We can’t imagine Christmas without Santa Claus, snow, candy canes, stockings, delicious food, and… ugly sweaters! No holiday season feels complete without everyone dressing up in their gaudiest and most garish Xmas garb. 

Our team here at Bored Panda has traveled across the digital jungles of the World Wide Web to bring you some fabulous inspiration that’ll make you y(e)arn for a wardrobe upgrade. Scroll down to check out the most powerful Christmas sweaters you’ve ever seen. They’re so tacky that they loop back around and become incredibly cool again.

#1 I Ordered A Custom Ugly Christmas Sweater

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#2 My Friend Just Won $100 At His Job's Ugly Sweater Contest

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#3 My Parents Combined Ugly Sweater Outfits

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You’ll probably agree that ugly Christmas sweaters aren’t really all that ugly. They’re funky. They’re a bit bizarre. But they evoke a deep sense of coziness, warmth, and comedy, too. Yes, they’re slightly odd, but that’s kind of the point. 

These sweaters make you embrace the holiday and force you to relax because you’re dressing ‘down’ rather than ‘up.’ You’re not worrying about how you look because everyone around you has committed to the heartwarming silliness. And considering how stressed many people are around the holidays, every reminder to slow down and relax is worth its weight in gold.

#4 Christmas Party In School Today

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#5 Check Out Today's Christmas Sweater

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#6 I Made This For My Ugly Sweater Party

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These sweaters are meant to be cliched and cheesy. The more questionable the design, color, and material choice, the more attention your garb will get

And if your clothes have actual blinking lights or jingling bells on them, then hats off to you—you’ve taken things to a whole other level and know exactly what you’re doing. 

#7 I Made This For My Work's Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest. It Was Rushed, But Everyone Seemed To Like It

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#8 Happy Holidays

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#9 We're At An Ugly Christmas Sweater Party And The Audacity Of My Sister Is Sickening. She Better Not Win

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However, ugly Christmas sweaters weren’t always such a big part of pop culture and our holiday social fabric. There were quite a few ups and downs. CNN reports that they first began making an appearance in the 1950s in the United States, as the commercialization of the holiday began growing. Back then, they were known as ‘Jingle Bell Sweaters’... but they were far more tame.

#10 Now Is The Time To Find Those Ugly Sweaters. I Found This Gem At My Local Goodwill

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#11 I Have Found The Perfect "Ugly Christmas Sweater" For Me

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#12 The Ugly Sweater I Made For My Job's Contest

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It took a few decades for these sweaters to go mainstream. By the 1980s, the influence of the television and movie industry on the holiday fashion trends was undeniable. Films like ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ made people embrace weird Christmas sweaters at home, as well as at the office.

#13 Mom Asked Brother To Make An Ugly Sweater For A Work Contest. Brother Delivered

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#14 I Couldn't Resist To Post My Find. Best Christmas Sweater

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#15 Best Christmas Sweater

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However, in the 1990s, the ugly Christmas sweater tradition faded a little bit. The unfashionable clothing choice became, well, actually unfashionable. It wasn’t until the early 2000s that the trend reemerged—reinvigorated with eggnog and Xmas cheer—both in real life and on the silver screen, like in the 2001 flick ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary.’ 

#16 We Had An Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest, And This Was My Homemade One

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#17 I Lost A Bet, So I Will Have To Wear This Bad Boy From Christmas Eve To New Year's Eve

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#18 My Boyfriend With His Ugly Christmas Sweater And A Llama I Made For Him

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Brian Miller, one of the authors of the ‘Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Book,’ believes that the spread of this phenomenon is remarkable. “It’s hard to say what triggered the change in perspective, but I think that the moment someone wore the garment in a humorous way, people started seeing the comic side of it, and thinking ‘this thing at the back of the closet could be fun, instead of something awful that nobody wants,’” he told CNN.

#19 I Ordered This 6 Weeks Ago So I Could Wear It For Christmas. It Just Came Today And I Think It's Mocking Me

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#20 They Said That Everyone Will Come With Ugly Sweaters

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#21 I Made My Niece An "Ugly" Christmas Sweater

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According to Miller, ugly Christmas sweaters eventually became a new holiday tradition and were considered akin to something like mistletoe—ubiquitous, a holiday staple.

Eventually, these holiday-themed pullovers began popping up in retail stores and vintage outlets alike. Businesses saw an opportunity to capitalize on the trend.

#22 My "Ugly Sweater" For The Holidays

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#23 A 3D-Printed Part Of My Ugly Sweater

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#24 I Just Got This Sweater Today. How Do I Look?

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The phenomenon became so big that even fancy brands like Dolce & Gabbana and Givenchy threw their hats into the ring. You’d see celebrities embracing the cringe-worthy knitwear, too, from legendary singer-songwriter Taylor Swift to comedy guru Jimmy Fallon. The latter actually ran a segment named ‘12 Days of Christmas Sweaters.’ It’s still alive and kicking at the time of writing!

#25 Merry Christmas Everyone

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#26 Ugly Christmas Sweater

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#27 I Just Got A New Job. They Said To Wear "Christmas Clothes" The Other Day. They All Came In Dressed Up, But Apparently, I Misunderstood It

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We would absolutely love to hear which of these ugly Christmas sweaters you enjoyed the most, dear Pandas. Which ones caught your eye and why? What kind of bizarre Xmas-themed clothes do you have at home? Do you wear them to your workplace around the holidays? Let us know in the comments!

Meanwhile, for some more fabulous fashion inspo that would confuse even Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, take a peek at Bored Panda’s previous articles from seasons past.

#28 Finally I Found A Sweater To Fit My Nana

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#29 My Entry For The Ugly Sweater Contest At Work: "The Human Santapede"

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#30 I Just Finished Making My Ugly Christmas Sweater. I Used Dog Clothes And A Pikachu Hat. What Do You Think?

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#31 I Found This Christmas Sweater Just In Time For The Holidays

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#32 I Think It's Safe To Say My Stepdad Won The Sweater Contest

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#33 It's That Time Of The Year Again. Here's The 2022 Ugly Christmas Sweater. Featuring Machine-Knit Sleeves This Year

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#34 Christmas Came Early. $5.99 For The Sweater And $1.00 For The Chipmunks

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#35 This Thing Is A Work Of Art. Everywhere I Go, People Are Mesmerized. Jesus, Mary, Santa, Joseph, A Donkey, The Flag. A Rock? A Whale? The Moon Landing? All Of The Above?

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#36 My Husband Made This For His Ugly Christmas Sweater Day At Work. That's An iPad Playing The Fireplace From Netflix In His Sweater

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#37 I Have The Ugliest Christmas Sweater This Year

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#38 This Christmas Sweater I Saw Today

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#39 Finally, I've Found My Christmas Jumper

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#40 A Friend Of Mine Likes To Go A Little Overboard On His Tacky Christmas Sweaters

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#41 I Wore This To Work Today. A Couple Of Colleagues Said "Too Early". I Disagree

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#42 She Wasn't Kidding When She Said No One Else Should Bother Trying To Win The Christmas Sweater Contest At Work

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#43 My Ugly Sweater This Year

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#44 I Wore This To My Fiancee's Ugly Christmas Sweater Party, For Her New Job. She Was Not As Thrilled As I Was

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#45 Heading To The Ugliest Christmas Sweater Party

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#46 Ugly Christmas Sweater Day

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#47 This Ugly Christmas Sweater I Made For My Daughter's School Celebration

I had a lot of fun making this and wanted to share it. We even made a matching headband with it. We used felt, ribbon, a bow, and lots of puff balls. I didn’t make the wreath and tree behind her and realized I might have a puff ball obsession.

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#48 My In-Laws Know How To Party In Ugly Sweaters

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#49 My Ugly Sweater

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#50 I Bet This Will Go Great At The Work Christmas Sweater Party

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#51 And Grumpiest Sweater Award Goes To

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#52 Ugly Christmas Sweater Season Is Approaching

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#53 My Dad And I Found This Sweater While Shopping

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#54 We're Having An Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest At Work. I Found This Gem For $6 At The Texas Thrift. I Really Hope I Win

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#55 Ugly Sweater Time Is Here

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#56 Stranger Things Sweater I Made For An Ugly Sweater Party

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#57 It's Ugly Christmas Sweater Day

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#58 Mom Sent Me This Photo Of My Stepfather's Entry Into An Ugly Sweater Competition

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#59 I Think It's Fair To Say That I'm In The Christmas Spirit

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#60 I Hate Christmas, But My Family Said That I Need To Buy An Ugly Christmas Sweater, So I Got This One

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#61 Today At Work Was The American Classic "Ugly Christmas Sweater Day'', And I Wore This Chunky Sweater. Americans Unanimously Declared Me The Ugly King

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