History of ugly Christmas sweater tradition revealed

It seems as though every December, people find themselves scrounging through their grandmothers’ closets or local thrift shops in hopes of finding the perfect, ugly Christmas sweater.
But from where did this trend originate? According to TIME Magazine, ugly Christmas sweaters began to make an appearance after Bill Cosby began sporting them on his then popular T.V. sitcom in the ‘80s. The trend also thrived as ugly Christmas sweaters became a staple for Chevy Chase’s lead character in National Lampoon Christmas Vacation.
The style faded in the ‘90s, but resurfaced once again the early 2000’s.
According to myuglychristmassweater.com, in Vancouver, Canada, around 2002, a group of college students decided to throw an ‘Ugly Christmas Sweater’ themed party in which all the attendees were encouraged to wear their ugliest Christmas sweaters.
The students throwing the party even offered a prize to whomever could present the ugliest sweater. The party was successful and such parties became a popular local event, which eventually spread throughout the United States and even the United Kingdom.
The style continues to be appreciated by people of all kinds including hipsters, adults and grandparents. Whether ugly Christmas sweaters are worn ironically or not, the trend seems to be growing in popularity.