A Hallmark Christmas movie is playing on the TV. In it, a family is putting up a dazzling Christmas tree and loading it with classic ornaments. They decorate sugar cookies, build gingerbread houses, and go shopping for their loved ones presents, all while wearing a tacky Christmas sweater. These sweaters, made out of cotton and wool, dyed in the classic Christmas colors, and usually decorated with lights, tinsel, and a recognizable Christmas symbol, are now a Christmas staple. Where did this yuletide tradition come from?
Of course, throughout history family members have received homemade sweaters that were not exactly their ‘style’, but it wasn’t until the 1940’s and 1950’s that the ugly Christmas sweaters, aka “Jingle Bell Sweaters,” first made a commercial appearance. Sweaters were used to keep warm, especially in December. It being post-war though, people wanted a way to still be festive during the holiday season. The “Jingle Bell Sweaters” which featured Christmas themed images of snowmen, Santa, angels, snowflakes, etc., were a great way to be jolly while walking the streets. This was the beginning of the commercialization of Christmas itself.
The trend continued in the 60’s and 70’s and featured in counterculture fashion. They were still called “Jingle Bell Sweaters,” but they became more stylish. There were more exciting designs and bright colors. All sorts of decorations were being used on the sweaters: pom poms, jingle bells, gift bows, tree ornaments. The best and most memorable were Christmas lights. It’s true! Light-up sweaters began to be worn and are still popular in the present day. Sometimes, women would wear Christmas ornament earrings to complete the outfit. These innovations reached the pop culture in the 1980’s.
In the 1980’s the ugly Christmas sweaters hit the mainstream. The sweaters were seen everywhere on television, principally comedies. One of them was The Cosby Show where Bill Cosby brought mix-matched patterns to a different level. Seeing different actors and characters wearing these iconic sweaters, people wanted to join in on the fun. Therefore, the DIY of ugly sweaters started. Teenagers showed off their own, unique cozy sweater, to their friends which eventually led to competition.
Going into the 2000’s, seeing the sweaters on TV didn’t stop. On the show Modern Family, the actors wore ugly Christmas sweaters multiple times in their Christmas episodes. In the live-action movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch was forced to wear a light-up sweater as clothing. Colin Firth raised the tradition to a new level when he wore an ugly sweater in Bridget Jones Diary. He stole the hearts of female viewers wearing a moose, and later on, ugly Christmas sweater parties became a thing. Chris Boyd and Jordan Birth held the first one in 2002, and it definitely wasn’t the last. Now, people compete to throw the best ugly Christmas sweater party of the season.
The ugly sweater tradition has grown larger than ever throughout the years. Jimmy Fallon, host of The Tonight Show, celebrates by giving away a one-of-a-kind Christmas sweater every day as the show counts down the 12 Days before Christmas. There is even a National Ugly Sweater Day that the country celebrates every year on the third Friday of December. This year, National Ugly Sweater Day is on Friday, December 20th, the last day of WHS’s spirit week. Students will be wearing a variety of ugly Christmas sweaters, trying to outcompete each other for sporting the most outrageous and creative attire and share their holiday spirit.
The Christmas movie came to an end, but there is now inspiration to recreate the traditional heartwarming Hallmark movie. That means listening to songs similar to Bobby Helm’s song “Jingle Bell Rock.” As well as, attending holiday parties, and reuniting with family. So if you haven’t already, get out there and find yourself a sweater. The holidays are all about spending time with your loved ones, those memories will be cherished forever. Don’t take them for granted.