Ugly Sweater Parties

Turn the tables on the scourge of holiday gift-giving! Reverse the curse of the great-aunt who knits! Embrace the ugly, empowering it to become beautifully tacky! Get together a group of your best friends, all the gang from the office or even make this an event for the family, and have an Ugly Sweater Party!

Although Ugly Sweater Parties are most often associated with Christmas, let's face it... the ugly sweater doesn't care what time of year it is! You can throw an ugly sweater party for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, the 4th of July, Halloween and any other holiday that induces people to wear themed-icons and color schemes. And let's not forget the up-and-coming Ugly Sweater Pub Crawl! It's also a great way to acknowledge just how uncomfortable and awkward a family or high school class reunion can be, but with a lot more fun. And remember, at an ugly sweater party, no one will ever be at loss for a conversation starter.

Did you know that ugly sweaters have nicknames? These knitted nightmares are often called "casino sweaters" as they 1) are a distinctive piece of outer wear that can help you find the rest of your family or party when out at a casino, 2) they are just as bold and flashy as a row of slot machines and 3) they really seem to be some of the favorite clothing of people whose idea of a perfect vacation is to spend a week in Vegas alternating between the casino floor and the all-you-can-eat buffet.

• Christmas - the origin of the ugly sweater party
• Family Reunions - got a family that's uptight about getting together? this is just the ticket for some good-natured fun
• New Year's Eve - cut loose with those glitter sweaters
• Office Parties - brings a whole new meaning to business casual
• Pub Crawl - you'll stay comfy as you tromp from bar to bar, and no one will notice if you spill your drink on yourself
• St. Patrick's Day - may the worst leprechaun sweater win
• Valentine's Day - just the thing for wearing your heart on your sleeve. Throw a "Love Stinks" party and have everyone wear the sweaters to prove it.
• 4th of July - celebrate with a bang and some really ugly but patriotic sweaters!
• Halloween - the holiday is already sort of spooky and scary... why not break out some truly horrifying sweaters for fun?
• School reunions - as if it wasn't funny enough for everyone to see each other after a few decades, why not recall the ugly sweaters you wore in high school too?

Imagery - Some of the best ugly sweaters have big bold graphics, sometimes having a singular design all over the front instead of some sort of woven pattern.

Color - Bright and eye-burning definitely takes the cake over dull and drab. Unless you find some sort of perfectly ugly that just happens to be brown. Either try and find something that has a few colors you actually don't mind wearing, or just get the ugliest thing you can find and never look down at yourself while you wear it.

Fiber - Cotton wears well, but can stretch out a lot. Wool is warm and will keep you dry, but watch out for being too warm. Acrylic offers a soft feel and a great range of colors, but watch out as the synthetic fibers can melt or burn if a cigarette ember falls on them, or you get too close to the fireplace.

If you are serious about your "ugly" don't wait until the last minute - During the holidays, when the bulk of ugly sweater parties take place, used clothing stores have reported seeing a run on sweaters or selling out. If you are serious about making a statement or even winning a contest, start looking for that perfect and hideous item of clothing ahead of time.

Saving money - Another thing to take into account of trying to get a tacky sweater at the last minute is pricing. The closer you get to a trendy time for this sort of dress-up party and you're going to pay more. Also upscale, used clothing shops are going to be smart enough to mark these eye-searing wool creations up in price knowing there's a trend on. Keep an eye out at yard sales, church rummage sales and the lower-priced thrift stores for a shopping bargin.

What you see here is a picture of writer/blogger/actor Wil Wheaton, wearing an especially ugly clown sweater. As you might guess, he's got a fairly comprehensive story about just how this picture came into existence. And of course, it's best read in Wil's own words. Suffice to say, Wil was not mentally incapacitated when he allowed this picture to be taken, and it's now got a life of its own on the Internets. Which, depending on how you look at it, is either a good thing or a bad thing.

Of course, if you are going to get so many people all together in one place wearing the worst of the worsted, then you need to have a contest! Voting, prizes, ugly pride... it's all great fun!

If you are new to having an ugly sweater party, you can keep things simple contest-wise. Put out a jar, hand out small slips of paper and some pencils and ask people to write down which sweater they think is the most ugly. Tally up the votes and award your Best of the Ugliest.

If you've been having ugly sweater parties for a few years and you've got a devoted attendance and people are getting really serious about their ugly, then it's time to toughen up the competition. When it comes to making categories, let the holiday and it's themes and images guide you. You can have bests (or worsts) for just about anything. It helps to say that people can only win for a single category so that more people at the party get a chance to win prizes instead of having one truly nasty piece of clothing get all the glory.