Everyone associates December with Christmas, but what many do not know is that the middle of the month also brings National Ugly Sweater Day.
It is appropriate in a way, as the festive jumper has become part of the yuletide traditions here in the UK. But why is that?
Well, the general belief is that we have Iceland and other Scandinavian countries to thank for this dubious tradition. According to Benjamin Wild, who is a cultural historian, the first examples of them were knitted in those nations during the 19th century, and were a way of coping with the winter cold. They were usually created for fishermen, and featured lively designs to mark them out from other people living in the cities and towns.
However, the knitted Christmas jumper only really took off with the public early in the 20th century, after people began buying them to wear while skiing in Europe. They then brought them back to the UK, and began a genuine post-war winter fashion trend.
They continued to grow in popularity thanks to Hollywood stars like Ingrid Bergman and Clark Gable being seen in them. Of course, these were just patterned knits – not the garish jumpers with reindeer and Santa on them that are now as much of a tradition as Christmas lights.
For that, we should perhaps look to the movie Bridget Jones’ Diary. It famously featured Mark Darcy, played by Colin Firth, wearing one, and so began the tradition of donning the worst examples available as a cheesy seasonal celebration.
