Ugly or nice?
In December 1953, an ad in the Sentinel touted Christmas sweaters, “light as an early frost” and available in holly red and snowflake white. Postcards might promote the idea that Floridians wore only tropical togs even at holiday time, but many folks in the Sunshine State longed for “sweater weather” in December, suitable for breaking out the woolly winter wear.
These days, the words “Christmas sweater” are likely to conjure up a different image than those simple cable knits in the 1953 ad. As a Time article put it, “the ugly Christmas sweater has become a ubiquitous feature of the holiday season, on par with grumbling about Black Friday.”
Granted, the “ugly Christmas sweater” may be a thing of beauty to plenty of fine folks. We’re talking about the kind of sweater that features seasonal emblems such as snowmen, reindeer and Christmas trees, and perhaps a pompom or felt appliqué. Beloved in stereotype by someone’s Great-Aunt Edna, these sweaters at some point became also beloved in pop culture, as objects of fun.
When the Orange County Regional History Center announced a “Wacky, Tacky Holiday Party” this year (Dec. 16), complete with the filmed-inOrlando movie “Ernest Saves Christmas” and encouragement to wear tacky sweaters, I followed my curiosity to learn more about the history of sweaters, including the “ugly” holiday ones.
Jerseys and cardigans
Although people were knitting wool by hand much earlier, the Encyclopedia Britannica traces the sweater (or “jumper,” across the pond), to the 15th century and the islands of Guernsey and Jersey — hence the term “jersey” — where tunics knitted from natural wool, which retained oil, offered protection against the cold even when damp.
Over time, the jersey spread throughout Europe, especially among working people. In the 1890s, it was adopted by athletes in the United States and called a sweater.
The jacket-style cousin of the pullover sweater boasts British roots, too. Adapted from a military waistcoat, the cardigan sweater’s provenance goes back to its eponymous inventor, the seventh Earl of Cardigan, who in 1854 led the famous Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War.
Fast forward to the 20th century, when college sports teams and the designer Coco Chanel had much to do with popularizing and creating variations of both kinds of sweaters. But what about the rise of the muchdecorated, holly-jolly sweaters that it has become hip to hate, or love, or both?
The first mass-produced Christmas-themed sweaters date from the 1950s, some sources say — a time when commercialization of the holiday first took hold. Called “Jingle Bell Sweaters,” they had some success, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that the popularity of holiday-themed sweaters really took off, fueled by TV sitcoms including “The Cosby Show” and movies such as “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (1989).
The trend seems to have been dormant in the 1990s, but sprung to life in the new millennium, an event some have credited to the actor Colin Firth’s appearance in a goofy reindeer sweater in the 2001 movie “Bridget Jones’s Diary.” Whatever the fuel that ignited it, the fad has since produced websites, schemes for parties and the manufacture of intentionally outrageous comic sweaters that are like nothing our fictional dear Great-Aunt Edna would have worn.
If you go
The Orange County Regional History Center’s “Wacky, Tacky Holiday Party” on Dec. 16, 1 to 4 p.m., features a 2 p.m. screening of “Ernest Saves Christmas,” plus crafts and refreshments, starting at 1 p.m., and a trivia contest. Holiday sweaters and pajamas are encouraged. It’s free for members and included with museum admission for others.
Today the History Center is free all day for two events: a Florida Highwaymen Meet & Greet (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and a drop-in Family Day program from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., linked to the exhibition “Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code.” For details on all these programs, visit thehistorycenter.org. The museum is at 65 E. Central Blvd. in downtown Orlando.