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The second I feel the sting of cold on my face, the opening bars of Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas’ instantly play in my head.
With birthdays, Halloween, and, of course, Chr*stmas on their way, I’ve been thinking a lot about gifts recently. And you know what I’ve decided? Socks, the oft-mocked ‘cop-out’ pressie, are actually a perfect gift.
I’ve been writing shopping content for over five years, and nothing has caused me to stop typing my gift guides mid-caption as often as extremely comfy, cute, or well-presented socks do.
My favourites are made here in London by the appropriately named London Sock Co., whose beautiful gift boxes have the luxurious look of fancy chocolate boxes and stunning bouquets (but will last for years).
The brand uses exceptionally small, tight stitches to ensure a soft and durable sock; their knitting technology, which uses the highest needle count possible, is capable of producing outstandingly complex designs and colour changes.
That also means they can specialise in boot, dress, sport, trainer, and ‘invisible’ socks while ensuring all their pairs look equally great.
Then, there’s the company’s materials to consider.
Their Designer Collection gift box, which combines 15 of their most popular designer styles, is made with Scottish Lisle cotton; other options include Merino wool, organic cotton, cashmere, lyocell, linen, and even some Egyptian cotton travel socks.
You don’t have to buy a full-on gift box either. Individual pairs rank among the site’s best-sellers for a reason, and will prove just as welcome a pressie (to yourself or others).
You can nab yourself a smaller, four-pair or even three-pair gift box too.
And then there’s my favourite section of the site ― London Sock Co. has an outlet where you can find seriously discounted products your giftee will never know you didn’t pay full price for.
The company also offers early gift deals, where you can save £45, £25, or £10 on your socks with codes depending on how much you’re spending overall. This expires on October 31 though, so ― race you to the checkout, I guess.
Last but not least, London Sock Co. offer a sock subscription which delivers new pairs to your giftee’s door every month. Of course, you can get one for yourself too.
Their 12-month Sock Sure Guarantee “means a no-quibble swap if anything goes wrong with one of your pairs in the first year,” they add.
I dare you to look me in the eye after going through London Sock Co.’s offerings and seriously attempt to tell me socks can’t be a truly magical gift.