80+ ugly Christmas sweater ideas for a funnier (and weirder) party season

by John Griffith
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Christmas is mere weeks away so it’s time to get into the holiday spirit! Buying a tree, decking the halls, and sending out festive greeting cards to your family and friends is nice and all, but it can’t hold a candle to our favorite tradition – the ugly Christmas sweater (or UCS for short)! There are so many reasons to love this adorkably tacky garment. It makes everything a lot more fun and lighthearted, and you can compete with your friends and coworkers to see who will come up with the best (a.k.a. most outrageous) design. Not to mention that adding a dose of humor to your family get-together or Xmas party is always a good idea. So, in today’s article we will explore 80+ mind-bogglingly amazing ugly Christmas sweater ideas. After all, nothing says Christmas cheer like a good old tacky holiday jumper!

Feel the festive cheer with our ugly Christmas Sweater Ideas!

ugly christmas sweater ideas, couple wearing patterned winter jumpers, and santa hats, smiling while holding mugs

Funny and ugly Christmas sweater ideas

Ever wondered how ugly Christmas jumpers came to be? At first glance they may seem like an ironic statement devised by a bunch of hipster millennials. And while that’s not exactly far from the truth, it’s worth pointing out that the UCS’s roots go much further back than that – as far as the distant 1950s, to be precise. Of course in those days people didn’t think of the jumpers as ugly, and wore them without a hint of sarcasm. Your grandparents, for example, probably saw these iconic knitted garments as nothing more than a quaint and cozy expression of holiday cheer.

However, all this changed in the 80s and 90s. The sweater generation of the 50s had already reached middle and old age, and their fashion sense became the subject of jokes and ridicule among the hip youngsters of the day. Elderly people wearing UCSs began appearing in holiday films and comedy shows, and many viewers found this hilarious. Some began copying the style for fun, but it wasn’t until the 2000s that the UCSs’ popularity truly exploded. According to some sources, the first ugly Christmas sweater party was held in 2001, and people absolutely loved it. Clothes manufacturers got a hint of this, and quickly started churning out a variety of quirky and garish designs. Today, there are companies specialized exclusively in ugly Christmas sweaters that rake in tens of millions of dollars every year! However, in our humble opinion, the best UCSs are the handmade ones. And in that line of thought, we present to you:

Ugly Christmas Sweaters DIY Tutorial!

DIY ugly Christmas sweater ideas

Now that you are familiar with the wonderful history of the ugly Christmas sweater, you are probably excited to make, or buy one of your own. Choosing a design may be a bit tricky because when it comes to UCSs, only the sky’s the limit. You can transform yourself into a Christmas tree or a fireplace, opt for a design inspired by your favorite film or TV series, become a human present, or even a walking beer pong table – yes, absolutely anything goes! And to better demonstrate this point, we invite you to take a look at our gallery. It features some amazing ugly Christmas sweater ideas that will have you rolling with laughter and/or scratching your head. Enjoy, and don’t forget to keep an eye on our webpage for more amazing (and fun) Christmas articles!

You don’t say!

white knitted jumper, with red and green, grey and black motifs, featuring snowmen and christmas trees, ugly christmas sweater ideas

Plain white sweater with applique detail, shaped like Christmas lights – this design may be simple, but it nevertheless succeeds in being super tacky!

brunette woman with long hair, dressed in a white jumper, decorated with applique details, featuring christmas light motifs, ugly christmas sweater ideas, santa hat in red and white

This image is worth a thousand words…

two men wearing festive, multicolored sweater and vest, and stanta hats in red and white, ugly christmas sweater ideas, xmas trees and bows, snowflakes and a wreath

Have you been naughty or nice this year?

green jumpers with white polka dots, and red and white christmas stockings, one saying naughty and the other nice, ugly christmas sweater ideas, on two men, wearing hats with small fabric deer antlers

More cool DIY ideas

A match made in heaven

couple with red and green headbands, featuring deer ears and antlers, the woman is wearing a blue cardigan with snowmen, and the man is dressed in a red shirt, forest green vest, and light green bowtie, ugly christmas sweater ideas for grownups

Transform yourself into a human present with this amazingly ugly sweater

shiny gold large bow, on a red jumper, with white snowflake pattern, and green trims on its cuffs, collar and hem, ugly christmas sweater ideas, on a smiling young man

group of four smiling friends, wearing tacky, multicolored jumpers with various festive patterns, ugly christmas sweater ideas, snowmen and a christmas wreath, rocking horse and santas

ugly sweater ideas, green jumper with white and red striped sleeves, and an image of a pug in a santa's hat, with the words bah humpug in black

Going the extra mile

hoodie in green, shaped like a xmas tree, with gold garlands, and red baubles, worn by a young, smiling blonde woman, ugly sweater ideas

santa's body drawn on a green jumper, worn by a smiling young man, with a short beard, ugly sweater ideas, combined with a red and white santa hat

kitten and puppy, wearing christmas hats, on a green and red, and a dark navy, white and red jumpers, ugly sweater ideas, worn by two women

Ugly Christmas sweater and drinking game, all in one. The dream of every stereotypical alfa male and/ or party animal

six red plastic cups, stuck on a red jumper, with a large green triangle, resembling a christmas tree, ugly sweater ideas, worn by a man, holding several yellow beer pong balls

close up of a black jumper with red, green and white motifs, featuring snowflakes and presents, holly branches and xmas trees, and a large target, with the words you miss you drink

five smiling young people, wearing festive jumpers, in different colors and designs, santa's suit in green, mock tuxedo decorated with holly, ugly sweater ideas, xmas tree and snowflakes

Relationship GOALS.

cardigan in red and white, with green holly branches, and a robin, worn by a smiling man, with a mustache, and a pale pink turtleneck, hugging a blonde woman,in a similar kitsch retro cardigan

ugly sweater party, couple wearing festive cardigans, in dark green and red, decorated with multicolored motifs, featuring teddy bears, xmas wreaths and others

identical navy blue sweaters, with white and red fair isle motifs, featuring deer and christmas trees, worn by a young smiling couple, ugly sweater party

A Dragon Ball inspired UCS? Sign us up!

snowflakes in white, and dragon balls in orange, on a dark green jumper, featuring santa clause, and goku from dragon ball z, ugly sweater party, inspired by anime

laughing men and a woman, dressed in garish, multicolored festive jumpers, ugly sweater party, christmas tree and present motifs

playing card synbols, and an elf dressed in a red suit, on a jumper inspired by las vegas, worn by a slim man, ugly sweater party, welcome to the north pole casino, written in red and blue

Why embarrass yourself on your own, when you can get ugly Sweaters for your pets too?

 

yorkshire terrier sitting, dressed in a green knitted jumper, featuring white and red, blue and yellow motifs, and a hood, decorated with a glowing yellow star, ugly sweater party for dogs

cats on a grey couch, wearing a red and a dark navy christmas jumpers, decorated with fair isle motifs, and festive messages, ugly sweater party for your pets

yellow buttons on a red and white jumper, with green details, and a christmas tree motif, on a guinea pig, with brown and cream fur, ugly sweater party for animals

“Why, human, why? Why must you mock me?”

cute christmas sweaters, red jumper decorated with green and white pom poms, beads and gem stickers, and faux peppermint candy, on a small grey dog

shih tsu dressed in a red jumper, featuring white and black fair isle patterns, standing on a red and gold baroque chair, near a lavishly decorated christmas tree, cute christmas sweaters

cream colored dog, looking at the camera, with its tongue hanging out, dressed in a dark grey, fair isle jumper, cute christmas sweaters for pooches

With a jumper like this who needs a Christmas tree?

girls ugly christmas sweater, laughing slim brunette woman, with a headband featuring felt antlers, wearing a green jumper, decorated with gold garlands, and red baubles

tacky jumper in dark green and red, with tiny white snowflakes and christmas trees pattern, and a large metallic gold bow, girls ugly christmas sweater

ideas for ugliest christmas sweater, couple dressed in diy festive jumpers, a black holiday sweater, with a festive messgae, a smiling child, wearing a handmade, red xmas jumper, with a christmas tree

For extra close friends

retro pattern featuring gingerbread men, christmas trees and nutcrackers, and little holly branches, on the ugliest christmas sweater, in red and teal, white and green, shared by two men

close up of a red jumper, decorated with multiple festive applique details, in various colors, ugliest christmas sweater, reindeer and xmas trees, presents and string lights

family with a mom, dad and a daughter, all dressed in different tacky festive jumpers, ugliest christmas sweater, red with an xmas tree, black with a festive message, green with white polka dots, and a cartoon deer's head

And here are some awesome suggestions inspired by popular films and TV series:

vintage style cute ugly christmas sweater, with good and evil gremlins, surrounded by white snowflakes and christmas trees

luke skywalker and darth vader, fighting with lightsabres, on a navy blue and grey xmas jumper, with orange details

sweater inspired by the tv show stranger things, black with a christmas-like pattern, featuring bikes and xmas trees, walkie talkies and numbers, and the words mery christmas, turned upside down

Especially for Rick & Morty fans

bearded dark-haired man, wearing a black, red and white jumper, featuring santa clause, and characters from the animated TV show rick and morty

rick and morty from the eponymous animated TV show, printed in full color, on a plain black sweater, with red and white christmas themed patterns

collage with two images, showing two young men, one dressed in a red jumper, with a multicolored festive pattern, and a red beanie hat, the other one wearing a dark navy sweater, with snowflakes and a christmas tree

We love this jumper, we really do. But please don’t wear it to your super religious uncle/grandma/friend’s Christmas dinner! 😀

jesus holding a balloon, and wearing a party hat, a cross necklace, and a white t-shirt with the words birthday boy, written in red, on a green jumper, also featuring a white dove, girls ugly christmas sweater, on a slim brunette young woman

cute ugly christmas sweater, in light grey, with an image of a tabby kitten, wearing a red and white xmas jumper, and a santa's hat

target in white, red and lime green, and the words you miss you drink, on a black sweater, with a multicolored festive pattern, girls ugly christmas sweater, seen from the front, and from the back

Fun for all the family!

shared family jumper, in red and green, decorated with baubles and ornaments, worn by a family of four, with santa hats, cute ugly christmas sweater

straw blonde woman, laughing and wearing a black festive jumper, with colorful sleds and snowmen, near a laughing man, in a black cardigan, decorated with bells and christmas wreaths

drunk santa lying on snowy ground, with a bottle and a few fir trees nearby, on a white and green ugly xmas jumper

No one is safe from the ugly Christmas sweater craze

collie with black and white fur, dressed in a green jumper, with a red festive message, and white details, cute christmas sweaters, for border collies

teddy bears and presents, xmas trees and wreaths, on seven jumpers and cardigans, in red and green, black and white, worn by young men and women, cute ugly christmas sweater ideas

unicorn ridden by santa in space, on a black xmas jumper, red plaid sweater with a funny message written in white, and a black jumper with the phrase, single and ready to jingle, and decorative motifs

We love these witty and creative ideas!

humoros christma costume idea, blue jumper covered in faux deer hoof prints, fake leaves and small branches, worn by a woman, with askewed glasses, girls ugly christmas sweater, run over by rudolph

he sees you when you're sleeping, written on a white jumper, decorated with red and green garlands and snowflakes, under an image of nicolas cage, wearing a santa hat, girls ugly christmas sweater, worn with black leggings

slim blonde woman, wearing a red jumper, decorated to look like a fireplace, with a festively decorated mantelpiece, girls ugly christmas sweater, worn with a black mini skirt

Robot VS Raptor – a Christmas classic (not really)

robot and a dinosaur, snoflakes and lightning bolts, stars and little space ships, printed in white, on a cute ugly christmas sweater, with a white background

identical blue jumpers, with christmas trees, decorated with gold garlands, and white and red pom poms, worn by a smiling couple, posing for a selfie

gingerbread men dressed like ninjas, on an orange-red cute ugly christmas sweater, with white and light green stripes, and the word ginjas, worn by a smiling man

An excellent suggestion for Trekkies

mr. spock hand-drawn on a red, cute ugly christmas sweater, decorated with blue and white snowflakes, and the words trek the halls

buddy jumper shared by two laughing girls, ugliest christmas sweater, in black with red trims, featuring an elf and a santa

khaki beige trousers, worn with a red and green jumper, featuring a festively decorated fireplace, with christmas stockings and a wreath, ugliest christmas sweater

More adorable animals in ugly Christmas jumpers

cross between a shih tsu, and a king charles cavalier spaniel, with brown and white fur, wearing a red and green xmas jumper, cute christmas sweaters for puppies

adult dachshund in a red jumper, with a festive message, written on the jumper's back in white, cute christmas sweaters, snow on the ground and on the dog's head

candy cane and a holly branch, embroidered on a multicolored jumper, worn by a brown dog, with a beige muzzle, cute christmas sweaters, on a white background

How cute is this?!

mink colored bunny, with fluffy fur, wearing a green and white knitted jumper, with red fair isle details, cute christmas sweaters, for rodents

suggestions for ugliest christmas sweater, green jumper with bigfoot in a bikini, pale blue sweater with a kitten in a santa hat, dark navy jumper, with santa's body, and others

toy poodle on a leash, held by a female elf, dressed in tacky clothes, image on a green jumper, with red trims around its collar, cuffs and hem, girls ugly christmas sweater, on a white background

There is no such thing as “too tacky” when it comes to UCSs!

ugliest christmas sweater, man with medium length, brown curly hair, wearing a light green turtleneck, coral red trousers, and a black cardigan, with colorful festive motifs, and a shiny red ribbon

dark navy jumper, with a white hearts pattern, a festive message, and a red heart, covered in sequins, red jumper with white snowflakes, and a white cartoon deer, with rose gold antlers and glasses

And because it’s 2018, and internet memes have officially taken over the world, this “most interesting Santa in the world” sweater is a thing that exists

meme-inspired jumper in black and red, featuring santa in the pose of the most interesting men in the world, holding a glass of milk, near a plate of cookies

plush reindeer toys, stuck to the front, and the back, of two white and red jumpers, worn by a brunette woman, and a dark-haired man

We are at a loss for words here…

guy in a brown, plastic horse mask, dressed in a red jumper, with a large, brown horse head image, and a pattern, with smaller horse heads, and white snowflakes

boy wearing a red v-neck jumper, decorated with a christmas tree motif, made from green and yellow felt, and decorated with beads in different colors, diy ugly christmas sweater for kids

This lady is way ahead in the ugly Christmas sweater game

hat in green, shaped like a christmas tree, and decorated with garlands and baubles, worn by an elderly woman, dressed in a white jumper, featuring an xmas tree, and holding a giant peppermint cane

brown dog and a yellow retriever, sitting side by side, wearing identical santa costume jumpers, in red and white

A true masterpiece

light blue jumper, decorated with a christmas version of michelangelo's the creation of adam, featuring a deer on a cloud, and a santa surrounded by elves, diy ugly christmas sweater, decorated with felt shapes

lime green ribbon, shaped like an xmas tree, and stuck on a dark blue jumper, decorated with glowing christmas lights, diy ugly christmas sweater, with multicolored beads and small flowers

It’s hard not to be impressed by this lady’s creativity

blonde smiling woman, wearing a dark blue jumper, decorated with gold garlands, featuring red and white baubles, diy ugly christmas sweater, next image shows her with raised arms, resembling an xmas tree, with a red star on top

plain black fine knit jumper, decorated with silver garlands, shaped like an xmas tree, with red and green, and gold baubles, diy ugly christmas sweater, two candy canes on each sleeve

Ugly Christmas sweaters have officially jumped the shark

string lights in different colors, wrapped around a grey and white shark, image on a dark red xmas jumper

bespectacled man with a short beard, wearing a red sweater, featuring an image of a brown cartoon deer's head, with a red nose

Let’s not forget the ugly Christmas sweater’s cousin – the tacky holiday vest

toughtful man in a checkered, red and white shirt, and blue jeans, wearing a black and red vest, decorated with elves, and baubles in different colors

four ways of creating a diy ugly christmas sweater, red jumper with the words grinch don't steal my vibe, couples dressed in complementary sweaters, a red jumper, decorated with glowing christmas lights, garlands and more

We hope you’ve enjoyed our ugly Christmas sweater ideas!

woman dressed in a red jumper, decorated to look like a fireplace, with a mentelpiece decorated for christmas, diy ugly christmas sweater

diy ugly christmas sweater, smiling blonde woman, dressed in a pale blue jumper, decorated with small pom poms, in different colors, and a brown crocheted deer's head, with a red nose

John Griffith
John Griffith

John Griffith is a young, passionate journalist. Writing has been John’s hobby ever since he was a boy. He has worked in some of the UK’s most successful news portals over the course of his professional career but found his forever home at Archzine.

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