As Christmas approaches, the festive spirit fills the air.  For Americans, in particular, there is a quintessential item for celebrating Christmas: the Ugly Christmas Sweater. Today marks the  celebration of this piece of clothing, known as “Ugly Sweater Day”

When is Ugly Christmas Sweater Day?

It all began in 2011, when two men from Vancouver hosted the first official Ugly Christmas Sweater event to help raise money for their friend’s cancer treatment. Since then, the third Friday of every December has officially been dubbed “Ugly Sweater Day”, gradually evolving into an international occasion. Celebrating this day is simple: wear an ugly Christmas sweater all day and share it on social media with friends. Essentially, this holiday is more of an excuse to approach childhood memories with a lighthearted outlook amid what can feel like a hectic adult life. There are many things in life worth celebrating, especially a holiday filled with festive cheer, even if it’s just for those outdated, unfashionable sweaters!

The origins of the “ugly Christmas sweater”

But why is it called an “ugly Christmas sweater”? Just as with the tradition of wearing new clothes for the New Year, many people have memories of being forced to wear unappealing red outfits as children. Similarly, during Christmas, many kids were made to wear knitted sweaters featuring holiday characters like Santa Claus, elves, and reindeer. These sweaters were often handmade by grandmothers, but they were commercialised in the 1980s and became particularly popular in American supermarkets. Today, they have evolved from traditional patterns and colour schemes to more diverse and trendy designs. Most of the sweaters on the market typically fall into one of these four categories:

Matching Sweaters

Wearing Christmas sweaters is more fun when everyone matches, and with so many options to choose from, couples, friends, and family can easily coordinate ugly Christmas sweaters together.

Character Designs