A cozy history of the ugly Christmas sweater
The garment is an essential part of the holidays, ubiquitous as Christmas lights and wrapping paper. It’s obnoxious and tacky, but also fuzzy and kind of wholesome — the fashion equivalent of a Hallmark Christmas movie.
By Marianna Cerini, CNN
Published Dec 22, 2023 8:27 AM CST | Updated Dec 9, 2024 10:12 AM CST
"The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon gives away a festive Christmas sweater to an audience member in 2013. (Lloyd Bishop/NBCUniversal/Getty Images)
— Move over twinkling fir trees and wreaths, eggnog, stockings and the office secret Santa — there’s a new kid in town. Over the last decade the ugly Christmas sweater has firmly embedded itself in yuletide culture.
You know the one. It’s a wooly pullover, usually in different shades of red, white and green, often of questionable fabric, and with at least one Christmas-inspired motif on it — a snowman, tinsel, a reindeer or candy canes. Extra points if it features 3D pom-pom or jingle bells.
The garment has quickly become an essential part of the holidays, ubiquitous as Christmas lights and wrapping paper. It’s obnoxious and tacky, but also fuzzy and kind of wholesome — the fashion equivalent of a Hallmark Christmas movie (with a healthy dose of tongue-in-cheek).
Chevy Chase in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." (Warner Bros)
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