December 17th is “Ugly Christmas Sweater Day”, a tradition that the Swedes are embracing more and more. But what is the day really about?
“Ugly Christmas Sweater Day” is the day when an “ugly” Christmas sweater is the right choice at work or at school. The tradition was born in Vancouver, Canada when a couple of friends decided to organize a themed party with ugly Christmas sweaters to raise money for a friend’s cancer treatment.
The concept was a success and soon the idea spread to such an extent that the day “Ugly Christmas Sweater Day” was introduced. This day is now celebrated in several countries around the world and falls on the third Friday in December, which this year is December 17th.
Which Christmas sweaters count as “ugly”?
In recent years, the tradition has gained momentum here in Sweden as well. Ahead of this year’s “Ugly Christmas Sweater Day”, Klarna and Partykungen have produced statistics showing that sales of “ugly” Christmas sweaters have increased this year compared to the same period last year.
So what is an “ugly” Christmas sweater? Opinions differ here, but it is usually about a knitted sweater. For some, a suitably festive pattern is enough for the sweater to be included in the category, others choose more extreme variants with LED lights, speakers and protruding details.
Source: National Today