In a Matter of Weeks Ugly Sweaters Will Consume Idaho

Do we give them points for creativity, or shudder when faced with the garishness? Ugly Christmas sweater season will soon be with us. I bring this up because I once owned one. It was a gift from my dad, and he didn’t appear to see the gag. He found this big oversized sweater, bought it, and then gave it to me at Christmas. The thing is, I wore it and I wore it a lot. It was heavy and very warm. At the time, I lived in a part of the country known for bitter winters.

It was rare in two senses. First, I didn’t consider how ridiculous I looked. Two, these pieces of clothing often get one use and then never again see the light of day.

Think about the latter. You spend a considerable amount of money on the sweater. Then you wear it to the company Christmas party. Then you put it in a closet. It’s not like you’ll wear it again in February or March.

Now you can get multiple wears but the way these things fly off racks, it appears once is enough. Repeat next year. Buy for one use!

Last year I walked into Fred Meyer and saw racks of loud seasonal sweaters. I notified a friend. She was looking to buy one for my company's Christmas party. It was a few days before she made it to the store. The sweaters were all gone! She checked several other stores and had the same outcome. Instead, she borrowed an elf costume and came to the party with bells on!