Various corners of the internet have informed me that the original “ugly” Christmas sweaters were jingle bell sweaters that became popular in the 1950s, which then saw a resurgence in multiple forms in the ’80s. For the first part of this millennium, ironic nostalgia for the hideous things was the subject of jokes and theme parties galore. Now, in a sign that perhaps irony is truly dead, we find ourselves lately facing the matching family holiday sweater as a new tradition. It’s one I would like to propose that you ignore.
OK, maybe don’t ignore it entirely, but let’s modify it a bit for better use, shall we? Hear me out. While buying a hideous sweater with some kind of Christmas pun can make for a pretty funny photo or a talking point at a holiday party (remember those?), it’s terrible for the environment to buy something you only plan to wear once. If you’re buying something like that for each of your family members (particularly children who will have outgrown them by next year), it’s basically like you hate clean rivers, fresh air, and fair labor standards.
If environmental cost doesn’t move you, perhaps just regular cost should. Buying sweaters for the whole family adds up, even when you buy the cheap ones. Why would you spend that cash on items that will lie unused for the rest of the year?
But hold up. What if this tradition is something you’re really looking forward to, considering all the other fun things about the holidays that the pandemic has snatched away from us?
I have a solution! Replace your “ugly” or holiday-specific sweater idea with something just a little more practical: sweaters you will actually want to wear in public for the rest of the season. They can be every bit as festive, but just a little less specific. With this concept, you can even stretch what we mean by “matching” and instead choose colors, complementary patterns, or themes. Hell, you can even just come up with an idea that uses what’s already in your closet, if you want to be really green and budget friendly.
To this end, we have searched through stores that sell clothing for both children and adults to find matching sweaters for the whole family. There is something here for every family taste. We found cozy fair isle knits, classic track suit jackets, sporty hoodies, and even a DIY project, if that’s where your quarantine holiday spirit is taking you this year.
While we love following holiday traditions, it seems like this is a good year for making newer, smarter ones too.
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Here are some great alternatives to matching ugly sweaters for your family.
Go Animal Style
Boden has some gorgeous, not at all ugly holiday sweaters, but we would like to offer a thematic option you can wear all winter: animal sweaters. There’s a stag, a hedgehog, blue zebras, and this charming badger.
An Irish-Japanese Collab
Uniqlo’s JW Anderson collection includes these pleasing striped sweaters for kids and men. Moms will have to content themselves with a solid sweater in a matching color, which works just fine. As an alternative, check out Uniqlo’s various artist collaborations and mix and match from them (how we wish the men’s Basquiat sweatshirts were available in all sizes!).
Cashmere Crew
Make this matching endeavor so much cozier by choosing J. Crew cashmere sweaters in matching or complementary colors. You’ll never want to take these off.
Your Favorite Team Sweatshirts & Sweaters
OK, if you are a super-sports family, this idea is nothing new to you, but we would like to endorse matching fan gear as appropriate holiday attire for 2020. Especially if the options for moms are as cute as this Celtics sweater for women.
Your Own Team Sweatshirts
If you’re the type to go out for a family jog or a game of touch football, why not embrace your togetherness even more with matching layers from Under Armour? This teal color is available in apparel for kids, men, and women.
Our Adidas
Will you look less like the second coming of Run-DMC and more like a geeky family doing a Royal Tanenbaums impression if you all wear Adidas track suits? Maybe! But also, who is watching?
Clash of the Fair Isle Knits
At Old Navy, you can find a number of matching sweaters (particularly if you want plaid or solid colors). But for a bolder family look, you can choose a variety of Fair Isle patterns for children, men, and women that don’t necessarily match but speak for each individual member of your bunch.
Switch to T-Shirts
If ever there were an occasion to wear this group of T-shirts from Black-owned brand KaAn’s Designs, a holiday photo is definitely it. Throw on your sweatshirts or cardigans over them if you’re cold — just make sure we can see who’s The Original, who’s the Remix, and who’s the Encore.
Pick a Family Color
You don’t even need to buy new sweaters if you simply pick a theme color for your matching day and wear whatever you’ve got that works. Though if you wanted to buy something new, a bold red mock neck like this one from Cat & Jack at Target will brighten your winter.
DIY Tie-Dye Project
With all these holiday days off stretching before you, you might want to have a family project at the ready. Pick up some inexpensive white hoodies, watch this video to learn how to tie-dye a fleece hoodie, and get everyone in on the action.
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