Ugly sweater day is a fun holiday tradition where people wear their most hideous and tacky sweaters. It's celebrated on the third Friday of December, though many offices and schools choose other dates in December to have their own ugly sweater day celebrations. If you want to join in on the ugly sweater fun, here's a guide on how to celebrate this quirky holiday.
Picking Out Your Ugly Sweater
The most important part of celebrating ugly sweater day is finding the perfect unsightly sweater to wear. There are a few options for sourcing your ugly sweater:
- Check your closet or ask friends and family if they have any old ugly Christmas sweaters. These sweaters from decades past often have delightfully tacky patterns and themes.
- Thrift stores and second-hand shops will likely have a selection of ugly sweaters. Search the holiday sweater section for ones with blinking lights, sequins, pom poms, or clashing colors.
- Craft stores sell kits to make your own ugly sweater, complete with iron-on appliques and embellishments to attach. Get creative making your own hideous design.
- Many clothing retailers now sell new ugly Christmas sweaters. Look for sweaters with characters from favorite Christmas movies or cartoons, 3D decorations, and phrases like "Jingle my bells."
No matter where you find it, make sure your ugly sweater is bold, flashy, and guaranteed to make people laugh. The uglier, the better!
Getting in the Ugly Sweater Spirit
Simply wearing an ugly sweater isn't enough to properly celebrate the holiday. Get in the ugly sweater day spirit by:
- Dressing up your sweater with tinsel garland and Christmas tree ornaments. The more over-the-top, the better.
- Wearing a Santa hat, elf ears, and other festive accessories to complement your sweater.
- Bringing an ugliest sweater contest to your office or classroom. Have people vote on the most hideous sweater for a fun prize.
- Serving festive treats like sugar cookies and hot chocolate at your ugly sweater party.
- Playing holiday music and Christmas movies in the background as you show off your sweaters.
- Taking lots of pictures of you and your friends modeling your ridiculous sweaters and sharing on social media.
Really lean into the silly spirit of ugly sweater day through your activities and embellishments. Don't be afraid to let your inner tackiness shine through!
Crafting Creative Sweaters
If you want to get crafty, you can make your own delightfully awful sweater. Here are some ideas:
- Cut out felt holiday shapes like trees, snowflakes, and ornaments and attach them to a plain sweater with fabric glue or hand-sew them on.
- Hot glue pom poms, bells, tinsel, and other decorations onto a sweater. Make designs, words, or patterns for an extra ugly look.
- Use an iron-on adhesive to attach phrases, clip art, and other images to make your sweater as loud and proud as possible.
- Sew or safety pin garlands, lights, and tinsel to a sweater for a 3D effect. Make sure to use battery-powered lights!
- Draw designs on a sweater with puffy fabric paint or sew on patches made from scraps of festive fabric.
Don't worry about neatness - the uglier and more haphazard your sweater, the better! Crafting the perfect ugly sweater is all about letting your creativity run wild.
Ugly Sweater Contests
One of the best ways to enjoy ugly sweater day is by holding an ugly sweater contest. This is a fun event where people show off their outrageous sweaters and vote on the most hideous one.
To organize an ugly sweater contest:
- Decide if you'll have categories like "ugliest" "most creative" or "tackiest" so multiple sweaters can win prizes.
- Promote the contest ahead of time so people prepare their sweater entries.
- Set up a runway, stage or area for people to walk across and show off sweaters.
- Ask coworkers or friends to be judges who rate the sweaters and vote on winners.
- Award fun prizes like gift cards, movie tickets, gag gifts, or homemade baked goods.
- Take lots of pictures and video of the sweater contest to share online or at your next holiday party. The wilder the sweaters, the more fun it will be!
An ugly sweater contest really brings out people's silly side and adds lots of laughs to your ugly sweater day celebrations.
How to Celebrate Ugly Sweater Day FAQs
When is Ugly Sweater Day celebrated?
Ugly Sweater Day is typically celebrated on the third Friday of December each year. However, offices, schools, and organizations often pick other December dates that work for their ugly sweater parties and events.
What makes a good ugly sweater?
A good ugly sweater is tacky, outrageous, and bold. Look for sweaters with clashing colors and patterns, sequins, pom poms, 3D decorations, funny sayings and images, mismatched sleeves, and blinking lights. Vintage and thrift store sweaters are often perfectly hideous.
Should I wear anything special with my ugly sweater?
Fun accessories like Santa hats, reindeer antlers, and elf ears add to the ugly sweater look. Tacky Christmas jewelry and loud holiday pants or shoes also look great. Go all out to complement your unsightly sweater.
What should I serve at an ugly sweater party?
Festive treats like hot chocolate, candy canes, gingerbread cookies, eggnog, and Christmas candy make fun additions to an ugly sweater party. You can also serve uglier foods like dirt pudding, reindeer food, and green Christmas punch.
What activities go along with Ugly Sweater Day?gly sweater contests, singing carols, watching Christmas movies, and taking silly photos are popular activities. You can also have sweater-decorating contests, ugly sweater bingo, office gift exchanges, and other holiday fun.
Conclusion
Ugly sweater day is a chance to let loose, get creative, and enjoy the most wonderful time of the year. By picking out a delightfully tacky sweater to wear, complementing it with fun accessories, and joining in activities like contests and parties, you're sure to have a lot of laughs this holiday season. Embrace the silliness and silly side of ugly sweater day. Don't be afraid to get festive, foolish and show off your inner tackiness!
