Over the last 10 to 15 years the ugly Christmas sweater has firmly embedded itself in yuletide culture. And the eye-popping trend does not seem to be subsiding.
You’ve seen them at office parties and wacky gatherings of friends. We’re talking wooly pullovers, usually in different shades of red, white and green, often of questionable fabric, and with at least one Christmas-inspired motif (bonus points if it features battery-operated lights or audible jingle bells).
The popular garment has quickly become an essential part of the holidays, ubiquitous as tinsel and wrapping paper. It’s obnoxious and tacky, but also fuzzy and kind of wholesome — the fashion equivalent of a Hallmark Christmas movie.
When it comes to ugly Christmas sweaters, Goodwill Central Coast is your headquarters for hideous hijinks. You can find secondhand ugly sweaters or plain ones that can easily be transformed into a Yuletide treasure.
Your sweater purchase will bring a lot of smiles to party goers — as well as those in our community seeking life-changing employment. Your purchase helps fund programs that put thousands of people back to work, while helping rehabilitate others who are trying to secure the pride and dignity that come with learning new skills.
In a typical year, GCC receives more than 630,000 donations, totaling more than 25 million pounds of clothing and household items. From those generous donations, GCC diverts more than 17 million pounds from landfills, helping preserve and protect the Central Coast landscape.
A fuzzy background
No one really knows who launched the insane idea of wearing ugly Christmas sweaters. Christmas-themed pullovers started making an appearance in the 1950s, a nod perhaps to the holiday’s growing commercialization. Initially referred to as “Jingle Bell Sweaters,” they weren’t as garish as today’s iterations, and found little popularity in the market, although some TV personalities — notably crooners Val Doonican and Andy Williams — really embraced the ugly side of the festive topper.
It wasn’t until the 1980s that the item hit the mainstream. The shift came thanks to pop culture and comedies, with goofball dad characters like Chevy Chase’s Clark Griswold in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” turning the holiday sweater into an uncomely but endearing expression of cheer. Snowflake-emblazoned sweaters weren’t considered cool, but they radiated yule, and were sported at office parties and on Christmas Day.
In the 1990s the Christmas sweater faded in popularity; it was something only your unfashionable older relatives would ever think of wearing or gifting. By the turn of the new millennium, the item was widely considered an eyebrow-raising mishap.
Then the trend hit a lull for a decade or more. The year 2012 was a turning point when UK charity Save the Children launched Christmas Jumper Day, a fundraising event encouraging people to don their most cringeworthy sweaters. The New York Times reported on ugly Christmas sweater-themed runs and pub crawls while the knits began showing more tinsel, bells and wacky details, reaching peak kitsch.
Celebrities, from Taylor Swift to Kanye West embraced the trend, too. Late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon even started running a regular segment called “12 Days of Christmas Sweaters,” which you can find on YouTube.
The popularity of the ugly sweater only snowballed from there, becoming the modern-day mistletoe.
Embrace the ugliness
When it comes to ugly Christmas sweaters, Goodwill Central Coast stores are your headquarters for hideous hijinks. You can find secondhand ugly sweaters or plain ones that can easily be transformed into a Yuletide treasure. Just follow these tips from our friends at Country Living magazine.
When it comes to ugly Christmas sweaters, the more embellishments the better. Reindeers? Santa? Christmas trees with blinking ornaments? A “Star Wars” theme with Yoda? All these tacky little details point towards winning the prize for best ugly Christmas sweater at parties. And yes, there are tons of ugly Christmas sweaters parties. In fact, it’s been huge among millennials who dig through their parents’ closets in search of treasures.
That isn’t worth the trouble when Goodwill Central Coast stores separate the ugly sweaters into their own section. Just ask an associate, or follow your eyes to the riot of ugly colors.
All sweaters aren’t ugly
Perhaps the best idea is to leave the ugly sweaters to others. Goodwill Central Coast has a huge selection of cozy options. Our motto: Life is better in a sweater. Actually, life is better in a thrift-store sweater!
Like comfort food, sweaters are comfort wear for the winter. Turtleneck, crewneck, oversized, cardigan and duster sweaters along with ponchos, chunky knits and flannels all have a welcome place in a winter wardrobe.
So this holiday season, whatever you are celebrating, make sure you grab a few sweaters — either the tacky and nostalgic ugly ones or others that will keep you cozy and looking sharp.
Whatever you decide, know that your purchases will ultimately help someone else have a cozier, more cheerful holiday season. Our retail stores help fund our job training and employment programs that remove barriers to self-sufficiency.
