From this week's Brentwood Home Page column:
I’ve been trying to figure out how it all went wrong for Christmas sweaters.
You know they’re a big joke now, don’t you?
Starting last Christmas, the themed sweaters with tons of sequins, appliquéd snowmen, ribbon trim and glitter officially reached that point where they’re so out, they’re in.
After about a decade of being out of style, Christmas sweaters have become in demand at vintage clothing stores and Goodwill outlets.
Folks are pulling the bejeweled garments from the back of the closet and listing them on eBay. In fact, entire websites are devoted to selling “ugly” Christmas sweaters. I was feeling pretty good about myself until I saw a sweater like one I used to wear on sale for $15 on one of those sites.
Do you hear what I hear? It’s the sound of me getting old.
Why the resurgence in scornful popularity? Because hipsters decided it would be hilarious to wear old, grandma-style Christmas sweaters to their holiday parties.
Get it? They’re being ironic. It’s like saying, “Normally I’m very cool. But the fact that I’m wearing this hideously overdone sweater is funny because it’s so not me!”
They gleefully post photos of themselves online, hugging, laughing and showing off their garland-trimmed Santas or reindeer flying over one shoulder and down the back.
I think the irony is lost on the older generation, who probably see nothing humorous about wearing a perfectly good Christmas sweater to a Christmas party. When else would you wear it?
The part I think is funny is that most people viewing the photos wouldn’t get the joke, thinking those in the picture just had bad taste in sweaters.
“Why is this funny? It’s a bunch of people at a Christmas party. Ooh, those snowmen on her sweater are trimmed in rabbit fur! I wonder where you get one of those?”
A mere 10 years ago I could wear a Christmas sweater occasionally and not feel weird about it. I still own two: a vest and a cardigan. I happen to think they’re really cute or else I wouldn’t have bought them from the Chadwick’s catalog in about 1997.
In fact, the vest is awesome because it has these felt stockings on it that are adorned with real live 3-D jingle bells.
Of course, I haven’t worn them out in public in a while because they’re about as fashionable as denim jumpers.
I don’t own one of those. Anymore.
The truth is that I only wear my Christmas sweaters around the house. You know why? Because they make my 7-year-old little boy happy.
So take that, all you hipster wannabes. My kid thinks my tacky sweater is cool.
I’m even going to save it for the day he wants to wear it … to some party where he can win the ugliest Christmas sweater contest.
1 comment:
I always think that after Christmas is past the sweaters no longer fit with the time. It's great that your sweater helps to bring joy to your son!!
Post a Comment