How to Be a Hit at the Ugly Sweater Party

Holiday parties are coming soon and you need to be prepared. A new type of party recently started popping up all over the place called the Ugly Sweater Party or the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. This is a party when true ugliness is to be embraced! If you are lucky enough to get invited to one of these parties, it is important to look the part. You certainly need to know how to be a hit at the Ugly Sweater Party.

What is most important is first finding an ugly sweater. Sadly, some of us need look no further than our own closet. You might have an ugly sweater or an ugly holiday sweater in your closet for a number of different reasons. Perhaps it was an unwanted gift from a relative. Maybe you were given it as a gag gift. It is also possible that you had a momentary lapse in good taste and actually bought the sweater at the time. For whatever reason, you've got yourself an ugly sweater.

You might ask, "How do I know it is an ugly sweater?" Some people in your life will usually be kind enough to share that information with you. You could be walking out your house thinking you look pretty cute when a roommate or family member will ask you what you are wearing. This is a bad sign. Sit them down and get the truth out of them. Just because they don't like it does not mean it is ugly. But if you are walking down the street and people are turning their head away from you in disgust, my friend, you have an ugly sweater!

Before going through the humiliating experience of wearing an ugly sweater by accident, you might want to ask yourself some simple questions when attempting to determine if a sweater is ugly:

1. Does it clash with itself?
2. Does it include about 20 different colors, including colors you never knew existed?
3. Are there extra items sewn into it, such as pom-poms or too many sequins?
4. Is there a lot of fringe?
5. Does it light up?
6. Does it jingle?

If the answer is "yes" to any of these questions, you are looking at an ugly sweater.

If you are not lucky enough to have your own ugly sweater and no one around you will let you borrow their ugly sweater, then you are going to have to purchase one. A great place to start is Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Trust me, there is a reason people are dumping those sweaters there. Some are going to be horrifically ugly. Go through some sweaters and find something hideous. It does not necessarily have to be a Christmas sweater to be an ugly sweater, but it sure does help.

No luck at Goodwill or the Salvation Army? No problem. There are ugly sweaters online. You can search on Amazon and find plenty of ugliness right on that site. There are even websites totally devoted to the Ugly Sweater! You think I am kidding? Check out uglychristmassweaterparty.com and you will see I am not joking. You can even buy an ugly sweater on their site.

If you don't feel like paying a ridiculous amount of money for an ugly sweater you will maybe only wear once, you can make your own ugly sweater! Even if you are not into knitting a sweater from scratch, that is not a problem. Dig around in your closet and find a sweater you no longer like. It is even better if it really does not fit properly, but you can still manage to wear it. Since it is going to be ugly, it is an extra bonus if it is ill-fitting as well.

Now, go to a craft store or rummage around through things you already have that you can use to make this sweater totally ugly. You are going to need some fabric paint or glue, and a needle and thread. Some items you can attach to your soon-to-be ugly sweater are:

• Feathers
• Pom-poms
• Jingle bells
• Ugly buttons
• Rhinestones
• Glitter
• Glittery buttons
• Cotton balls
• Tinsel
• Garland
• Small stuffed animals
• Weird decals
• Fake price tag
• Sequins
• And much, much more!

Just when you think it is too ugly, add some more ugliness to it. It is a personalized way to be a part of the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. All of the guests will love your originality, and you may just win the contest if there is one.

If you really want to take the party to a whole new level, wearing an entire ugly outfit will just impress everyone even more. And to think, you thought you'd never wear those hot pink sweat pants again. If everything clashes, even better! Can you find a fun headband with ears sticking out of it? Awesome! Anything you can do to make the whole look a little uglier is going to make you a hit at the Ugly Sweater Party this holiday season.