I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Read ‘Ugly Sweaters’ of the Week

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

In commemoration of the holiday week, we look at what has become a popular tradition in both the U.S. and England: the ugly Christmas sweater. This fabulous tradition has grown in recent years to encompass not only ugly sweaters but sweatshirts, cardigans (a type of sweater), pajamas, and even headgear. For the sake of simplicity (and far too many options from which to choose), we will stick with sweaters. As we round the bend on Christmas 2024, wade halfway into Hannukah, and look toward the New Year, let’s relish “the ugly.”

Here are my top five ugliest holiday sweater picks for 2024 counting down from five to the one I believe takes the cake (Christmas cookie?). What is your vote?

No. 5: Who doesn’t love a huge, appliquéd  menorah?
I’m guessing, a lot of people. This one ranks fifth because it’s not terrible, just really, really blue and bright yellow with a big candelabra across the chest. Still, as Hanukkah sweaters go, it’s better than the Hanukkah Llama, in my opinon.

No. 4: Oh, so many Christmas balls!
No sweater, Christmas or otherwise, should have so many balls! This is a 3D Christmas sweater gone wild, perhaps giving a whole new meaning to the term, baller. Not only is it unattractive, it may be dangerous. What happens when a ball breaks? This is my vote for fourth place.

No. 3: Old School Ugly Christmas Sweater
This green sweater is straight up old-school, which makes me kind of love it. Do I have a sweater similar to this in my own closet (or three)? Perhaps, but ugly is ugly, and bright green with a garland for trim and yet more hanging Christmas ball ornaments make a solid case for ugly. No subtle white snowflakes knitted into the background are toning this baby down.

No. 2: Christmas and 4th of July Collide
Ranking number two in this week’s lineup is this beauty, to which my first reaction was, “Huh?” I see a lot of silver sequins and explosions that look like fireworks bursting, with a couple of puff balls reminiscent of images of coronavirus cells, not to mention the curious choice of Christmas colors. Nope! We are getting uglier.

No. 1: We have a winner!
This shiny, purple disaster gets the “No words” award and comes in squarely at number 1. Since when did purple become part of the primary holiday color palette? Add to that the knitted turtleneck, sleeves and waistband guaranteed to make any wearer appear less attractive, plus the shiny “fur” and–again–many-colored, hanging implements of a round nature as extra embellishment, and we have a winner.