Cooper Lewis ‘26, Layout Director
Ugly Christmas sweaters have become a Christmas staple in recent years: infamous and ugly wool sweaters with Santa, snowmen, and lights wrapped around the fabric. But where did they come from? How did they begin? The history of these festive sweaters goes all the way back to the 1850s, when English military officers wore festive wool coats that would later become a staple of many English noblemen around the holiday season. Originally called “Jingle Bell sweaters,” the first Christmas sweaters were mass produced in the early 1950s, when the holiday was becoming increasingly commercialized and popular in general. Wool pullovers that featured snowflakes, angels, and other Christmas symbols were popularized. Their popularity was relatively modest, until the 1980s when sweaters finally became mainstream. Wool vests went alongside brightly colored turtlenecks with lights flashing and snowballs that easily pop off. Celebrities such as Bill Cosby and Chevy Chase helped to popularize these ugly sweaters, and when their respective films came out, merchandise released alongside it. The Cosby Show, for example, dominated American television in the 1980s, and his sweaters of choice helped to further popularize the fashion piece.
The popularity of ugly Christmas sweaters faded slowly in the 1990s, and it was not until the early 2000s that their popularity once again hit the mainstream. In 2002, the first ugly sweater party was held in Vancouver, British Columbia, with the goal of a “cheesy, feel-good festive party.” Within the past decade, ugly Christmas sweaters have become something of a sport—the more tinsel, lights, pom-poms, and ornaments, the better. The more festive, the better! What is not to love? “You can put on bows, bells, or anything garish that sparks your fancy,” Lisa Donofrio, a professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City said. “It is not about perfection, it is about being over the top.”
So, bring out that ugly sweater that has been collecting dust at the back of the closet, put in more batteries for that string of lights to bring attention to yourself in a public space, and have fun. That is the whole point of their creation, is it not? To be silly, and also to look ugly of course.
Lyon Life 