24 Days of Martin – Day 19: Ugly Christmas Sweaters

Dad walked out of the kitchen, his coffee hot in his favorite travel mug. He set his coffee down on the end table by the front door, put on his coat, grabbed his keys, placed his briefcase strap over his shoulder, and picked up his coffee. Mom gave him a goodbye kiss on his cheek, and Martin came in from the kitchen to hug him. Martin stopped halfway to the door and started laughing. “What are you wearing?” he snorted.

Mom turned to see what Martin was talking about. Dad blushed at the attention and pulled his coat open so she could see his full outfit. Mom made sure the shoes were from the same pair, the Christmas socks seemed fine, and the pants and belt were normal. Then, oh no. “What are you wearing?” she echoed.

Sighing and clearly embarrassed, Dad pulled his coat back on all the way to hide the top he was wearing. “The third Friday in December is officially ‘National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day.’ Today is the third Friday, so I’m wearing an ‘Ugly Christmas Sweater.’ Everyone paid $2 to wear their sweater. At 2:00 this afternoon, there is a contest. I don’t know if it’s for the ugliest, most Christmassy, most lights, or what, but the winner gets a prize; I think it’s a day off. The money from all the people who paid to enter goes to the local food bank.”

“What a fun way to raise money for the food bank,” Mom said, smiling.

Martin, now holding his stomach and still laughing, croaked out, “I hope you don’t have to go anywhere after work and can come straight home!” Tears were starting to form in his eyes from laughing so hard.

“I think it’s fun. What a great way to ward off winter blahs and doldrums! Anyone who sees this will certainly smile and have at least a few moments of joy today,” added Mom.

As Martin’s laughter was fading and he was just left giggling, Mom bopped him on the nose. “It’s time for you to finish breakfast and get your things for school. SCOOT!!”

“Bye, Dad!” Martin cried as he snickered his way back to the kitchen. “Don’t let any airplanes land on you!”

Mom snorted at that but tried to hide it. She hugged Dad and patted his back. “It’s a lovely sweater. Have fun at the contest. I hope you win!” she teased.

Dad kissed the top of her head and left for work, slightly less embarrassed and smiling. He hadn’t planned on entering the contest, but maybe he would after all.

THREE HOURS LATER

“Okay, everyone,” Mrs. Friske said, “it’s time for a short history lesson. I’ve got something across the hall to show you as part of the lesson. Please put your things away and stay quiet. I’ll be back in just a moment.”

The students began putting their math books and papers away. An eraser flew across the room, and the students chittered and chattered like squirrels as they waited for Mrs. Friske to return. When the door to the classroom started to open, the students all became quiet and still. Mrs. Friske waltzed back into the room like she was in a beauty pageant. All the students started squealing, laughing, and giggling. After a moment, Mrs. Friske asked them to please calm down.

“Does anyone know what day it is?” Mrs. Friske wondered aloud.

After a few moments of looks and sighs, and no one saying anything, Martin raised his hand. “It’s ‘National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day.’ My dad was wearing one when he left for work this morning.”

“Correct!” agreed Mrs. Friske. “It’s a short history lesson today. ‘Ugly Christmas Sweaters’ have been around since the 1950s; however, they were called Jingle Bell Sweaters. Jingle Bell Sweaters were considered charming and cozy, and people wore them for warmth and to show their festive spirit. The sweaters usually had a single, simple design: Santa, a snowflake, a snowman, candy canes, or a stack of presents. Many of these sweaters were homemade because wool yarn was expensive and time-consuming to make. Although they weren’t very popular, most people were aware of Jingle Bell Sweaters, which continued to be a part of Christmas over the years.

“Christmas sweaters are a trend all over the world. In Norway, they call their sweaters ‘Norwegian Lusekofte’ or ‘lice jackets’ because of all the small white dots. In the United Kingdom, they are called ‘Christmas Jumpers.’ Germans call their sweaters ‘Weihnachtspullover,’ and they are ‘Maglione Natalizio’ in Italy.

“The turning of Jingle Bell Sweaters into Christmas Sweaters began with advances in yarn in the late 1970s. Yarn became widely available as a synthetic; it was soft, durable, and, more importantly, affordable. Around the same time, sweaters were becoming popular on television shows such as Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and The Cosby Show. The Jingle Bell Sweater reached its peak in 1989 in the movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation when the main character wears an ugly sweater on purpose.

“The 1950s Jingle Bell Sweaters turned into Christmas Sweaters in the 1970s and 1980s. These sweaters became so popular it was almost a tradition to get one with a complex and ornate design as a gift. In the 1990s, Christmas Sweaters became a well-known gift at Secret Santa and White Elephant parties, and their popularity started to fall until it became embarrassing to wear one.

“A movie in 2001 brought the Christmas Sweater back to life. Colin Firth wears an ugly sweater in Bridget Jones’s Diary, and in Vancouver, Canada, in 2002, the first ‘Ugly Christmas Sweater’ party was held. From there, it snowballed. Fashion designers began designing annual collections, department stores offered plates and mugs looking like Ugly Christmas Sweaters, and retail and restaurants joined the trend with themed outfits for their staff.

“Today, Ugly Christmas Sweaters are a symbol of joy, festivities, and friends sharing holiday cheer. You can find Ugly Christmas Sweaters in just about any design, including traditional Christmas items like reindeer, Santa, presents, and nutcrackers. However, if you want people to know about your hobby, your favorite movie, your favorite book, or your favorite anime/manga character, you can find an Ugly Christmas Sweater design to match.”

As Mrs. Friske finished her sentence, she turned to a stack of papers on her desk. She picked them up and began passing them out as she continued. “You may not be wearing an ‘Ugly Christmas Sweater’ today, but here is a page you can color. I’m passing out two pages to everyone: one is a traditional sweater for you to color in, and the other is a blank sweater for you to design and create your own Ugly Christmas Sweater.”

The students, now excited about coloring, began to get out their crayons and markers. Martin began to imagine what his design would look like. Should he make it with so many lights that it could be seen from space? Should he draw his Red and Green Nutcracker armies? Or maybe he could draw the sweater Dad had been wearing this morning. As he glanced around the room to see what everyone else was drawing, he caught a glimpse of Otto, sketching busily with his tongue stuck out of the side of his mouth, and Martin knew what he would sketch. If Ugly Christmas Sweaters are about friends and joy and cheer, he was going to include his friends in his Ugly Christmas Sweater.