Ugly Holiday Sweater/T-Shirt

We live in an age of irony and not even something as pure as Christmas can escape it's reach.  The once popular, then maligned, and now popular again because it was so maligned seems to apply in just about every aspect of our lives.  The hipsters are running wild with their horn-rimmed glasses, fedoras, vintage camera apps that (according to some) "ruin" perfectly good digital photos, and a fear of sincerely actually liking pretty much anything.  I have to admit, I am not immune to the rise of this wanna-beatnik culture.  I love my camera filters, I often where non-baseball type hate--though in my defense I was doing that before it was cool to be uncool--and I listen to Mumford & Sons on a regular basis.

As I mentioned in my opening line, even Christmas, a time of sincerity and earnestness, is not immune.  After it's decline in the late 20th Century, we have in recent years been witness to the return of what was once a Christmas party staple:  the ugly holiday sweater.  You know the kind I mean.  Loud, garish cable-knits with giants snowflakes or Christmas trees or snowmen embroidered on them.  Something your grandmother made for you in the late 70's or early 80's and you did your best to hide your extreme disappointment after opening the package Christmas morning.  I remember a having a couple of these as a kid and was never a fan.  Not only is it not the coolest thing to be seen wearing homemade clothes, even as a seven year old, but they never fit right, made you itch like you've got fleas, and transformed you into an uncomfortable sweaty mess while sitting in a packed church for a Christmas Eve service.

But in recent years the ugly holiday sweater has returned with a vengeance, even spawning their own social gatherings.  Its' not uncommon in this hipster age to get an invite to an Ugly Holiday Sweater party, each party goer trying to out ugly their friends.  Despite not being a huge wearer of sweaters generally, and for the reasons mentioned, holiday sweaters in particular, the hipster in me could not be suppressed and I told my wife I wanted to get myself a knitted bit of holiday cheer.

However, thanks to the good folks at Woot!, I found an even better option.  The ugly holiday sweater t-shirt!  All of the ugliness, none of the itch!  And what better way to be even more ironic then with an ironic take on an ironic classic.  Yay irony!

Woot! has a number of colors and designs to choose from, featuring most of the iconic holiday images from the sweaters of old.  I went with a stylish navy blue bearing the faux-stitched likeness of a couple of reindeer and the ubiquitous snowflake emblazoned in the center.  Available in both long and short sleeved, I went with the long sleeved, as its more of a winter item and to make it seem more sweater-like.

So if you're inner-hipster is crying out for some holiday fashion that will still be acceptable to all your handlebar mustache wearing cronies down at the coffee shop, but would rather skip the inevitable hives breakout from a woolen fleece, the ugly holiday sweater t-shirt is the choice for you.  Check 'em out.