We've all seen it, every Christmas.
Ugly Christmas sweater parties are a common thing, and the ultimate goal is to see how ugly guests can dress up for the event. Guests will dress up with bright green sweaters sporting flashing lights and bows, or they will wear tacky knit sweaters with ugly reindeer or Christmas trees big and bold on the face of the sweater.
Basically, an
ugly Christmas sweater is anything tacky or gaudy with a Christmas theme, and the parties are no different. These parties are centered around celebrating ugly sweaters, but they are fun and festive and a great way to get friends and family together.
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How It Started
It's hard to say how it got started, but the parents of youngsters nowadays were once known to wear these sweaters for their fashionable looks and not for the ugly factor. The Eighties were thriving with ugly sweaters of all kinds, which is possibly where the ugly Christmas sweater originally came from.
With the rise of hipsters and people choosing to wear these ugly sweaters as a vintage type look, it's no wonder that ugly Christmas sweater parties have found their start. It's possible that retailers created these sweaters to look fashionable, but they have since become a form of fun and hilarity among young people everywhere.
The parties initially celebrate the art of finding the ugliest and tackiest sweaters around. The guests of the party get together, vote on the ugliest sweaters, and the one with the ugliest sweater at the party wins, though there isn't any prize to be won other than bragging rights.
Getting Extra Ugly
There's good news for those of you who can't find the perfect ugly sweater. DIYers everywhere have begun taking their ugly Christmas sweater ideas and putting them to good use come time for the holidays. Many people find inspiration online as well.
Many DIYers will take a plain, knit sweater in reds, greens, blacks, and whites, and then add different Christmas type themes or characters to make it tacky or gaudy. Some people add battery powered blinking lights to a tinsel Christmas tree. Others might add actual ornaments to the sweater. Other people have added ugly socks, hats, and jewelry to the mix to make it even more ugly.
Apparently, ugly Christmas sweaters are better if they are super ugly, tacky, and gaudy. This gives DIY lovers a chance to showcase their creativity and talents during the holiday season in a fun and, well, ugly way.
The Trend and Retail
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Though ugly Christmas sweater parties are fun, they are also rather beneficial to retailers of all kinds. For clothing companies, the holidays are a great time to bring out a few ugly Christmas sweater designs of their own, and they typically have higher sales during this time because of these ugly parties.
For crafting supplies stores, the holidays are a time of great sales. Not only do they have heightened sales for
Christmas crafts, but they sell many things for DIYers to make their ugly Christmas sweaters out of.
If you are having
ugly Christmas sweater parties, then you are not only having fun, but you are supporting your local clothing and craft stores as well. What other reasons do you need for having a party solely dedicated to the ugliest and tackiest Christmas sweaters around?
Conclusion
Every Christmas season, a certain party trend comes around that offers everyone something fun and exciting to do while they wait for Christmas day. Ugly Christmas sweater parties have just come around in the past few years or so, and they are rather interesting to discuss. Created around the idea of having the ugliest and tackiest Christmas sweater, these parties celebrate the holidays in a unique way.
The winner of the party is the one with the ugliest sweater, and it is usually decided by a vote from the party goers. The winner doesn't get anything other than bragging rights unless the party host decides to create a reward for the gaudiest sweater. DIYers have even started creating their own ugly Christmas sweaters just to keep the fun and festive trend alive during the holiday season.
