Ugly Christmas Sweaters: Have you heard about National Ugly Christmas Sweater day?
The memories of ugly and tacky Christmas sweaters given as Christmas gifts was once an embarrassment, but today it has become a reason to celebrate, have fun and even fund-raise for your favorite charity. There’s actually one day of the year that has been designated as National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day did you even know such a thing existed?
You may not have heard about it, but this day has become highly popular in the recent times. It is a day of fun and a day when you can be yourself and let the humorous side of your true personality shine through expressing yourself with your most extreme color coordinated ugly Christmas sweater.
This is a day that many employers drop the requirement for business attire and encourage employees to breakout their best, wackiest and tackiest Christmas sweaters. Most importantly, this is a day that makes the holiday time fun and entertaining.
So, without worrying much about your attire, leave the school uniform behind, keep your preppy office coat in your closet and wear the weirdest, most ugly and wackiest sweater you own. This day is all about wearing your ugly Christmas sweater because it’s your day to be in your funniest, ugliest sweater. This is basically all about The National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day.
When ugly sweater day rolls around, it’s time to break out your best thought out themed sweater and stop being ashamed of what all ugly things you have in your wardrobe be it you shopped for them or were gifted to you.
It is believed that when it’s time for the Ugly Sweater Day, it is the right moment to stop being ashamed of what all ugly things you have in your wardrobe and to embrace the ugly as something ‘so ugly you can’t really hate it.’ You can click on the link if want to order an ugly Christmas sweater online.
When is the National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day celebrated?
Well now that you know what this day is all about, a lot of folks ask as to when it is celebrated and why. The day is celebrated across the word on the third Friday of December every year. So mark these dates in your calendar:
2018 – Friday December 21, 2018
2019 – Friday December 20, 2019
2020 – Friday December 18, 2020
2021 – Friday December 17, 2021
2022 – Friday December 16, 2022
2023 – Friday December 15, 2023
History behind National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day
Introduced in the year 2011, this annual festival which is now growing leaps and bounds in popularity among children and adults alike is not just an excuse to wear your humiliatingly unfashionable and weird knitwear that may have puddings, cartoons etc. on them, it is actually a very enjoyable and lighthearted fundraising event as well with the main goal of helping in Save the Children campaign.
Since then, the national ugly Christmas day has been used as a key event to drive charity funds for the organizations that help kids deal with various diseases. The belief that no children should die from a treatable disease is what brings this event to the fore. Also, it is speculated that the idea behind the event is that people subject themselves to minor harmless illness – the sight of the weird and ugly sweaters – to help save children from medical problems.
With this day celebrated all across the world to help children, you can do your bit by just wearing an ugly sweater on third Friday of December month and encourage others to do the same, go online and donate something for charity.
How is the National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day celebrated?
In schools, offices, colleges and other place, Christmas cardigans and jumpers are donned to raise some money for global charity, working to combat premature death among kids from easily preventable illnesses like malaria, pneumonia, malaria and the main mission behind the charity is to not let any child born to needlessly die from curable illnesses.
So if you really wish to celebrate the Ugly Christmas Sweater Day with all fun and frolic, just dig in your closet and organize the day with your friends, family, coworkers and assault everyone’s eyes with the uncomfortable designs of your sweaters.
Also, you have to confess that there is something to “ugly sweater chic” and so if you happen to know a set of people with those skills to make a sweater, you can also try to organize an auction. All you need to do is to have people bring their own designs and auction them in silent auction. This way, you can donate the proceeds from the auction to a charity you support.
Alternatively, you can purchase an ugly Christmas sweater or jumper from online sources like Amazon. Check out the wide array of unique designs and ugly sweater themes available for fast delivery and who knows, maybe you take the prize on the National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when picking out a sweater or jumper to wear on National Ugly Sweater Day:
• Cartoon or animal characters with some holiday theme are a nice starting place. You can think of snowmen, elves, reindeer, kittens or even mice.
• After you select the character, select weird colors. Keep in mind the more the colors clash, the better they look. You can try ridiculous color combinations and make your sweater uglier.
• You can also try to embellish. And then scratch it to give it a worn and aged appearance. Again embellish. Attach various decorating bells, pom-poms, glitter and other jingly items found around your house to embellish on the sweater to the max.
• You can experiment with adding a ruffle, collar or dickey. Further, you can electrify the sweater by adding some battery operated bright LED lights to it.
• Try adding some 80s flair to it and you can have some shoulder pads too.
So, what are you waiting for? Start hunting for the day and plan well in advance. What will you wear out of your funniest, tackiest and ugliest sweater collection?
Where Can I Get An Ugly Christmas Sweater?
Some people find Christmas sweaters at local thrift stores for some vintage sweaters from 80s. Others choose a more DIY approach by getting a sewing kit, glue gun and turn their ordinary sweaters into something that can be tagged as “ugly”.
For simplicity and the greatest variety, there is always the option to find the perfect ugly sweater that is new, modern and ready to be worn on this day.
You can find tacky Christmas sweaters available at local department stores though you may find that the quality maybe lower and the variety and sizes somewhat limited.
The best part is that new Christmas sweaters are easy to find these days and you don’t have to hunt for them for too long.
Where to Buy Ugly Christmas Sweaters?
You can visit local thrift shops and used clothing depot stores as well. Some of these have donation programs where a small portion of the proceeds from sweater sales is dedicated to donating some proceeds to children’s organizations. This way, you can contribute to a charity as well without leaving a hole in your pocket.
Some cringe at the thought of purchasing used or second-hand Christmas sweaters that have been worn by others for hygienic reasons. If you do purchase a used sweater, have it dry cleaned or machine washed and dried for sanitary purposes just to be safe.
Given that more and more people are shopping online from the comfort of their homes or while on the go through mobile devices. With just a few clicks shopping for a tacky Christmas sweater is fast and easy.
There are a lot of online stores that sell some of the ugliest, funniest and tackiest themed Christmas sweaters and Christmas jumpers for both men and women, pets and owners.
Places such as Amazon have a good selection of naughty, funny, tacky and themed sweaters such as the Snowman Nose Thief sweater which has become a favorite among buyers.
When buying an ugly Christmas sweater, make sure the quality is good. Check out the online reviews provided by verified buyers. That will give you insights as to the quality, size and speed of delivery.
Having a separate day set to celebrate the season of weirdness and silliness make it all the easier to get people excited about this National Ugly Christmas Sweater day and make them go crazy.
Even though National Ugly Sweater Day has a specific designated annual date, many people don’t limit wearing ugly Christmas sweaters to one specific day of the year.
For some people, they like to have a collection of themed and color coordinated Christmas sweaters for the whole holiday season to wear during family and social gatherings.
Matching Christmas Sweaters for the Whole Family
Every year around the holiday season the various things that we all associate with Christmas start getting pulled out of storage, including the Christmas trees, decorations, lights, and yes, this includes ugly Christmas sweaters (though sometimes this last one can elicit groans from the younger members of the family).
For quite a few families, ugly Christmas sweaters are an important part of the Christmas tradition that is on par with other Christmas traditions like decorating the Christmas tree and gift giving.
Are you confused by why some families value this tradition so highly? Are you interested in potentially trying to introduce this tradition into your family? If so, you may be interested in reading further, as I will explain why the tradition of wearing tacky Christmas sweaters is so popular for some families
Also, provide you with some ideas on how to go about picking out matching Christmas sweaters for the whole family.
Why Families Wear Ugly Christmas Sweaters?
The tradition of wearing ugly Christmas sweaters is probably one of the most, if not the most confusing traditions of the holiday season. If you come from a family where this wasn’t common, it can be very confusing, after all, why would people ever voluntarily wear pieces of clothing that are intentionally cheesy and ugly?
There are a couple of good explanations for why so many families decide to embrace the cheesiness of ugly sweaters each Christmas:
It’s a Lighthearted Way of Enjoying the Holidays
It’s impossible to deny the fact that Christmas is an incredibly stressful time. Not just because we have to buy gifts and run around getting things ready, but even traditional ways of “enjoying” ourselves during the holidays can end up being pretty stressful.
Big family dinners need to be planned, vacations need to be booked and arranged which can make everything incredibly stressful. Also, a lot of these traditions require money to be spent. Buying decorations, food for dinners, and gifts all cost money.
With all these stressful and expensive things to do around the holiday season, funny ugly Christmas sweaters emerge as a fun, stress-free tradition that everyone can enjoy.
Busting out the Christmas sweaters while spending some quality time with your family is such a great way to create a yearly family tradition. The themed family Christmas sweater can be a lighthearted way to experience. With this mind, it really isn’t surprising that so many families continue to do it year after year.
It Generates Some Serious Nostalgia
For a lot of families, the reason they wear holiday Christmas sweaters every holiday season is that it brings back fond memories. Many started these traditions when they were kids and so they continue them each season, eventually passing them onto their own kids.
It can be a way of remembering and honoring relatives who may not be there to celebrate Christmas anymore. The Christmas season has always been a season where people try their best to keep certain traditions alive, and for many families, one of those traditions is the wearing of ugly Christmas sweaters.
Trendy Christmas Sweaters
Of course, it has to be mentioned that a big part of the reason why some families have taken to wearing trendy Christmas sweaters each holiday season is that they are very trendy.
If you look online you can find tons of ugly or cheesy Christmas sweaters trying to take advantage of the latest popular television shows, movies, or internet memes.
In recent years some families organize family gatherings and ugly Christmas parties as a way of raising money for charities and community organization.
Starting a Family Christmas Sweaters Tradition
So, let’s say that some of the above reasons appeal to you and you now want to introduce the tradition of wearing matching Christmas themed sweaters into your family, how should you go about it?
Well, the very first thing that you need to do is pick out some ugly or cheesy Christmas sweaters for your family. This process can seem a bit daunting at first, but with the availability of themed Christmas sweaters for all ages and sizes, the task can be quite straightforward.
Here some things to consider and tips that should make the process of buying ugly Christmas sweaters for the whole family a bit easier.
Matching Ugly Christmas Sweaters vs Individual Christmas Sweaters
One of the first choices that you can make is whether you want to go for individual Christmas sweaters or find a themed set for that entire family that matches.
Matching sets can be really cool for a tight-knit family (pun intended). However, you must be careful with buying matching sets, as you have to buy sweaters that match as your family grows or as new members start to partake in the tradition.
The advantage of having everyone wear their own individual ugly sweaters is that it can make buying new ugly sweaters a lot easier down the line, as you don’t have to worry about making sure that they fit in with the rest.
More and more online vendors are ensuring that they offer matching ugly sweaters in all different sizes for men and women, boys and girls and teens.
With so much availability, many families opt to adopt a new sweater or jumper theme each year. This can be great for taking the annual family photo with each member dressed up in a matching sweater. The yearly theme can help differentiate what year the photo was taken by just looking at the matching theme.
Trendy Sweater Designs
You find a lot of ugly Christmas sweater suppliers are providing sizes for all members of the family which allows them to capitalize on current trends like popular television shows or internet memes.
These trendy Christmas sweaters can capture a can bring a laugh or two, when looking back on what was popular back in the day. As mentioned before, these are a great way to timestamp a particular Christmas gathering for years to come.
Christmas sweater themes range from sport teams, to TV shows and movies to historical and political events. So, check out what is trending and put a stamp on this year’s Christmas photos
This is probably a lot more than you ever expected to read on the topic of ugly Christmas sweaters. But, if you read the whole thing, you should now have a much better understanding of the ever-important holiday tradition of wearing Christmas sweaters.
Hopefully, if you viewed the tradition as odd and overly cheesy, you now see why they can become oh so important for celebrating in the moment and for forging fun and cherished memories of family Christmases spent together.
This holiday season, if you want to try something that’s a bit silly, but also a lot of fun, why not try grabbing some outrageous Christmas sweaters for the whole family and seeing if you can start a fun new tradition for your family and friends.
Christmas Outfits For Dogs and Cats
Ugly Christmas sweaters are not just for dog owners, but there are numerous tacky and cheesy Christmas sweaters for your four-legged friend. These cute Christmas outfits are available for dogs and cats, but truth be told, it’s probably harder to get your cat to wear a sweater. That’s not to say that some cats have a problem with donning a warming coat sweater.
Many dogs are used to wearing warming coats for outings during the winter season. For those pets, there is absolutely a huge selection of cute, affordable and frankly, cheap Christmas sweaters available from many of the same vendors as those who produce them for their human counterparts.
Buying sweaters for humans is usually quite easy, but the same isn’t always the case when you are buying sweaters for dogs. Here I will give you a brief idea about the points you need to keep in mind when you are shopping for ugly Christmas sweaters for dogs and cats.
What to Know Before Buying a Christmas Sweater for Your Pet
Source – You can buy sweaters from pet shops or online sites. You could also knit a sweater for your pet with your own hands, but let’s face it, not many of us have the skill or time to do so.
So, the first point you need to know is from where you are going to source the sweater from. Dogs don’t like to dress up; therefore, you might have to be patient when trying on the different sweaters on your pet, if you take your pet to the shop.
Size – Choose a sweater that fits your pet perfectly. Before buying a sweater, get your pet’s vital statistics right and make note of them before you begin your search. Refer to these measurements carefully to buy the right size of the sweater for your pet.
Comfort – This is a probably the most important factor to consider. Your pet should be comfortable in the sweater that it wears. It should be able to pee and poop whenever it wants to, without any hassles. Don’t buy sweater that requires removal before your pet can do their business.
The sweater shouldn’t be overly tight around your pet’s neck. You want to ensure that the sweater will fit snuggly but not tight and it must be easy to wear and easy to remove.
It should be made from the right material. Many pet Christmas sweaters are made from fleece to provide warmth to your pets.
Be Innovative – Don’t hesitate to buy sweaters that are colorful, trendy and innovative. For the Christmas seasons, ugly pet sweaters with pictures of Santa Claus, stars, Christmas tree, gifts, etc. are all great choices. Your pet will automatically get into the festive mood when it gets decked up in these trendy outfits.
Don’t forget, that if your family has decided on matching Christmas sweaters, many vendors are offering holiday sweaters that match with those of the owners.
Where Can I Get an Ugly Christmas Sweater for My Pet?
DIY – If you know knitting and have a lot of time on your hands, you could knit sweaters yourself for your dog. You might only need fleece as the raw material for knitting purposes.
Pet stores – If you have a pet store nearby, you could take your pet along with you while you go shopping for dog sweaters. The selection may be limited, but at least you can try the sweaters on your pet for fit and to check the material for your pet’s comfort levels and overall visual appeal.
Online – Thanks to the advancement of online shopping stores, you can now shop for whatever you want right from the comfort of your home, through online shopping sites such as Amazon, eBay and more.
Amazon offers exciting offers and huge discounts on Christmas sweaters for dogs and Christmas outfits and accessories for cats that put everyone in the mood of the festive season.
Trending Ugly Christmas Sweater Designs
Now that you have decided on the source, material and fittings, you can focus on the designs. With hundreds of designs and patterns in front of you, it is definitely going to be a challenge for you to choose a few from the sea of options. We have made things easier for you by spelling out some of the trendy dog and cat sweater designs that are in vogue now.
1. Sweater with cartoon reindeer
When your dog walks into the ugly Christmas sweater party hosted by your friends, it will be the center of attention, thanks to its attractive and cute reindeer sweater. The brown reindeer peeping out from a black printed sweater is hard to miss. This sweater is available in many sizes, so you can choose the one that suits your dog the best.
2. Any sports team Christmas sweater
Sweaters with logos of famous sports clubs never go out of fashion. FCB, Manchester United, Real Madrid, New York Yankees – regardless of the sport, these logos are quite famous all over the world! To add some glitz to the party, you and your pet can wear matching sweaters that endorse your favorite team.
3. Santa suit Christmas sweater
What good is the festive season if you don’t invest in a Santa-suit style of the sweater? The awesome red and white Santa Claus sweater is one of the hot favorites among dogs. The best thing about this style is that it goes well with all breeds and sizes of dogs or cats.
4. Elf with bells Sweater
The classic green elf sweater with bells to decorate it completes the festive wear of your dogs. This sweater is very simple but quite powerful, in terms of impact. With its cute green and red design, this sweater will make your dog look like an important member of the Christmas party.
5. Christmas Hoodie Sweaters
If you live in very cold areas, you can consider getting your dog a Christmas Hoodie Sweater. These hoodies can be easily worn without making your dog uncomfortable. Nowadays, you will also notice that hoodie sweaters come with a star on the top, which flashes with a press of a button. This will make your dog look like a superstar, indeed!
These are only some of the most trendy and best-selling funny Christmas sweaters for your dogs. Many more patterns and designs are waiting for you to explore them.
What we have done here is given you an idea, so that you can develop more on that, based on your customization. For example, if you like the reindeer pattern, you can look for reindeer with trees, only reindeer, reindeer with hoodies, fleece reindeer, satin reindeer, reindeer on sledges, etc. It’s all up to you on how you want to dress up your dog.
Be Aware of Your Pet’s Reaction to Wearing a Christmas Outfit
Regardless of the design you choose, ensure that you watch your dog or cat carefully after dressing it up in their Christmas sweater finest. If he or she shows any signs of discomfort within the first 30 minutes of wearing the sweater, remove it immediately to avoid bigger problems. It may take a few times of wearing the sweater for your pet to get use to wearing it.
10 Ideas For A Great Ugly Christmas Sweater Party
So you found an ugly Christmas sweater for yourself, or matching Christmas sweaters for your family or an ugly sweater for your pet, so why not consider holding or attending a ugly Christmas sweater party.
This is a fun gathering where everyone gets to wear their wears or best ugly Christmas sweater. If some of the invitees don’t have an ugly sweater, then as detailed earlier, they can either make one, borrow one or purchase one either locally or online.
In this section, I would like to provide you with some inspirational ideas to throw an ugly Christmas sweater gathering that nobody will forget in a hurry. We have 10 great ideas for you so let’s get on with it shall we?
1. The Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Invitations Should be Great
Seriously if you don’t send out great invitations to your ugly Christmas sweater event then it can literally ruin the event before it has even started. You want people to be really excited about attending your party and this all begins with the invitation.
My suggestion is to go as crazy as you can. You can go online and find some really creative invitation designs for Christmas ugly sweater parties. You will find some very good examples here that you can download and either use as inspiration or just use as they are.
It is essential that you stress that people will only be allowed entry into your party if they are wearing an ugly Christmas themed sweater. You don’t want people turning up in normal clothes and then embarrassing all of the guests that have made the effort with their ugly sweaters (or themselves).
Sending invitations is easy – just use technology. Use e-invites or use your phone to send a Red Stamp invite. Be sure to include your crazy invitation image as well and provide details of what will be happening at the party such as fun games.
2. Have Some Spare Ugly Sweaters Available
Despite stressing that everyone must wear an ugly sweater in your invitation, there is always going to be someone that ignores this and arrives dressed normally. You could send them back home to properly dress themselves, but this will mean that a few of them will not return.
Instead of doing this why not have a few spare ugly sweaters available so that you can save people’s embarrassment and lend them a sweater so that they can get into the spirit of your party.
A lot of people will have embarrassing Christmas sweaters that they never wear, so ask everyone you know if they would be prepared to lend you their sweater as a spare. You will be surprised at how many people will be willing to do this.
3. Decorate in the Same Theme
We are talking about ugly Christmas decorations here. If you don’t have a lot of time then there are stores online where you can buy really ugly Christmas decorations for your party. If you do have some time available, then you can make your own.
What about a really ugly Christmas tree for example? Ask your friends and family to help you out here. Decorate tree as tacky as you can conceive. You can even find ugly Christmas sweater party kits online.
It is amazing how creative you can get when you have several people on a task. Go wild and provide as many ugly decorations as you can to really get everyone in the mood.
4. What about Food?
Obviously, you want to provide sufficient food, such as snacks, so that everyone is happy and the party goes off without a hitch. But why not be creative with some of the food that you provide?
You could make ugly Christmas sweater shaped cookies for example or decorate normal cakes in an ugly Christmas way. You are really only limited by your imagination here and again it is good to get others involved.
You can even get order or make ugly sweater wine bottle labels
5. Fun Games Make a Great Ugly Christmas Sweater Party
Coming up with fun game ideas for your party will really make people remember it for a long time. Well don’t worry because you can really get creative here and make the craziest games that will be right for the party theme.
You can actually purchase fun games which will save you a lot of time and trouble. For example there is a game where you can toss rings onto an antler headpiece that someone will wear.
You will be no doubt overjoyed to know that there is a card game that is devoted to Christmas ugly sweaters as well. Up to 6 people can play this game at once and it really is a lot of fun. Make the games even more fun by awarding a prize to the winner related to the theme such as an ornament of a Christmas sweater.
6. Take Photographs
Make sure that you take at least one photograph of everyone individually in their ugly sweater. Then as the party gets in to full swing take photos of people playing games and anything else that is fun!
Mount a large pin board on a wall and print photos periodically and pin them up. A lot of people will really want to appear on the photo board, so they will do some really fun things to make sure you get a snap of them. Be sure not to leave anyone out.
7. Run a Contest for the Ugliest Sweater
Tell all your guests about this on the invite. You want them to wear the ugliest sweaters imaginable so encourage them to do that with a worthwhile prize such as a gift voucher. It’s best to judge the winner (or winners) before everyone gets too drunk. Be sure to take photos of the winner(s) as well.
8. Use Pintrest for Inspiration in Choosing a Christmas Sweater
Did you know that there are Pintrest boards dedicated to ugly Christmas sweater parties? Well there are and you should check them out for great ideas. You will find ideas for food, decorations, drink and a whole lot more.
9. Make the right Drinks available
The right drinks will really make your ugly sweater party go with a bang. Fruity drinks and punches are a good idea and it is best to have alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions of these. What about jello shots that are green and red to reflect the holidays? Hot chocolate snowman drinks will go down well also.
10. Get those Christmas Tunes Rolling
You want to get everyone into the Christmas spirit as fast as you can and nothing does that better than Christmas tunes. You can load up your phone and connect to a music system to keep these coming without you needing to change CD’s etc.
An even better idea is to arrange a karaoke Christmas sing along. You can purchase a reasonably cheap karaoke machine and the CD’s that you need and really make your Christmas sweater party swing.
We hope that you have found inspiration from these 10 ideas for a great ugly Christmas sweater party. It’s all about the planning and you will definitely get out of it what you put in. Don’t be afraid to spend a little money on your party to make the one that everyone will talk about for years to come!
Let the Fun Begin! Find a Christmas sweater that will stand out from the rest and have fun choosing one that will convey your personality and sense of humor.
Click Here if you want to shop for the ultimate ugly Christmas Sweater.