OurcommunitynowIt takes a certain amount of swagger to wear an ugly Christmas sweater. Though clearly a joke, it’s an outward beacon of holiday cheer that not everyone is quite ready for.
When the good folks at Fun.com offered up a free garment in exchange for a sponsored review of their seasonal favorites, I immediately started browsing through their traditional ugly Christmas sweaters. They’ve got every theme under the sun, in pullovers, long-sleeved t-shirts, AND cardigans.
For some reason, I kept coming back to this design. Did I think I could pull off a scene of Santa boxing a shark? Probably not.
In the end, I went with a more conservative option featuring three caroling Gremlins (this is a quality, licensed garment, y’all) on a navy and hunter green background. Just a few days later, it arrived on my doorstep.
To my surprise, this is a very nice, heavy sweater. The pattern is machine-woven, not just stamped on it, and it appears on both sides of the garment. Because of this, it has a substantial heft to it and would definitely keep you warm in chillier winter days. I went for big and baggy, to be worn with my dressiest black jeggings (this girl has standards).
The first three people I encountered in the elevator were too engrossed in their phones to take notice, but the first coworker I saw promptly pointed and laughed. “Hah! Gremlins!” Success!
The next work buddy gave me the old finger guns and a cheerful “Awesome sweater!” while the third reaction was a nervous chuckle followed by “What ARE those?”
When my office manager later strode into my office, papers in hand, my sweater actually stopped her in her tracks. “Hey, what do you think about the …” Her words trailed off as she slowly took in the red-eyed carolers on my top. “Ummmm…”
“They’re Gremlins.” I offered helpfully. She brightened then and chuckled, relieved that I knew my outfit was on the quirkier side of the spectrum. Later in the day, as I was running errands, I lost count of the number of smiles I got. All in all, four people asked me where I had gotten it, and I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase one as a gift for anyone on my list.
Would I recommend one of these to my friends? Absolutely. Bottom line, an ugly Christmas sweater is a great ice breaker. Complete strangers will come up to you, and some will strike up a conversation about it if you go with a really nutty design. Save it for the office holiday party or wear one when you’re doing your gift shopping, but be prepared to answer a ton of questions if you do!
**All of the photos in this article are courtesy of fun.com.
What do you think of the ugly Christmas sweater trend? Do you love it or would you just as soon leave it? Let us know in the comments!
