By Anna Hovet, Staff Writer
As we approach the winter season, Grandmas all across America are quick to buy their supplies for knitting up the next batch of sweaters for their loved ones. They might be hideous, but it’s the thought that counts, right? But in the past decade, ugly Christmas and Hanukkah sweaters seem to be picking up steam and becoming a new trend; Big, red sweaters with Santa or a dreidel front and center and according to Ugly Sweater Party Book: The Definitive Guide to Getting Your Ugly, the tradition of ugly sweater parties swelled from a noticeable surge in these parties around 2001.
Grandmas aren’t the only one capitalizing on this new fashion. It has become almost another staple of the holidays, and they are finally being pulled out of their eternal resting place in the closet of your great-aunt Bertha’s closet or your third grade math teacher.
Whether people have started wearing them to be ironic or hip, the trend has become a thing nonetheless. Goodwill and vintage shops are enjoying the new revenue source, and the trend has even reached H&M and Nordstrom. Those who failed to make ugly sweaters a thing are now sitting back in their reindeer and elf sweaters and appreciating that their time has finally come.
These glorious sweaters have also found themselves on Jimmy Fallon’s talk show in the Twelve Days of Christmas Sweaters, but outside of pop-culture, this new trend can be linked to high-end fashion. Tamer versions of the tribal patterns and festive colors are a big thing for Fair Isle Knits.
Lily Ha, a senior, is already prepared with three holiday sweaters. She loves that they’re “the perfect combination of comfy and festive.” I took a sample poll of 12 girls and 4 of them said they’re definitely wearing their ugly sweaters.
This trend basically happened over night. Usually, ugly holiday sweaters are seen as, just that, ugly. Like in The Santa Clause, every single sweater Tim Allen is seen in is cringe-worthy. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, we actually see Harry and Ron cringe at the sweaters that were made tailored to the. But now, people are embracing the ugly. It has turned into a competition of whose sweater is the ugliest or a party theme idea or even the much deserved recognition these sweaters never got.
You will have your grinches, that roll their eyes at this new trend, and you’ll have the people that make an entire party out of it. You can take your pick whether you wear a festive sweater or not.