero – Smoky here is both the herald and the villain. The White Rabbit is only the herald. So I think what's important here is that the herald is not always a good guy, and can serve more than one function, play more than one role, even if that role is the villain. If it is the villain, this does not mean he should not be followed. Often the villains can be the one to draw the hero into the adventure and the hero returns home better for having gone on his/her journey!
LOST has a lot of references to Alice In Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass, and there are many other characters who seem to play the same role as Alice, being led, and characters who play the same role as the White Rabbit, doing the leading. But another story to which LOST is similar is the previously mentioned Peter Pan. A mysterious island that characters have to fly to? And again, notice how the slithering Smoke Monster happens to make a ticking noise ... similar to a certain crocodile on another island!
Lastly, to prove my point about how the herald can often be a villain – or at least be vilified by those who misinterpret the story – I would like to point out how similar the island on LOST actually is to the Garden of Eden, and the Smoke Monster to the serpent.
First, recall how difficult the island is to find and how it is protected by Jacob – humans were actually banished from the Garden of Eden and it was then guarded by the angel Uriel. The Smoke Monster who often leads others is a slithering creature who claims that Jacob’s rules are not really making a difference or protecting anyone or anything. The serpent similarly reveals to Eve that God’s forbidding the fruit of knowledge is actually meant to keep them ignorant and powerless, which would trap them in the garden and keep them from gaining knowledge. A character named Desmond experiences a similar state of imprisonment for a reason he is eventually tempted to test. Like Adam and Eve, he too must suffer the consequences afterwards. I think the similarities between the serpent and the Smoke Monster demonstrate that the serpent too is another herald, a White Rabbit, who literally tempts another to break a rule out of pure curiosity. And what is the result? Some might say punishment, and fall from grace ... Really? A fall from grace? That sounds very shameful, and yet Alice didn’t seem to feel ashamed after falling down the rabbit hole...? Wasn’t that a similar fall? It took place in a sort of garden and she was led by an animal ... a talking one for that matter! This depiction of the story is interesting because the serpent is very human, and there is an owl perched on the tree ... owls often symbolize wisdom! Owls were one of the symbols of Athena, the goddess of Wisdom. When you put it in these terms, the fruit of knowledge seems like more of a gift than a curse.
Let’s be realistic here! A hero never accepts a quest from a herald without eventually gaining something, even if the herald is actually the villain! And what do the heroes usually gain? Knowledge! Look at this depiction of Eve with the serpent beneath the Tree of Knowledge - doesn't it look like she knows something you don't? Maybe like she's smarter than you ...?
This said, I’d like to propose a new way of seeing the banishment from the Garden of Eden – not as due to the breaking of a rule or a terrible crime, of disobeying God or being tempted by an evil, devilish serpent – but as the reception of knowledge, wisdom, and logic that comes with adulthood. Eventually, we all reach puberty (eat the fruit), become more aware of our bodies (realize we are naked), and it’s probably around this time that most of us start questioning our parents’ rules (that if we eat the fruit we will die). Disobeying them can have negative consequences (pain during labour) – any decision can. But we can also learn that we are old enough to make our own decisions and solve any problems (nudity) that result from them! Once we can solve our own problems and use the resources around us to do so, we have reached maturity, and no longer need the security and safety of our parents’ house (Garden of Eden). This is not a bad thing. It appears to be a rejection, and it appears that certain consequences such as pain during labour are an actual punishment. But what if they are just some of the things we can expect to happen now that we are grown up? What if they are just some more problems that we might encounter that require some experimentation with the earth’s natural resources in order to be solved? If we think about it in these terms, it’s almost as if eating the fruit of knowledge represents the first scientific discovery, and thus leads to the first invention – clothing! Looking at it this way, I just can’t see the serpent as the bad guy. To view the serpent as the villain would mean to always view the herald as the villain, and the whole adventure of discovery and openness to experience as evil! If we all view things this way, we will never fall down rabbit holes, go on adventures, learn things we didn't know about the world, learn things we didn't know about ourselves, and come back as better, wiser people! Maybe this is what is so intriguing about the White Rabbit, and all of the heralds in every story ... they all remind us of the serpent in the Garden of Eden, and they all make us wonder if they can really be trusted. But maybe that's just because the herald isalways something or someone that seems so small and unimportant and it feels strange that something so small can be responsible for something so big - for having such a big effect on someone else's life ...
I have had 
Anyone remember this eye-sore from the 1983 film A Christmas Story ...
Both red and green are great Christmas colours, and they look great together. The swirl-pattern of the fabric makes these stockings look very elegant, and the hanging tassels add a nice touch. The pompoms on the toes add to the elf- or clown-like fashion of the stockings in addition to the “curly-toe” style itself.
