Why, where, and how did the Ugly Christmas Sweater tradition start?
No clue.
There’s a lot of information on Google, but what I gathered is that the style just didn’t age well. To be fair, though, it has cemented its place in pop culture as a cheesy, tacky, must-do family tradition.
I mean, if society really hated ugly Christmas sweaters, they would’ve let them fade into oblivion by now.
These custom Christmas sweaters aren’t all ugly – but I did sneak a few fun ones in there. Check them out!
Any classic ugly Christmas sweater always has that distinct knitted print that tells you it’s not just any sweater; it’s an ugly Christmas sweater.
Whether it’s the garish color combinations (red, green, and white don’t actually look all that great together) or the tacky designs (ranging from elf and Santa bodies to just Christmas-themed items everywhere), there’s no denying the visual fascination it gives us.
Thankfully, Roynaa’s CC actually has some not-so-ugly prints!
Majority of them stay true to the tradition (read: elf body. It isn’t flattering on anyone), but I saw two swatches that I thought were very fetching.
One is an all-black number with a red ribbon around the waist area. Very slimming.
The other is a simple light grey sweater with white text that reads “This Girl Loves Christmas.”
It’s very subtle and could (in theory) pass as just a regular sweater.
I will admit, this Christmas sweater from bukovka has two designs that I wouldn’t mind wearing in public – but only during Christmas, because the print is still distinctly Christmas-themed.
There are 4 swatches in total, and one of the designs I kind of like is the cream-colored sweater with the peeking Santa and Rudolph.
Keeping the print at the bottom made the sweater semi-minimalist, which I’d argue totally saved it.
The second design is the blue one with the reindeer kissing.
Because the more I look at it, the cuter it becomes.
The other print is the classic garish Christmas sweater print consisting of lines of snowmen, candy canes, Christmas trees, and reindeer on a bright red background. Not fetching, but it’s a classic, so I can let it slide.
All in all, I’d say the designs for this Male-specific sweater aren’t so bad.
Except for the green one with the elf body—that one’s just atrocious.
I will always appreciate a unique take on a classic design.
That’s what this is.
Presenting: “Christmas sweater, but make it a crop top,” by lumy-sims.
Lo and behold, it works!
This creator took all the classic holiday-themed prints (the good, the bad, and the eyesores), plopped them on a turtleneck sweater, and then snipped off the midriff.
The result is – dare I say it – a surprisingly stylish (ish) ensemble that fits right in with the season.
It’s less “classic” and more “late 2000s fashion”, but hey. I think my Sim looked pretty good in it!
Plus, there are 17 solid color swatches for this sweater, on top of the 18 print options.
So if you don’t want an Ugly Christmas Crop-Top Sweater, you can still keep it as a regular cropped sweater! I promise, the second option is a lot more fashionable.
What better holiday to whip out the tawdry family outfits than Christmas?
Matching sweaters, matching Santa hats, matching fake beards … these actually exist IRL.
And if you’ve got a particularly nerdy or geeky Sims family, you’re in for a treat.
This custom sweater pack by simmi98x beautifully blends geek culture with family holiday tradition.
How does a deep blue crew neck sweater with Star Wars elements tickle your fancy? You’ve got the Death Star, the droids, spaceships, and festive Storm Troopers.
They’re even wearing cute little Santa hats!
Plus, since it’s a family thing, this download contains meshes for Adults/Young Adults and Children (both Male and Female).
Each sweater has four distinct Star Wards designs to choose from, all of which can go perfectly with other Star Wars-themed CC.
I may be biased, but I find literally none of these kids’ sweaters ugly.
I mean sure, consensus dictates that the more embellishments we see (Santa Claus, candy canes, elves, tinsel, etc.) the uglier it is.
But there are 21 patterns available for this kids-only sweater. And none of them seem as tacky or as garish as their adult counterparts.
Not even the really noisy ones!
Plus, of the 21 patterns, several stick out as genuinely adorable.
There’s a fuzzy brown one with a simple kitten on it, a bluish-grey one with an adorable polar bear, and an emerald green one with a tiny, bundled up reindeer.
I seriously would not mind having these prints available for an Adult/Young Adult version.
But I also kinda like how it’s exclusive to just kids. It’s very on-brand.
To be honest, these aren’t as ugly as they are … interesting.
It’s like someone took stereotypical Forever 21 graphic tees (the type disenfranchised teens wear) and turned them into fuzzy Christmas sweaters.
I get that the whole concept is sweaters with “naughty” prints, but they are (admittedly) a lot tamer than I imagined.
It also helps that the comfy knit cancels out the edgy teenage boy humor vibes.
Regardless, I think it works as a casual holiday outfit.
Sort of like the gag gift sweater your buddies got you. Like the sweater your aunt hates seeing, so you wear it every Christmas just to rile her up. That sort of sweater.
Take note that you’ll need the mesh for this (included in the download) to work.
Also take note that it doesn’t work on Female frames.
Remember LazyEyelids’s Christmas Sweater for Kids, and how I mentioned wanting some prints for an Adult/Young Adult version?
Sadly, the adorable animal prints I swooned over are not present here – even though it’s by the same creator (and also looks to be a part of the same clothing series).
Instead of a cute bundled up reindeer, there’s a majestic stag on a black background.
Instead of a casual kitten, there are two full-sized reindeer dancing on a blue-and-white backdrop.
I’m a little bummed, truth be told.
But at least we got to keep the polar bear!
Yes, this version of LazyEyelids’s Christmas sweater has a light blue swatch that features a slightly older cartoon polar bear who is also quite warmly bundled up.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that this print turned this classic Christmas sweater into a warm, wholesome holiday outfit.
And for that, I am grateful.
Highly recommend if you wanna take a seasonal extended family photo of your Sims.
8. Off-Shoulder Christmas Sweater by CherryBerrySim
Proof that not all Christmas sweaters need be ugly.
This piece by CherryBerrySim is a fetching off-shoulder outfit with cable knit and fluffy white trim.
And I would argue that the fluffy white trim is what gives it its place here on the list.
It feels like a fashionable & more stylish rendition of Santa’s iconic outfit (especially the red swatch) — just not in the “Sexy Santa or Mrs. Claus” costume sense.
It’s more in the sense that it looks like an actual clothing item that your Sim could wear just about anywhere.
It comes in 8 solid colors (that are vibrant enough to be described as “festive”) and absolutely zero obnoxious Christmas-y designs.
No knitted reindeer, no jolly seasonal greetings, no nothing.
If the white trim didn’t exist, it would pass as a regular off-shoulder sweater. But since the trim is there, I’m declaring it as fact: this is a Christmas sweater.
This follows the same “Christmas sweater, but make it fashion!” concept as CherryBerrySim’s Off-Shoulder Christmas Sweater and lumy-sims’s Jolly Sweater.
Cropped sweater? Check.
Off-shoulder sweater? Check.
This third one follows the style of the surprisingly trendy one-shoulder outfit.
It’s not as subtle as CherryBerrySim’s sweater, but it’s also not as visually loud as lumy-sims’s. It manages to tread that fine line by having just one huge Christmas-y print at the front (rather than a dozen seasonal elements scattered all over).
It’s a shame that it doesn’t have as many color options as the other two stylish sweaters I referenced.
In fact, it’s only got four: three reddish-orange ones, and one green one.
So the variety is a bit lacking.
However, if you like this style of sweater on your Sim and they need to wear some form of Christmas sweater, this is still a great choice.
I cannot, for the life of me, find the Male (M) version of this sweater.
And I’m a little disappointed about that, as I actually enjoyed this custom sweater quite a bit.
There are 21 total design options for this sweater, and most of them are couple designs. So they’re meant to be worn with someone else.
The best example I can give is the forest green swatch with the cartoon reindeer.
One variation of this swatch has the upper part of the reindeer (head and front legs) on the right side of the sweater. The other variation of this swatch has the lower half of the reindeer (tail, bum, and hind legs) on the left.
So, ideally, one Sim would wear the first variation and their partner would wear the other. Then they’d stand together to create a whole reindeer.
It’s a cheesy wholesome concept that is utterly perfect for the holidays – which is why I’m a little bummed I couldn’t find the Male version of this series from the creator.
It’s alright though; most of the prints work just fine on their own!
