When people think of December, most people usually think about holidays like Christmas and Hanukah and tend to forget about National Ugly Sweater Day.
National Ugly Sweater Day is closely tied to Christmas but can be celebrated by everyone regardless of their religious or holiday celebrations. It’s an entertaining and festive way to both stay warm in the cold of winter and show one’s holiday spirit. The annual holiday is celebrated on Dec. 21, but Riverview’s celebration will fall before students are released for Winter Break, according to Senior Board sponsor Josh Mocherman.
“We typically do Ugly Sweater Day on Winter Movie Night. So, that would be Thursday, Dec. 13,” Mocherman said.
When asked if they have heard of or celebrated Ugly Sweater Day, most people said that they have heard of it, yet do not celebrate the holiday. It was a popular opinion that National Ugly Sweater Day should be more well-known and celebrated during the holiday season.
“I’ve heard of Ugly Sweater Day, but I didn’t know that people actually celebrated it,” said Julia Vonarb ‘22.
Colby Byrd ‘22 strongly believes that Ugly Sweater Day should be more well known.
While many people have heard of National Ugly Sweater Day, others have not. Some people may even wear ugly sweaters during the holiday season and yet have never heard of National Ugly Sweater Day before, such as Riverview High School (RHS) student Nicklaus Elliot ‘22.
Elliott said he never knew there was an actual day for ugly sweaters, but his family has a tradition of wearing ugly sweaters every year.
The ugly sweater craze began in the mid 1950’s when advertising was at an all-time high. They were commonly known as “jingle bell sweaters.” It wasn’t until the 1980’s when the sweaters hit their peak in popularity and developed the name known today - “ugly sweaters,” was born.
Abby Sinclair ‘19 thinks that this holiday should be celebrated by all because it gets people into the holiday spirit. Not only does she think that the holiday should be more known, she believes that ugly sweaters should be worn year-round, no matter what the season.
While some people celebrate National Ugly Sweater Day, others may have different traditions they value more than National Ugly Sweater Day.
Sinclair says that she doesn’t celebrate ugly sweater day but focuses on other family traditions such as putting the star on top of their Christmas tree.
“Other than wearing an ugly sweater, I have a tradition of throwing a white elephant party with my friends,” said Michaela Stockhill, RHS Pre-IB Biology Teacher.
This coming Dec. 21, don’t forget to wear your ugly sweater to get into the spirit of Christmas and to be festive. This on the rise holiday is a day you won’t want to miss out on.