How to Have an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party
Odds are that you are invited to or having an Ugly Christmas Sweater themed party this year. The tacky trend began over ten years ago and has exploded in popularity, and is now the most popular themed party for the holidays. Gone are the boring office cocktail parties, and 'in' are festive and fun themed ugly sweater parties where attendees must wear the ugliest, most obnoxious, tacky, and gaudy holiday knit they can put their hands on. Businesses, Non Profits, and families are all jumping on the 'ugly' bandwagon, and festive knits are the must-have item for the holidays.
(Photo: Rock Your Ugly Christmas Sweater)
Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest: Every tacky holiday sweater party should have contests for several categories of sweaters. Categories can include Most Ugly (Male and Female), Most Ugly Couple, and Best Homemade. Keep some prizes on hand for last-minute categories that you can designate 'on the fly' once you see what your guests wear. Examples may be 'Best Redneck Sweater' or 'Most Ugly Pet Sweater'. Get trophies or funny prizes for the winners. Cheesy prizes are best - like fruit cakes and cheese wheels and spam. Public parties that are trying to attract big numbers of party goers should offer more valuable prizes like cash or concert tickets to encourage people to attend.
Invitations: Make them fun! Ugly Christmas sweater party invitations should have fun photos of tacky sweaters to give your guests an idea of what they should be wearing. Be sure to tell your guest that there will be a contest and prizes!
What to wear: Although these parties have been around for years, there are still some people without TV or the Internet who may not know what an Ugly Christmas Sweater party is. It's a good idea to direct them to an ugly Christmas sweater store or website where they can get a visual on what's expected. Be sure to tell your guests that it's ok for them to make their own tacky sweater, and that 'anything goes': tree skirts, real ornaments, and garland are OK to put on a sweater!
Fun and Games: Plan some tacky fun at your party, like twister or pin the nose on the reindeer. Parties 4 Me has come up with a whole slew of Christmas Minute to Win It Games. Take your pick. Fun is the name of the game.
Food and Drink: Keep it tacky and festive. Decorate your table with a checkerboard table cloth or tree skirts. A good rule of thumb is that anything from the dollar store is probably perfect. For ideas of what to serve at an ugly Christmas sweater party for food and drinks check out the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Food and Drink Pinterest boards.