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Love them or hate them, ugly Christmas sweaters have become an integral part of our holiday festivities. For many, showing off a bit of festive pride with the season’s most cringe-worthy jumpers has become an annual tradition that’s every bit as treasured as decorating a gingerbread house or hanging an advent calendar. If you’re among the growing number of people looking to get in on the fun this year, you’ve come to the right place: We’ve rounded up a selection of Christmas sweaters so gaudy, they’ll be impossible to top!
Ugly Christmas Sweater History
As with most fashion trends, which see everything old inevitably becoming new again, the ugly Christmas sweater has roots that go back as far as the ‘80s. The movie and sitcom characters of this decade donned these garish tops with wild abandon — you might recall Clark Griswold in National Lampoon’s Vacation, for instance. Though ugly Christmas sweaters had faded into the background by the ‘90s, they experienced a resurgence in 2002, when the first ugly Christmas sweater party was reportedly held at the Commodore ballroom in Vancouver, Canada.
Since then, the trend has grown by leaps and bounds, with an official holiday — National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day — being named in its honor in 2011. Described by the website as a “day of light-hearted fun and a day to be yourself,” the holiday, which falls on the third Friday in December, encourages people to ditch their regular clothing or work attire in favor of — you guessed it! — the most unsightly sweaters around.
This year, National Ugly Christmas sweater day falls on Dec. 20, which means you’ve got one week left to come up with a superbly hideous knit that will outshine all the rest.
The Best Women’s Ugly Christmas Sweater
The competition for the best women’s ugly Christmas sweater is fierce this year, with all the usual embellishments— i.e. tinsel, sequins, fur, and pom-poms — making appearances on sweaters for 2019, plus a few new additions — think 3D ($54.99, Ugly Christmas sweater) and LED ($59.99, Ugly Christmas Sweater) elements to boot.
We’ve compiled a selection so atrocious, you’ll actually delight in their ugliness. Read on for Woman’s World’s picks for the best women’s ugly Christmas sweater of the season.
We write about products we think our readers will like. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the supplier.
The epitome of the ugly sweater comes in the form of this over-the-top acrylic garland number. With tinsel covering its nearly every square inch and red-and-green bulbs hanging from the spaces in between, it doesn’t get much tackier than this. Despite it’s overly-embellished appearance, however, reviewers say it’s actually built for comfort: “[This sweater is] incredibly well made and the material definitely wasn't cheap, thin, or itchy!," wrote one Amazon buyer.
Give your your loved ones the gift of you as you transform yourself into a gaudy Christmas present via this Joyland sweater. Covered in red-and-green sequins plus a green wrapping bow, it’s plenty festive, and it’s white tinsel poms add a particularly vulgar touch. This top is hand wash only.
Pair this wool and acrylic sweater with four AAA batteries ($12.78, Amazon) and watch its fireplace roar to life with lit-up flames. Meanwhile, cartoon graphics, a red-and-green color scheme, and a fuzzy bow contribute to its ugly appeal.
Between its string lights, yule-themed lettering, and graphic presents, this sweater is so busy, we don’t even know where to look. It also boasts a jarring blend of colors, mixing green, yellow, pink, silver, and red together in a way that’s not exactly pleasing to the eye. In short? It’s about as ugly as they come. It's also machine washable.
Why settle for an ugly Christmas sweater when you can get a whole ugly poncho? This elf piece checks all the ugly ensemble boxes, from its gaudy tinsel trimmings and sequined belt to the jingle bell accents that line its neck. It has a candy cane-striped hood and a pull-on closure.
OK, OK, so this one’s not exactly a sweater, but this vest's gaudiness was so encompassing, we couldn’t leave it off our list! It features two clashing colorblock panels: one that resembles a wrapped Christmas present (complete with bow accent) and one with a Christmas bulb design that actually lights up via its included batteries.
While this wool blend sweater isn’t exactly ugly, per se — more like adorable — it has one unique feature that just might make it the hit of any ugly Christmas sweater party. The dog’s ears, which are 3D, actually lift up above this pup's head with the squeeze of a button! This sweater also comes in a men’s version, so you can get your spouse one to match.
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Get into the ugly sweater spirit with this oversized pullover tunic from Kohl’s. There are seven different tacky prints to choose from (we like this pictured giraffe version best) and it comes complete with fuzzy poms, plenty of sparkle, and ribbed cuffs for added warmth.
You don’t have to show up bedecked in an abundance of glitter and sparkles to make an ugly sweater impression — the retro candy cane and snowflake print on this button-down cardigan will do just fine. Topped off with an ugly bow tie, it’s made of 100 percent acrylic and has a shapeless, unisex fit.
O’ Christmas tree, o’ Christmas tree! You’ll be the talk of your holiday party — and the room’s décor centerpiece — in this mock tree sweater from Joyland. Coming fully decorated with multi-colored tinsel, poms, and ornaments, the only thing you’ll need is a topper — Christmas tree star headband, anyone? ($15, Etsy).
Bring the laughs this holiday season with a humorous take on the trend in the form of this “bad rude-dolf” sweater. Rather than using jarring colors or tacky adornments to up its ugly factor, this top depicts a reindeer that’s gone off the rails with a few *too* many holiday cocktails. It’s made of 100 percent acrylic and is machine washable.
This ghastly patchwork print piece is truly a sight for sore eyes, making it the perfect pick for celebrating the holiday in — er, rather, out of — style. It’s got colorblocked arms and an oversized fit and has a light-up feature to boot.
If it’s a classically ugly sweater you’re after, you can’t go wrong with this pick from Joyland. This thing’s got it all: loud ‘80s design? Check. Tasteless sequins and tinsel? Double check. Pom-poms? Triple check. What more could anyone ever ask for? It's made of an acrylic, machine washable fabric, though we highly recommend turning it inside out before washing to keep all the trimmings on its little tree intact.
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