Among the offerings is a design sold on AliExpress for NIS 36 ($9.30), featuring a snowman holding a Hanukkah menorah surrounded by Christmas gifts.
The charm of Ugly Christmas Sweaters lies in two main elements: the nostalgia they evoke and the opportunity they provide to embrace camp, even for those whose daily lives don't revolve around fashion. Geometric patterns, bright red and green hues and festive symbols like reindeer, snowflakes, and Santa Claus create a sense of warmth that transports wearers to a simpler, more innocent time.
On the other hand, these sweaters have become campy cultural objects in recent years, transforming from an office party embarrassment into a cultural hit — a fashion statement that celebrates the unexpected and the grotesque. Their appeal stems from their intentionally exaggerated designs, achieving an endearingly "ugly" aesthetic.
This season, the trend is evident in designs sold on platforms like Amazon, Etsy and American chains like Walmart and Target, which offer a variety of "ugly" sweaters for both Christians and Jews. Examples include a sweater on Amazon with the text "Fesival of Lights" (likely a misspelling of "Festival") mimicking Hebrew script alongside images of the Star of David, a Hanukkah menorah and dreidels.
Target offers a 3D green sweater adorned with Christmas ornaments and another mimicking a yellow cardigan with Hanukkah symbols. Some designs were created using AI-driven design tools.
Christmas-themed sweaters first appeared in the 1950s, initially called "Jingle Bell Sweaters," though their popularity in fashion was limited. Decorated with snowflake and reindeer patterns, they weren’t considered trendy but conveyed joy, often appearing at office parties and Christmas gatherings.
It wasn’t until the 1980s, thanks to pop culture and holiday comedies like "National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation," featuring Clark Griswold, that they entered the mainstream.
The trend faded during the 1990s but re-emerged with the 2001 film "Bridget Jones’s Diary," in which Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) wore a green knit sweater featuring a giant reindeer with a red nose, eliciting smiles from viewers. Since then, the film has been credited as a driving force behind the resurgence of the trend over the past two decades.
“It’s hard to say what triggered the change in perspective, but I think that the moment someone wore the garment in a humorous way, people started seeing the comic side of it, and thinking ‘this thing at the back of the closet could be fun, instead of something awful that nobody wants’,” Brian Miller, the founder of online shop UglyChristmasSweaterParty.com told CNN.
His site features a wide range of designs, including 3D styles like a sweater with a front-facing reindeer head, currently on sale for $55, down from $79.
The trend’s growing popularity in recent years can also be attributed to Microsoft, which has been releasing unique "ugly" sweaters in limited editions since 2018. This year, the company created a sweater inspired by one of the iconic computer games of the '90s: Microsoft Solitaire, developed in 1988 and launched in 1990 with Windows 3.0.
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Microsoft explained that "the sweater highlights the beloved cascading card effect at the end of the game, turning it into a collector's item." The game's design was overseen by Susan Kare, who joined Microsoft from Apple.
As in previous years, proceeds from the sales will be donated. Microsoft Israel R&D announced that proceeds from this year’s sweater will benefit the Sunflowers association, which supports children who’ve lost parents in wars.