The Complete History of Ugly Christmas Sweaters: From Fashion Faux Pas to Holiday Icon

Today we're going to talk about a sweater. This is no ordinary sweater. Sure, it's probably stuffed in the back of your drawer most of the year, but come holiday season, it will have its shining debut again (if you haven't already replaced it with one even more ridiculous). We're talking about the ugly Christmas sweater.

If you do have one, you are probably saving it for something. Maybe it's your office party. Maybe it's your friend's annual Christmas bash. Or maybe you're just waiting for the perfect moment to blind everyone at your family gathering with those battery-powered LED lights you added last year. If you don't have one…you must be living under a rock.

You see, somewhere along the line, the ugly Christmas sweater stopped being the dreaded gift from grandma and turned into something people actually spend money on. We're talking designer brands cranking out sweaters that look like a craft store exploded on them. Some brands charge hundreds of dollars for the privilege of wearing one.

So, what made us collectively decide that the more ridiculous a Christmas sweater looks, the better it is? And why do we keep buying new ones every year when last year's was already perfectly awful? Well, grab some cocoa and get cozy. The story of how the ugly Christmas sweater became a holiday icon is about as messy as the sweaters themselves.

The Early Days of Christmas Sweaters (1950s-1970s)