Ugly Christmas Sweater parties have been the norm for years now. In fact, you might even have one in your calendar right now! How did dressing *ugly* become a holiday tradition, though? Today, we’re diving into the history of the Ugly Christmas Sweater to answer this question once and for all.
1950s
The first garments to resemble Ugly Christmas Sweaters started popping up around the 50s, and were referred to as “Jingle Bell Sweaters” (and no, there were no actual jingle bells on them yet!). These sweaters showcased a Christmas-related symbol, but weren’t extremely outlandish or definitively “ugly” yet. It’s hard to say if these can truly count as Ugly Christmas Sweaters, or if they were simply just Christmas Sweaters… we’ll let you be the judge of this one!
1980s
Around the 80s, ugly sweaters hit the mainstream media, and took off! Most people credit the popularity of ugly sweaters to The Cosby Show, due to character Cliff Huxtable’s iconic wardrobe choices on the show. This style of ugly sweater has been affectionately dubbed the “Cosby Sweater” thanks to the explosion of popularity that ugly sweaters saw following this. As anyone in the 80s knows, Cosby Sweaters were all the rage!
The Cosby Show wasn’t the only instance of ugly sweaters in the media, though. Ugly sweaters caught on, particularly for Christmas, and many characters were seen flaunting a true Ugly Christmas Sweater in Holiday movies or TV episodes. Just take National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, for example!
2002
By the 2000s, Ugly Christmas Sweaters were all the rage, but what about Ugly Christmas Sweater parties?
The first one was actually held in Canada! Two university students, Chris Boyd and Jordan Birch, hosted the first known Ugly Christmas Sweater party back in 2002. It was just a small house party, with around 30 attendees. Who would have guessed that 20 years later, Ugly Christmas Parties would be mainstream in several countries across the globe!
If you’ve been invited to an Ugly Christmas Sweater party this year, and are looking to up the ante, why not pair your sweater with an Ugly Christmas Sock? Whether you’re looking for nutcrackers, gingerbread men, or even santa hat-wearing-llamas, we have a sock for you! And who knows- in 20 years from now, maybe Ugly Christmas Socks will be just as mainstream as its sweater counterpart! (But you’ll be able to say you did it before it was trendy. 😉)