Traditions and Trivia: Ugly Sweaters

What do bells, tassels, nonmatching colors, wool and Christmas all have in common? You'll find them all on ugly Christmas sweaters. 

A fairly recent Christmas fad promotes intentionally buying and wearing the gaudiest sweater possible.

One possible explanation is the sweaters commonly worn by Bill Cosby, just taking a turn for the Christmas style.

Another theory is the '80s fad ‘Jingle Bell Sweaters,’ that were mass produced and popular around the season spurred the onset of the holiday trend.

Time Magazine has researched the fad and noted that it began with younger people making fun of their parent’s generation who thought the sweaters were awesome.

According to inventors.about.com, “The city of Vancouver, Canada claims to be the birthplace of the first ugly sweater party in 2002. Every year at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver a party is held and the dress code is an ugly sweater affair.”

Fast forward a few years later and it’s hard to go a Christmas season without at least hearing about one ugly sweater-themed party, and thrift stores see no end to the sweater hunters come December.

What once might have been done in the face of irony, is now merely a fun pastime come Christmastime.