December 15 – Ugly Christmas Sweater Day

Ugly Sweater Day is Today!

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HOW TO CELEBRATE UGLY SWEATER DAY STEP-BY-STEP

•  Host an ugly Christmas Sweater Party, of course!
•  Watch a video on how to make your own ugly sweater.
•  Purchase fun Christmas hats to go with the sweaters.
•  Read about the history of the ugly sweater.
• If you love the article image, purchase it on these fun products on Zazzle!

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12/20/2024 07:34 am GMT

Ugly Sweater Day, celebrated on the third Friday of December, is a fun-filled occasion encouraging everyone to wear their most outrageous, over-the-top holiday sweaters. Originally intended as a humorous nod to tacky holiday attire, the day has become a popular tradition where people flaunt sweaters adorned with everything from flashy decorations to quirky holiday themes. Ugly Sweater Day is embraced by workplaces, schools, and community gatherings as a cheerful way to spread holiday spirit and laughter. Often paired with parties, contests, or charity events, the day inspires creativity and connection as people celebrate in their most festive, garish gear.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER DAY

Ugly sweaters first gained popularity in the 1950s as Christmas-themed knits, often worn earnestly for holiday celebrations. These festive sweaters, decorated with seasonal patterns, grew in popularity through the 1980s when TV hosts like Bill Huxtable on The Cosby Show and characters in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation wore over-the-top designs, inspiring a new trend. By the 2000s, people began celebrating “Ugly Sweater” parties as a humorous twist on these once-serious fashion statements. Today, Ugly Sweater Day brings people together each December to sport intentionally garish sweaters, embracing quirky holiday fashion and spreading festive joy with style and humor.

100 WAYS TO CELEBRATE UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER DAY

1. Ugly Sweater Contest: Host a competition to see who has the most outrageous sweater, with categories like “Most Festive” and “Funniest.”
2. Sweater Decorating Party: Set up a DIY station with materials like pom-poms, tinsel, and felt to let guests design their own ugly sweaters.
3. Photo Booth with Props: Create a photo booth with holiday-themed props for people to pose in their ugly sweaters.
4. Ugly Sweater Parade: Organize a mini-parade where participants strut their sweaters, awarding prizes for creativity and humor.
5. Holiday Karaoke: Host a karaoke session where everyone performs their favorite holiday tunes in their ugly sweaters.
6. Cookie Decorating Party: Decorate holiday cookies together, matching the colors and themes of everyone’s ugly sweaters.
7. Ugly Sweater Swap: Bring extra ugly sweaters for a sweater swap, letting participants try out different styles.
8. Hot Chocolate Bar: Set up a hot chocolate bar with toppings like marshmallows, candy canes, and whipped cream for a cozy treat.
9. Holiday Trivia Game: Organize a trivia game focused on holiday traditions and ugly sweater history for some seasonal fun.
10. Christmas Charades: Play holiday-themed charades with participants acting out seasonal scenarios while wearing their sweaters.
11. Sweater-Themed Secret Santa: Do a gift exchange where the gifts are small, quirky items that match the theme of ugly sweaters.
12. Ugly Sweater Fashion Show: Set up a runway for a fashion show, with participants walking down the “catwalk” in their festive sweaters.
13. Ugly Sweater Movie Night: Host a movie marathon of holiday films, encouraging everyone to wear their ugly sweaters.
14. Charity Fundraiser: Make the event a fundraiser by charging a small entry fee, with proceeds going to a local charity.
15. Best Pet Sweater Contest: Encourage attendees to bring pets dressed in holiday sweaters and award a prize to the best-dressed pet.
16. Holiday Bingo Night: Play Bingo with holiday-themed cards, with small prizes for winners in their ugliest sweaters.
17. Ugly Sweater Dance-Off: Have a dance competition where participants show off their best moves in their wild holiday sweaters.
18. Christmas Caroling in Ugly Sweaters: Go caroling around the neighborhood, spreading holiday cheer while wearing festive sweaters.
19. Ugly Sweater Relay Race: Create a relay race where teams compete in various silly tasks, all while wearing their sweaters.
20. Craft Station for Holiday Ornaments: Set up a station to make holiday ornaments that match or complement the ugly sweater theme.
21. Gift Wrapping Challenge: Set up a timed gift-wrapping challenge for guests, with the ugliest sweater-wearers competing to wrap the fastest.
22. Holiday Pictionary: Play a game of Pictionary with holiday words and themes, adding a creative twist to the sweater celebration.
23. Ugly Sweater Cookie Exchange: Each participant brings a batch of cookies decorated to match the theme of their ugly sweater.
24. Sweater Selfie Contest: Encourage everyone to take selfies in their sweaters and post them, awarding a prize for the best one.
25. Ugly Sweater Scavenger Hunt: Organize a scavenger hunt with holiday-themed items, where everyone wears their ugly sweaters while they hunt.
26. Ugly Sweater Bingo: Create Bingo cards with different ugly sweater patterns and elements, marking off each design you spot.
27. Pin the Ornament on the Sweater: A holiday twist on pin the tail on the donkey, players try to pin an ornament on a large sweater cutout.
28. Ugly Sweater Musical Chairs: Play holiday music and set up chairs, with players wearing sweaters as they compete to grab a seat.
29. Sweater-Themed Scavenger Hunt: Hide small holiday items around the room, and give clues for players to find them in their sweaters.
30. Holiday Sweater Limbo: Play limbo with a holiday twist, with players bending under a “garland” bar while in their bulky sweaters.
31. Guess the Sweater: Cover sweaters in a bag or box, allowing players to feel the fabric and guess the design without seeing it.
32. Sweater Relay Race: Set up a relay race where players must put on an extra sweater, race to a point, and pass it to the next teammate.
33. Hot Cocoa Relay: Teams race to carry hot cocoa mugs while wearing their sweaters, trying not to spill on their attire.
34. Sweater Design Pictionary: Draw holiday sweater designs on a whiteboard while others guess what design element you’re illustrating.
35. Name That Sweater Tune: Play holiday songs, and players guess the song title as quickly as possible in their sweaters.
36. Holiday Sweater Freeze Dance: Play holiday music, and when it stops, everyone must freeze; last to stop moving is out.
37. Sweater Trivia: Ask questions related to ugly sweater history, holiday traditions, or sweater fashion for some trivia fun.
38. Sweater Ball Toss: Toss a ball into a large sweater as the target, or have teams compete to land the ball in the “sleeves.”
39. Holiday Sweater Charades: Act out holiday activities or objects, all while wearing ugly sweaters for extra festive spirit.
40. Sweater Cookie Decorating Race: Decorate holiday cookies to match the theme of ugly sweaters in a timed competition.
41. Ugly Sweater Scramble: Scatter letters on paper representing holiday words, with teams competing to spell holiday-themed words.
42. Holiday Sweater Bingo Toss: Toss small bean bags or candy onto Bingo boards designed with holiday or sweater themes.
43. Guess the Ugly Sweater Pattern: Show close-up images of sweater patterns, with players guessing the holiday item or theme on it.
44. Sweater Tag: A game of tag where players try to “tag” each other with pieces of holiday garland while in their sweaters.
45. Holiday Sweater Memory Game: Flip cards with holiday or sweater patterns, with players trying to match each card correctly.
46. Sweater Puzzle Race: Give teams cut-up images of ugly sweaters, challenging them to reassemble the puzzle quickly.
47. Ugly Sweater Ring Toss: Set up sweaters on stands and play ring toss, aiming to land rings around sweater “sleeves.”
48. Name the Sweater Character: Dress a mannequin or doll in a themed sweater, and players must guess the character or theme.
49. Holiday Sweater Simon Says: Play Simon Says, adding holiday-themed actions or silly sweater-specific tasks to the game.
50. Sweater Blindfolded Drawing: Players are blindfolded and must draw a holiday sweater design, with others guessing what it is.
51. Mini Ugly Sweater Ornaments: Craft small ugly sweaters out of felt, decorate with sequins and pom-poms, and hang on the tree.
52. Ugly Sweater Gift Tags: Design gift tags that look like tiny ugly sweaters using cardstock, markers, and glitter.
53. Sweater Wine Bottle Covers: Make mini ugly sweaters to cover wine bottles, adding a festive touch to holiday drinks.
54. DIY Sweater Wreath: Create a wreath using scraps of old sweaters, adding ornaments and tinsel for a holiday twist.
55. Ugly Sweater Garland: Cut out sweater shapes from colored paper or fabric, decorate, and string them together as garland.
56. Sweater Mug Cozies: Sew or glue felt to make mug cozies decorated like ugly sweaters for a cozy drink cover.
57. Ugly Sweater Magnets: Craft mini sweater magnets using clay or felt, decorating with festive colors and glitter.
58. Sweater-Themed Greeting Cards: Design holiday cards featuring ugly sweater patterns with paint, markers, or craft paper.
59. Ugly Sweater Gift Wrapping: Use fabric or printed paper to wrap gifts to look like ugly sweaters, complete with small decorations.
60. DIY Ugly Sweater Pins: Make pins shaped like ugly sweaters using felt or cardstock, decorated with glitter and beads.
61. Sweater-Themed Centerpieces: Use old sweater fabric to cover jars or vases, filling them with holiday decorations.
62. Mini Sweater Banners: Make a small banner with mini sweaters strung together for a fun and festive wall decoration.
63. Ugly Sweater Table Runner: Create a table runner with holiday fabric, adding appliqués or paint to mimic sweater patterns.
64. Sweater Coaster Set: Cut sweater shapes from cork and decorate them with holiday designs for festive drink coasters.
65. Ugly Sweater Candle Holders: Decorate candle holders with sweater fabric or paint to give them an “ugly sweater” look.
66. Sweater Decorated Mason Jars: Wrap mason jars in ugly sweater fabric or paint and use for holding holiday treats.
67. Sweater Party Hats: Create party hats from cardstock with ugly sweater designs and patterns to wear for celebrations.
68. DIY Sweater Buttons: Design buttons with mini ugly sweater images or patterns to give as party favors.
69. Ugly Sweater Door Hanger: Make a door hanger shaped like an ugly sweater, decorated with bells and holiday trim.
70. Sweater-Themed Phone Cases: Customize plain phone cases with fabric or paint, mimicking an ugly sweater look.
71. Ugly Sweater Potholders: Sew or decorate potholders with sweater patterns and holiday themes for festive kitchen use.
72. Mini Sweater Photo Frames: Cover small photo frames with felt or fabric, decorating them with sweater-inspired designs.
73. Ugly Sweater Party Invitations: Make holiday party invitations shaped like ugly sweaters, complete with decorations and glitter.
74. Holiday Sweater Tote Bags: Use fabric paint to decorate tote bags with ugly sweater patterns, perfect for holiday shopping.
75. Ugly Sweater Stockings: Sew or decorate Christmas stockings with ugly sweater themes, adding pom-poms and sequins for flair.
76. Ugly Sweater Sugar Cookies: Decorate sugar cookies with frosting, sprinkles, and candy to mimic colorful ugly sweater patterns.
77. Sweater Pattern Cupcakes: Top cupcakes with frosting in various sweater designs, using piping techniques for a festive look.
78. Ugly Sweater Brownies: Cut brownies into sweater shapes and decorate with colorful icing and edible glitter.
79. Sweater Cake Pops: Create cake pops decorated with frosting and sprinkles to look like mini ugly sweaters.
80. Hot Chocolate with Ugly Sweater Marshmallows: Serve hot chocolate with marshmallows decorated to look like tiny ugly sweaters.
81. Ugly Sweater Rice Krispies Treats: Shape Rice Krispies treats into sweaters and decorate with frosting and candy.
82. Sweater Cheesecake Bites: Make mini cheesecake bites topped with sweater-patterned designs using colored icing.
83. Holiday Sweater Donuts: Decorate donuts with festive sweater patterns, using colored glaze and holiday sprinkles.
84. Ugly Sweater Cake Roll: Make a cake roll with colorful sweater patterns on the outer layer, filled with whipped cream or frosting.
85. Sweater Sandwich Cookies: Fill cookies with frosting, then decorate the tops with icing in ugly sweater patterns.
86. Ugly Sweater Gingerbread Men: Decorate gingerbread men with colorful “sweaters” using frosting and holiday candy.
87. Sweater-Themed Charcuterie Board: Create a festive board with cheeses, meats, and fruits arranged to resemble sweater patterns.
88. Sweater Patterned Macarons: Pipe holiday sweater designs on macarons with colored icing or edible paint.
89. Ugly Sweater Milkshakes: Serve milkshakes with holiday-themed toppings, including sprinkles and sweater-themed straws.
90. Holiday Sweater Cake: Bake a cake in the shape of a sweater and decorate it with colorful frosting and candy.
91. Ugly Sweater Trifle Cups: Layer trifle ingredients in individual cups, decorating the top layer with sweater-inspired patterns.
92. Sweater Deviled Eggs: Use colored paprika or edible dyes to make patterns on deviled eggs for a quirky twist.
93. Ugly Sweater Pretzels: Dip pretzel rods in chocolate and decorate with colorful drizzle and holiday sprinkles.
94. Holiday Sweater Sushi Rolls: Use brightly colored rice and veggies to create festive, sweater-themed sushi rolls.
95. Sweater Topped Muffins: Top muffins with frosting and holiday sprinkles, creating patterns inspired by ugly sweaters.
96. Ugly Sweater Fruit Skewers: Arrange fruit on skewers in holiday colors, adding mini sweater decorations at the top.
97. Sweater Pattern Chocolate Bark: Make chocolate bark with holiday colors and patterns that resemble an ugly sweater.
98. Holiday Sweater Pinwheel Sandwiches: Create wraps or pinwheels with holiday colors, arranged to look like sweater patterns.
99. Ugly Sweater Cupcake Cones: Bake cupcakes in ice cream cones, then decorate the tops to resemble ugly sweater designs.
100. Sweater-Themed Popcorn Balls: Shape popcorn balls and coat with colored chocolate and sprinkles to resemble sweaters.

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Do you have any ideas about how to celebrate Ugly Sweater Day?  Please share them!