Ugly Christmas Sweater Day

Anyone can join the Ugly Christmas Sweater Day—follow simple steps and make some money for charity on the way. Make sure to post your look on social media, as the art of the #UglyChristmasSweater styling became a genre of its own.

History

Traditions

Marketing Activities

History of Ugly Christmas Sweater Day

The Ugly Christmas Sweaters as the pieces of clothing emerged in the 1980s tacky TV shows. Over the same time, they had been popularized in the UK by the television presenters, who loved being outfitted in them in their Christmas specials.

The early ones were usually buttoned cardigans, and they started being produced for the market in the same period under the logo of “jingle-bells sweaters”. But the extravagant looks really won over the hearts of the mass-market after getting a role in the Bridget Jones’s Diary in 2001.

In recent history, no celebrity has avoided the opportunity to show off their definition of ugly and rock their silliest looks on Instagram. From Whoopi Goldberg to David Beckham to Beyonce, the ugly sweaters fans are making their favorite jumpers shine from the cover images of top world magazines.

Though wearing an ugly sweater is seen in pop culture as a funny and mockable activity, the sales of the ugly jumpers are no jokes. With the giants like Topshop, Asos, and H&M making ugly knitted designs the centerpiece of their high-season deals, we can expect the trend to stick around for a while.

But there’s a great social impact caused by this quirky holiday too. “Make the world better with a sweater”—one of the most straightforward slogans today—belongs to the charity Save the Children operating in the UK. In Vancouver, Canada, all proceeds from the Ugly Christmas Sweater holiday go to the Make-A-Wish foundation, while in the US Ugly Christmas Sweaters cooperate with national charitable programs in medical, wildlife, and poverty fields.

Traditions of Ugly Christmas Sweater Day

Over the years, the Ugly Christmas Sweater contest became one of the go-to ideas for the HRs and team-builders. Take a break from the old-school way to celebrate by putting a twist on this tradition. For example, you could go making the custom ugly company t-shirts with silly quotes instead of jumpers.

Donating to the charity of choice is also becoming a more and more common international tradition. It is an occasion not to miss in your calendar when planning out the reputation building content for your company or brand.

Ugly Christmas Sweater theme is a life-saver when you need Christmas and New Year greetings for your clients and partners. But giving a batch of sweaters for the folks you only meet at work? Awkward. Solution? Laptop bags! Order ugly knitted Christmas laptop sleeves from your local knitters, and rest assured that your gifts will be the best this year.

Marketing Activities for Ugly Christmas Sweater Day

Pay attention, marketers! The way to the hearts of US consumers on Ugly Christmas Day starts in November. Specifically, on the Cyber Monday Day, when happy people lying on their couches after the Thanksgiving indulgence let themselves buy that ugly sweater they’ve been eyeing.

But what if I’m not related to the Ugly Christmas Sweaters industry, you will ask? Just ride the wave. Based on the information above, giving ugly sweaters as a part of your Cyber Monday or Black Friday promotion, for example, sounds like a good idea.

Use ugly sweaters as an endless source for inspiration for social media, influencers, and user-generated content. How about making your brand’s Ugly Christmas Sweater Day social media filter?

Or, why not make an invitation to your event in the style of the ugly sweater pixelated pattern? The imitation of knitting is perfect for mimicking the pixel fonts. Add some pun-studded Christmas messages in your designs, and people will want to keep and share your flyer.

Hashtags for Ugly Christmas Sweater Day: #uglychristmassweaterday #uglychristmassweater #xmassweater #uglysweater #uglychristmassweatercontest #uglyxmassweater #xmas

Colors of Ugly Christmas Sweater Day

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Red—the biggest celebratory color out there, red is a staple color for the really ugly sweater. Combine with lots of green and brown for the ultimate ugliness.

Deepskyblue—for everyone who doesn’t feel like going ugly this year, there is deepskyblue. A legit color solution for the Norway-inspired design in sweaters.

White—the color to balance them all off, white will give your designs the clarity and brightness you’re looking for.

Black—a fail-proof color to make a statement backdrop for your ugliest Christmas designs. Black bottoms are common to complement classic looks for the ugly sweater.

Symbols of Ugly Christmas Sweater Day

Ugly Christmas Sweater—the name-giving icon of the Ugly Christmas Sweater Day. It can be buttoned or unbuttoned, campy or quirky, decorated, or almost plain. It just can not be not ugly.

Mistletoe—if for some reason your Christmas sweater is not ugly, throw in a large cutout of mistletoe with ribbons all over it. The eye-soring combination of red and green won’t fail you.

Geeky Photos—you can’t simply wear an ugly Christmas sweater. You gotta picture that! Planning a party for this magical day is a no-brainer. Set up to get a group pic of all awkward geeky-looking coworkers and make the best Team Page picture!