ugly cute

When the snow has fallen and mall parking becomes essentially mythical, we know that Christmas is lurking right around the corner. That also means we’ll soon be plagued with a style that is popular in both frat houses and your grandma’s house: the ugly Christmas sweater.

The highly controversial ugly Christmas sweater has been a massive trend since these babies seemingly popped out of nowhere a few years ago. Very surprisingly, they have been received with a lot more acceptance than one would expect for something that looks like the end product of an Christmas elf who had one too many eggnogs and puked all over itself. These sweaters live in that gray zone between unquestionably ugly sweaters and sweaters that are actually cute. Maybe it’s because these sweaters are a little bit ugly, but in an endearing way - an ugly cute way. They’re adorably ugly, the kind of ugly that makes you go “awww”, sort of like a baby hippo.

The obnoxious garment leaves us wondering why and where did they even come from anyways? Interestingly enough, Bill Cosby can be credited for shedding light on the ugly Christmas sweater when he wore them on his 80’s sitcom, “The Bill Cosby Show”. Whether the ugliness was intentional or not, the popularity of this style skyrocketed and wiggled its way into becoming a Christmas staple. Zoom forward to modern day, and now major retail chains such as H&M endorse the trend by stocking up on ugly Christmas sweaters from aisle to aisle because the demand is admittedly high.

The debate on these severely tacky sweaters is hot enough to tear families apart. Some say the uglier the better; others call for an end to the abominable trend. There really is no harm in having some fun and competing for the ugliest ugly sweater while sharing a few giggles to commemorate the holiday season, but to some, the look screams a blatant eyesore. Another take is that the trend is far too mainstream and since everybody does it, ugly Christmas sweaters have lost their quirky meaning.

So is it ever okay to wear an ugly Christmas sweater? Who knows.The final verdict is still uncertain. Secretly though, I’d wear these sweaters year-round, and you best know that I’m rocking one of these bad boys on the 25th.

Now here are some sweaters in case you need a last-minute gift!

For the friend who always disappears off on their own at parties:

You’ll be able to hear the bells ring from a mile away.

For the friend who needs a little lightening up:

For the friend who is obsessed with horses:

Well it’s a llama… basically the same thing?

And for yourself:

Because you’re the best gift you could ever give.

~happy holidays~

*thumbnail art credited to thierry porter