At last, the time has come for delectable gingerbread cookies, twinkly red and green lights illuminating houses, carolers and sporting the traditional ugly holiday sweaters! Winter is always booked with many holidays, so the customary ugly sweaters seen all around town are an excellent way of celebrating. The fun thing about ugly holiday sweaters is that anybody and everybody is able to wear them. Significant signs of the classic ugly sweater are an excessive use of red and green; comically large illustrations of snowmen, reindeer and Christmas trees; and any sort of pom-pom or felt ornament.

Junior Abby Shepherd said, “My family usually has some type of party every year where we get to wear our holiday sweaters. I actually wear mine for the competition. But I like to wear mine anyway, at school and everywhere in public by choice. To me, they’re not ugly, they’re unique.”

Among a growth in fashion nostalgia, the much-rejected Christmas knit is enjoying a moment of irony-inspired popularity. Traditional knits, such as those with Fair Isle patterns, have been quite attractive to shoppers all year round. For the holidays, some retailers are attaching jingle bells, Christmas tree buttons—even lights—to cater to fans, both genuine and contradictory.

Riley Beckett, a junior, is a participant in the holiday sweater tradition. Beckett said, “I usually wear my sweater to holiday parties, either with friends or family. My favorite thing about ugly holiday sweaters is that you’re allowed to wear the most hideous sweater you want and you know that no one else will judge you. Also, the itchiness.”
Junior Devin Kappie is completely awed by the holiday season. She enjoys participating in the ugly holiday sweater tradition as well.

“I love participating! It’s so fun to see everyone and what they are wearing and looking cute and funny! I usually wear my ugly sweaters to family gatherings around Christmas. My favorite thing about ugly holiday sweaters would have to be how unique every sweater is and how whoever participates goes all out themselves or goes shopping for hours trying to literally find the most hideous sweater,” said Kappie.

High-fashion stores draw some lines with the designs on some holiday sweaters, though. The last time ugly holiday sweaters were big was in the mid-1980’s.The Christmas sweater started out as homemade, became a mass-market hit in the 1980’s and has been a dependable seller ever since. For many, the sweaters bring back memories of a beloved grandma and a time of year when everybody just drops their sophistication and goes for the heart.

Shepherd said, “They’re all really different and individually weird. The ugliest ones are the best. They’re stupendous and comfortable!”

Expect thrift shops to be caught empty-handed this season. Many people in the town of Antioch prefer to be on the look out at the local thrift shop to purchase ugly holiday sweaters each year. The search for “ugly Christmas sweaters” has raised by thirty percent recently compared to previous years, according to Google’s research tool, Insights for Search.
If you’re feeling obligated to wear that sweater you got as a gift, flaunt it! “Ugly” holiday sweaters are always a plus for the season. Everybody gets a good laugh out of them, and for some, it keeps them itchy and warm. Holiday sweaters make for the perfect seasonal gift.