“Grandma, thank you for the beautiful, handmade gift! I will always treasure it!” is something you may say to your grandmother as she hands you what you think is the tackiest, handknit sweater you have ever seen. Although you don’t see it at the time, you might be the luckiest person in town. With the popularity and excitement surrounding the ugliest Christmas sweater trend, you might have just won big. Do you ever wonder where this tradition started? I wish it was my grandmother, but the history is a little different.

No one knows who created the first ugly sweater, but we do know it first became a trend during the 1950s, right around when Christmas items were just starting to be mass produced. With a large variety of goods being made at once, holiday products became affordable and easy to buy. Ugly sweaters, formerly known as “Jingle Bell Sweaters”, were one of those items. At the time, they were much more muted and less bright than the ugly sweaters we know today. Though people were buying them, they didn’t gain traction until the late 20th century. 

In the 1980s, actors and superstars started wearing ugly sweaters in famous films. Chevy Chase wore a few great ones in the classic movie, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”. Pop culture also introduced a version of the ugly sweater with much more saturated colors, more closely resembling the ugly sweaters we know today. “I think ugly sweaters are super funny and bring holiday spirit”, commented Precious Hoang (10), referencing modern ugly Christmas sweaters.

Despite the rise in popularity it had in the ‘80s, the ugly sweater went out of style in the 1990s. People saw it as unfashionable, and well, kind of ugly. This might be how the ugly sweater got its name, but no one knows for sure. Luckily, it made a comeback in the early 2000s, and sales exploded once again. In 2002, two men in Vancouver, British Columbia, are credited with throwing the first ugly sweater party. Now there is even a national ugly sweater day, the 3rd Friday of December. This year, it takes place on Friday, December 15, 2023.

So, how ugly will your sweater be this year? Will it be adorned with lights or maybe a secret pouch with a matching stuffy? I may need to consult my grandma! National ugly sweater day is coming, and many of us can’t wait!