Ugly Christmas Sweaters

The Rise of the Ugly Christmas Sweater

By Sitex Corp   /    Monday, December 14, 2015   /   , , , ,

The ugly Christmas sweater has become an ubiquitous feature of the holiday season, on par with decorated fir trees and platters of home-baked cookies. These tacky garments are now being re-appropriated from their dusty attic space of shame to the highlight of the office holiday party. Ugly Christmas sweater designs range from the subtle to the outrageous, some including battery-operated light and sound elements, and some thrift stores collect them all year long in preparation.

While ugly Christmas sweaters had their first culture moments in the 1980s, according to the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Book: The Definitive Guide to Getting Your Ugly On, there was a noticeable uptick in their popularity around 2001, and the tradition has just snowballed from there. Vintage stores, the Salvation Army, and Goodwill have long been the providers of these garments, but now the trend can be found in retailers such as Nordstrom and H&M.

With the rise of sweater-themed parties and contests, consumers both young and old are feeling the ugly-sweater fever. So grab some eggnog and mistletoe, because your Christmas sweater is sure to impress.

5 ways to “ugly” up your Christmas sweater

    1. Tack on the tinsel – Turn any conservatively designed garment into a true Ugly Christmas Sweater by stitching or hot gluing tinsel along patterns or around shapes.
    2. Add 3D elements – Simple additions like gift bows, mini stuffed toys, and jingle bells keep your sweater from looking acceptable for everyday, or for a quick DIY, just glue cotton balls for snow.
    3. Glue on googly eyes – Place them on Santa, Rudolph, or even the Christmas trees for a wacky look sure to catch people’s non-googly eyes.
    4. Light it up – If you’re open to wearing a battery pack, a small string of heat-free LED lights can take your sweater to the next level. Stitch the cord along the inside, and cut small holes to poke the lights through your sweater, for the most polished and twinkling look.
    5. Get out the glitter – Do you go all out? Then fully commit to blinging out your sweater with gilded stars, glimmering snowflakes, and shimmering santas. Once you go glitter, you can’t go back, and laundering this garment becomes a challenge if you go this route.

Hosting an Ugly Christmas Sweater party of your own this year? Send us some photos! We’d love to see them.