The "ugly Christmas sweater" was once just that--an ugly Christmas sweater. In the 1980s and 90s (perhaps even earlier) it was the kind of sweater that grandmas wore, the kind of sweater that could only be found in the old lady misses sections of department stores, such as JC Penney or Sears. These sweaters were sold to people who love the holidays and think that it's OK to wear a Christmas collage of heart wreaths, awkward looking ornaments, and criss-crossed candy canes. These sweaters were generally too big or too small. They never fit just right. Everything about them was awkward.
In the last decade or so, the ugly sweater has come into fashion again--except that it's not only grandmas who sport them. Mostly, in fact, it's a new generation of hipsters who enjoy the "ironic" nature of the garment. The ugly Christmas sweater knows no bounds, and it's actually become something of a cliche, as guys and gals try to find the ugliest sweaters at thrift stores or even make their own sweaters in an attempt to outdo colleagues and friends at holiday parties.
I remember attending such a party in grad school. I found my own ugly sweater at a thrift store and felt proud to wear such a hideous garment, one replete with shoulder pads and three-dimensional objects affixed to the front of it. Yes, it was also too big for me. That made it all the rage. If I had this sweater in my possession right now, I would share a picture with you.
I do have an updated version of the ugly Christmas sweater that I recently acquired at Kohl's for $3.49, except it's not a sweater. It's a sweatshirt made to look like a sweater. Simulacra? I wore this sweatshirt for the first time yesterday--a snowy day of individual student conferences with two classes of students and a workshop with another class. It was fun to wear the sweatshirt, especially when it made others smile.
As you can see, this ugly Christmas sweatshirt has it all--it actually has faux buttons to emulate the appearance of a grandfather sweater (after all, I found this sweatshirt in the men's department**). It has a bowtie because bowties are cool. It has an ornament, the famous NOEL, a nutcracker, some snowflakes, holly, a leaning xmas tree, candy canes (one of which appears to be broken), and a stocking of goodies. What does it not have, right? OK, no Santa, Rudolph, or snowman, but that's OK. **Pro-tip: I bought this sweatshirt in the summer. Buying off season = deep discounts.**
In a way, the ugly Christmas sweater sweatshirt might be more parodic than the ugly Christmas sweater itself. After all, the sweatshirt's not only making fun of the ugly Christmas sweater; it's calling attention to the fact that it's not even a sweater and just as cool, if not cooler. The wearer of the ugly Christmas sweater sweatshirt might just be hippest of all Christmas garment wearers.
