In 2016, Madame Tussauds in London dressed Britain's royal family in festive sweaters in honor of the UK's "Save the Children" Christmas Jumper Day campaign. Image: picture-alliance/empics/V. Jones
From the US to the UK and even Germany — it's time again to dig out and actually wear that ugly Christmas sweater. Yes, the gaudy one with Santa, elves and real jingle bells. Here are some of our favorites.
Pinpointing a true ugly Christmas sweater is no easy task. Is it your grandma's hand-knit jumper with the goofy reindeer? Or is that just adorable?
Ugly, certainly, is defined in the eye of the beholder and is a matter of taste, but the ugly Christmas sweater trend has spawned shelves of garish (red and green seem to be favorite colors), loud, flamboyant woolens that most people would hesitate to pull on — until that time of year comes around again.
Click through the gallery above for some of our favorite ugly Christmas sweaters and a look at their popularity around the world.
Look at me. Snowmen, Santas, elves, reindeer, lots of red and green, felt and pompoms... the list of what makes a tacky Christmas sweater is endless, but the more embarrassing and obnoxious, the better. Ugly Christmas Sweater Day is marked on the third Friday of December every year. Image: picture alliance / Zoonar
Sweating in sweaters. It looks like these runners in the 2019 Ugly Christmas Sweater Run in the German city of Leverkusen rummaged around for the loudest knitwear they could find to celebrate the season. They are clearly having a grand time. Image: Ying Tang/NurPhoto/picture alliance
Off the rack. The sweaters are surprisingly popular. In the United States, even high-end shops offer rack after rack of garish, holiday-themed sweaters. But the promoters of Ugly Sweater Day also recommend making your own ugly sweater by adding extravagant decorations onto something you already have at home. Image: Victoria Jones/picture alliance/empics
Celebrity designs. Sporting an ugly Christmas sweater has become somewhat of a tradition in the US, with sweater-themed parties, runs for charities and even ugly Christmas sweater songs about the "eyesores." The one above, for sale in 2016, was designed by US actress Whoopi Goldberg. Image: Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Lord & Taylor
Germany joins in the fun. Germany's Bundesliga soccer clubs also sell colored knit sweaters for the Christmas season. For example, Schalke 04, the soccer club of the western city of Gelsenkirchen, is selling this one for the 2022 holiday season. The cartoon figure on the sweater lets us guess what he wants for Christmas... all true fans will know. Image: picture alliance/Neundorf/Kirchner-Media
Remember him? In this scene from the 2001 romantic comedy "Bridget Jones' Diary," actor Colin Firth in his role as lovable Mark Darcy wears a memorable sweater to a holiday party, a gift from his mother. A turnoff, or simply adorable? Image: Imago/EntertainmentPictures
Why should people have all the fun? Deck out the whole family and the pets! Apparently, the ugly Christmas sweater tradition isn't limited to humans, but can also be extended to your favorite pooch or feline. Image: Aimee Beltran/picture alliance/AP Photo
