“Christmas: The only time of year where you can sit by a dead tree and eat candy out of socks”

A jocular Christmas saying was printed on Christmas cards by a least November 1986:
 
“Christmas is just plain weird. What other time of the year do you sit in front of a dead tree in the living room and eat candy out of your socks?”
 
The saying was made into a jocular definition and posted on Twitter on April 16, 2011:
 
“Definitions: Christmas (noun) - The only time of the year in which one can sit in front of a dead tree and eat candy out of socks.”
 
The Christmas saying has been printed on many images.
 
 
Newspapers.com
2 November 1986, The Record (Hackensack, NJ), “Humor will be the highlight of this year’s Christmas card,” pg. 92, col. 3:
An example? One card says:
 
“Christmas is just plain weird… What other time of the year do you sit in front of a dead tree in the living room and eat candy out of your socks?”
     
8 December 1986, The News-Journal (Wilmington, DE), “What’s in the cards this year?,” pg. D1, col. 1:
This year, billions of holiday greetings will be delivered all over the world.
 
All this, in spite of the Scrooge-like message on one of this year’s greeting cards which says, “Christmas is just plain weird. What other time of the year do you sit in front of a dead tree in your living room and eat candy out of your sock?”
 
21 December 1988, New York (NY) Times, “Zap the Chestnuts and Tune in a Yule Log” by Andrew H, Malcolm, pg. C10, col. 6:
Americans will send more than 2.2 billion greeting cards this year, many with a distinctly contemporary bent. “Christmas is just plain weird,” one message says, “What other time of year do you sit in front of a dead tree in the living room and eat candy out of your socks>”
 
Google Books
The Great American Christmas Almanac
By Irena Chalmers
New York, NY: Viking Studio Books
1990, ©1988
Pg. 214:
What other time of the year do you sit in front of a dead tree in the living room and eat candy out of your socks?”
   
Google Books
May All Who Come Behind Us Find Us Faithful
By Bob Russell
Cincinnati, OH: Standard Pub.
1995
Pg. 121:
“Christmas is just plain weird. What other time of the it do you sit in front of a dead tree in your living room and eat candy out of your socks?”
 
Twitter
hardcorehippiee
‏@angvander
So Christmas is the weirdest hoilday…people sit around a dead tree and eat candy out of socks???!
7:36 PM - 16 Dec 2009
 
Twitter
Mama Z
‏@jennie_z
Humans are strange. “Remind me again why we sit around a dead tree with lights on it and eat candy and nuts out of socks?” /via @Snowfire11
2:59 PM - 18 Dec 2009
 
Google Books
Scattered Thoughts From A Scattered Mind
By David Mills
Xlibris Corporations (Xlibris.com)
2011
Pg. 301:
Christmas—what other time of the year do you sit in front of a dead tree and eat candy out of your socks?
 
Twitter
JJ
‏@fighter419
Definitions: Christmas (noun) - The only time of the year in which one can sit in front of a dead tree and eat candy out of socks
8:46 PM - 16 Apr 2011
 
Twitter
Josh Warren
‏@warrenjt
Christmas (noun) - The only time of the year in which one can sit in front of a dead tree and eat candy out of socks
1:39 PM - 17 Apr 2011
 
Google Books
Murder of a Stacked Librarian:
A Scumble River Mystery
By Denise Swanson
New York, NY: Penguin Books
2013
Pg. ?:
“I’m not big on Christmas anyway—I mean, basically it’s sitting in front of a dead tree eating candy out of your socks.” Frannie snickered.