An American holiday tradition?
November 16th, 2007Just over four years ago I moved to America and this is when I first saw holiday knitwear in the ladies area of a department store. And when I say “holiday knitwear”, I mean that quite literally: Bright red, green, blue and gold pullovers and cardigans with snowmen, reindeer, Christmas trees and candy canes appliquéd all over.
I started my buying career in the infants and toddlers department of a chain store, where playful holiday knitwear is adorable. But the thought of adults wearing these items is quite foreign to me. Is this a holiday tradition here in the United States? I’d love to know the story behind this unique fashion statement.
November 16th, 2007 at 8:47 am
It is worn a lot by women in the US. I personally think it is ugly and tacky. Better is to wear just a color to celebrate the season - like red or green - but leave off all the silly drawings!
November 16th, 2007 at 9:05 am
God, unfortunately, yes, it is a tradition. It is particularly favored by teachers who also love ankle length, denim jumpers.
It isn’t just the “Christmas” season either. This hideous and embarrassing trend also applies to Halloween, Valentines Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and the Fourth of July. Anything that can be made into tacky clothing, we Americans will do it with glee.
November 16th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Unfortunately it isn’t just a U.S. tradition. You will find these awful “hoilday” sweaters in Canada as well.
November 16th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Haha… well, I live in Canada, but we have the same “tradition”. Those sweaters are pretty awful. I think it’s much nicer to dress festively by choosing a metallic, red, or green item to include in your Christmas outfit.
I’m not sure which is worse: holiday sweaters, or Santa neckties.
November 16th, 2007 at 9:43 am
For the most part, I find that it is primarily women that interact with kids wearing them - mothers, grandmothers and teachers. The occasional odd person out will wear one, but I think mainly because it is tacky and just to be funny. I mean, they were funny enough to be spoofed in the movie “Bridget Jones’ Diary,” right?
November 16th, 2007 at 9:46 am
this, unfortunately, is a tradition, but there is another tradition that’s even better - the “ugly christmas sweater” party. i have friends who have a christmas party every year and all invited guests must wear the ugliest christmas sweater they can find to the party. i’m currently looking for one for this year’s party.
November 16th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Indeed, “Don we now our gay apparel” takes on a whole new meaning in America with our bizarre tradition of holiday sweaters. Almost every major store sells them, and if the sweater you bought at JC Penny isn’t festive enough, you can go down to the craft store and buy all sorts of additional bells, appliques, and glitter to bedazzle your outfit.
In a humorous response to this trend, some people have started having hideous holiday sweater parties. Everyone hunts for the most outlandish holiday sweater and wears it for all to see.
There even used to be a website where you could design your own holiday sweater online and e-mail to your friends, but I can’t seem to make it work.
http://www.myholidaysweater.com/
November 16th, 2007 at 10:59 am
Last year I actually helped create a website where you can design your own ugly holiday sweater. You can’t save your creation to the database anymore, but you can play around with the tool and view over 600 sweaters that visitors to the site made last year. These sweaters are much more enjoyable online than in person… yikes!
http://weloveholidaysweaters.wehatesheep.com/
November 16th, 2007 at 11:39 am
Danica, your website is hilarious!! Loved it!!
November 16th, 2007 at 11:43 am
It’s that time of the year again………… I used to work in a buying office for a department in the missy moderate wear. We used to agonize over which one to purchase from Designers Originals (vendor), the red one with the santa, snowman, or christmas tree. Or the black button-front vest??
This things were hideous. Obviously, the women that are wearing these are not viewers of this wondeful website.
November 16th, 2007 at 11:50 am
An absolutely horrible American tradition. I remember actually making appliqué clothes as a kid. Perhaps that’s how it started — as a homemade fashion that a kid might make their mom. Then someone had the ‘bright’ idea to just sell them pre-made.
November 16th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
I live in Canada, and have an aunt that gets the most outrageous holiday sweater she can every year to wear to Christmas dinner.
I think that the tacky sweaters aren’t so much a “tradition” as they are a running joke… except maybe in the case of primary school teachers and grandmothers.
November 16th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
It’s a sort of matronly mommy/grandmotherly, asexual look - Indulged in by teachers and the like who do’t know how else to dress for the season - They also like t-shirts with pumpkins on them, and so on…(oh, and things with ducks and other icky embroidery).
November 16th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
I also think it’s a hideous tradition. One that hasn’t much changed in the last 20+ years! My mother has a few that are almost 20 years old, and I don’t see any difference whatsoever between those and the ones I see in the stores today! That’s a red flag in and of itself! Style is supposed to evolve, not stagnate. Heh.
November 16th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
Please don’t endorse this terrible fashion habit. It’s truly unflattering and makes one look matronly. I hate it!
November 16th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
Oh, gosh…unfortunately those are a pretty good representation of what I see being worn. I chalk it up to a combination of 1) love of that cutesy, “country” Americana, 2) love of crafts and decoration (I’ve run out of things to make and decorate for the holiday, so I’ll decorate myself!), and 3) “thriftiness”/pack rat tendencies (it only gets worn once a year, so it’s too nice to toss).
November 16th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
I’m so glad we all are embarassed by this! For whatever reason, my mom had tons of these horrible sweaters, and after YEARS of harassment, she’s finally tossed them all and settled for subtle holiday jewelry. I’m so proud of her.
November 16th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
I thought those sweaters were bad until I saw that there are now matching shoes.
Nothing beats the time I saw someone show up at an office party in a Christmas tree dress, though. The holiday spirit either brings out the best or the worst in your wardrobe.
November 17th, 2007 at 12:23 am
I’m a New Orleanian, and we love tacky things to no end. My mother and paternal grandmother were fond of making the ugliest and tackiest Mardi Gras (and Saints) shirts — masks, beads, fleur de lys decals, king cake babies, all sewn, painted, or hot glued on to cheap shirts. There was a bit of a pride in making the ugliest one.
(It’s only for the “fun” holidays, though. They’re pretty much against wearing Christmas and Easter holiday clothing, though I recall my grandmother having holiday pins and earrings.)
November 17th, 2007 at 10:23 am
Gosh, even the models look frumpy in them. Thankfully I’ve never been gifted one.
November 17th, 2007 at 11:04 am
I don’t know if this is where it all began, but it definately has something to do with the glut of tacky sweaters. (This phenomenon isn’t only for Christmas…every commercialized holiday is victim to this fashion crime.)
QVC (a home shopping television channel) has an entire line of Holiday sweaters (and totes, vests and God knows what else). Apparently, there is even somewhat of a cult following. They call themselves Quackers (as in the noise ducks make). When two women who are otherwise strangers see each other in public wearing a Quacker Sweater, they “quack” at each other. (my MIL’s sister is a member–and likes to share the wealth with my poor MIL)
I don’t get it, and I’m afraid of figuring it out. The truth would probablly get me duct taped to some musty basement wall in Idaho.
November 18th, 2007 at 1:35 am
Maya, those shoes are horrid! Between sweaters, vests, shoes, socks, jewelry and yes, even dresses, there truly is no escaping the hideous holiday clothing out there. I think some people try to see how many “festive” layers they can piece together in a single outfit! I was just yesterday looking with disdain at all the holiday jewelry at Wal-Mart, cringing at the thought of who might actually wear any of it. Why not save all the “creativity” for the family room Christmas tree?
November 18th, 2007 at 8:23 am
My mother wears these. It’s her way to express her festivity. She thinks they are darling. I don’t share her taste–but hey if it makes a 70 year old happy–what the heck! I think they were started by someone in Minnesota who came from the old country. Personally, I share everyone else’s opinions. Hideous. The website we hate sheep was hysterical–could only tolerate looking at the 1 of endless pages. The shoes were tacky. And I wholeheartedly agree that teachers who wear jean skirts or jumpers are the biggest offenders. But then again 70 year olds from MN who now live in AZ are a close 2nd!
Happy Holidays! Ho, ho, ho…
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December 9th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
I totally agree with you all. I am looking for something to wear to a Christmas party at my place of employment. After staying at home for 16 years I started working and I have nothing to wear. It is a lunch time party. Can anyone give some good places on the web to shop?
December 26th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
I think they are cute for teachers to wear them. Kids like them and they are festive. Look, people all over the world wear crap…not just here in the U.S. Hope this helps.