The Ugly Sweater

Ugly Sweaters have become a popular cold-weather tradition for which participants rummage through their grandparents storage bins, scavenge the vintage and used-clothing stores, or bust out their As-Seen-On-TV rhinestone dazzlers to create the ugliest, most amazing sweaters possible.

This year, National Ugly Sweater Day takes place on Friday, December 12 and the rules are simple–in fact, there’s only one: wear your ugly sweater all day.

This is the day where you can rock your comfortable, unstylish sweater with pride– though, if you love your ugly sweater,  you can wear it again whenever you want.

FUN FACT 1: Some ugly sweater vendors actually offer charitable contributions with each ugly sweater purchase, so you could be helping an organization in need when shopping for the right fit.

Megan Elston, English teacher and Instructional Coach at Primavera, says she always rocks an ugly sweater during the holidays because it’s a fun way to show the holiday spirit! She searches each year for the perfect ‘ugly’ sweater and says she found this gem at Walmart, where they have a ho-ho-host of other holiday sweaters. 

Wearing your ugly sweater can bring out your competitive side in an effort to have the funniest or most original ugly sweater. We say “Go for it!” but share those pictures with us later.

A few words to describe successful ugly sweaters include: Atrocious! Grody! Awful! Tacky! Dreadful! And just plain icky!

Sweater vests? We thought you’d never ask. Those count too. Button ups and pull-overs, even hoodies can fall into the ugly ‘sweater’ category if they are ugly enough.

FUN FACT 2: In the United Kingdom sweaters are known as jumpers, so don’t be afraid to pair your best English accent with adorning your ugly jumper!

Ugly sweaters are both practical in keeping us warm and stress-relieving in giving us a good laugh during the chaos that holidays often stir up. They’re just one of the many non-traditional, if not unusual, holiday customs we are growing more familiar with.