Why do we like ugly sweaters at Christmas? The history of the Ugly Christmas Sweater

As the holiday season approaches, we tend to take ourselves less seriously and our ugly sweaters prove it. The origins of the ugly Christmas sweater date back to the post-war period, particularly the early 1950s. The first sweaters, originally known as Jingle Bell Sweaters, were homemade, among the most common gifts found under the Christmas tree in American households, and were usually crafted with relatively understated embroidery depicting fir trees, candy canes, and in some cases featuring small bells sewn directly onto the fabric. However, it was in the 1980s that the Ugly Christmas Sweater reached its full kitsch apotheosis. The maximalist revolution of that decade - defined by oversized shoulder pads and neon colors - also swept through these garments. Sweaters began to feature improbable color combinations, metallic fabrics, and three-dimensional appliqués, often produced by brands as matching sets for the entire family.

The most iconic ugly Christmas sweaters in cinema

The consecration of the Christmas sweater as an ugly yet desirable garment was made possible largely thanks to cinema. In the early 2000s, Colin Firth, playing Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones’s Diary, appears on the big screen wearing a wool sweater, handmade by his grandmother and adorned with a gigantic three-dimensional reindeer with a red nose. The garment - worn out of duty or affection - softens the seriousness of the successful lawyer portrayed by Firth, elevating the sweater to the ultimate symbol of Christmas humor, capable of welcoming and engaging everyone.

Ugly sweaters also take center stage in several holiday-themed episodes of iconic American sitcoms. In How I Met Your Mother, for instance, the garment becomes a couple’s costume: Lily and Marshall wear two sweaters that, when placed side by side, form the body of a moose. For the cheerful Dunphy family in Modern Family, wearing an Ugly Christmas Sweater is an unmissable festive ritual, while in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Norwegian sweaters with snowflakes and reindeer often serve as a defining trait of Carlton Banks, the show’s quintessential geek boy. However, the sweater reached its peak of ugliness in the series Ugly Betty. Among the unforgettable looks of the clumsy intern Betty Suarez, one cannot forget the red sweater featuring a three-dimensional snowman, decorated with lights and baubles, which she proudly wears at the company’s Christmas party organized by the magazine where she works.

Celebrities’ passion for the Ugly Christmas Sweater

If the Ugly Christmas Sweater has become a global phenomenon, much of the credit goes to celebrities. In 2015, for instance, Sofia Coppola broke the internet by wearing a sweater featuring Bill Murray’s face to promote the actor’s Christmas special, seamlessly blending sophistication and irony. Street style, too, has fallen under the spell of Christmas kitsch: unforgettable is the look worn by Beyoncé, who was spotted years ago in a cardigan literally submerged in garlands and colorful baubles, while rumors suggest that Miley Cyrus is a true serial collector of outrageously improbable Christmas sweaters.

Equally unforgettable is the image of Ryan Reynolds, victim of a famous prank orchestrated by Hugh Jackman: his resigned, Grinch-like expression while wearing a sweater shaped like a gift box with an oversized golden bow instantly became the definitive template for every Christmas meme.

We love being cringe during Christmastime

This tradition continues within a society that openly embraces its love for all things trashy and recognizes itself in these forms of collective cringe, of which the United States often act as pioneers. The celebration has become fully institutionalized in the US, manifesting through the National Day dedicated to this garment (Ugly Christmas Sweater Day) or via family and nationwide contests aimed at crowning the most eye-catching and most hideous Christmas sweater. One of the most vocal advocates of this consolidated obsession is Jimmy Fallon, who years ago on his Late Show presented sweaters featuring snow-shooting mechanisms, three-dimensional chimneys, covered in miniature Santa Clauses or adorned with colorful lights, all created by the show’s costume designers.

In this regard, just a few weeks ago the host released a song on YouTube titled Ugly Sweater, described by Fallon himself as the new Christmas hit - though certainly not aspiring to Mariah Carey-level numbers. The song and its accompanying music video narrate, with typical American humor, that classic, slightly awkward yet undeniably entertaining situation of finding yourself at a Christmas party and being the only person sporting a sweater «more colorful than a box of crayons» - one that may not appeal to everyone, but that will undoubtedly be hard to forget.