Eye of the Beholder

The uglier the better. The more spirit it shows, the more fun it symbolizes.

Ugly Christmas sweaters began as an accompaniment to entertainers like Pat Boone, Andy Williams and Bing Crosby as we invited them into our homes during early televised holiday specials.

They would be adorned with festive bells to compliment reindeer and Yule tide trees that decorated the woolen eyesores.

As the 1950s became the turbulent 60s and Me decade that followed and fashion mirrored the technicolor now invading living rooms via the cathode ray tube, so did the sweaters.

By the 1980s, these same festive fashions were revealed for what they truly were: gaudy accessories. Maybe 1989’s Christmas Vacation outed the long held secret.

With the new millennium came a honesty. Wearers admitted these abominations were just that and reveled in the truth. Ugly Christmas Sweater parties were hosted and prizes awarded to the crowd favorite.

Join Thanos in the fad cum tradition.