Christmas socks that have gone too far

Christmas is the one time of year when society agrees that deliberately bad clothing is acceptable, and the sock industry has responded with enormous energy. The category runs from mild — a reindeer, some snow — through to designs that appear to have been produced without any adult supervision.

The interesting sub-genre is what you might call the cursed festive knit: technically Christmas-themed, but featuring something nobody asked for. A Santa with too many teeth. A nativity scene involving cats. A jumper pattern applied to a sock, complete with a small knitted bobble, so that your feet are wearing tiny sweaters.

Buy these early. Christmas sock stock at independent brands is genuinely limited, sells through in late November, and doesn't get restocked — these are seasonal runs, not standing inventory. If you're building a set for a family gift exchange, put the drawer together in October and you'll have the whole catalog to choose from instead of whatever survived.