How To Win an Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest

How to Win an Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest

Sure, Christmas is the season of giving. But receiving is better. And when it comes to winning an ugly Christmas sweater contest, you really want to be the recipient of that first prize! There’s nothing wrong with having a competitive attitude. After all, winning is fun—especially when there is fashion involved. If you’ve been invited to a tacky sweater party, there are a few things you can do to improve your chances of walking away with the blue ribbon.

Consider Your Audience

What’s ugly to one group might be charming to another. It’s funny but true. If you have a bunch of cat lovers in the audience, a sweater with a kitty wearing a Santa hat isn’t going to win you any votes for “ugliest sweater.” You want to go on the offense with the offensive nature of your sweater. Choose something cheerfully grotesque if the judges are likely to be serious people. They will hate it—and that’s a winning point for you. If the audience assessing your sweater has a sense of humor, a tacky sweater that mocks a religious figure or turns the Christmas season on its head with some form of absurdity is likely to work best. If the crowd is younger, a sweater that makes a hysterical pop culture reference is a good choice.

Go Full on Ugly

The sweater will always be the centerpiece of any holiday party fashion statement. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore the rest of your outfit. Create a hideous ensemble with matching Christmas leggings, bright green pants, a knit toboggan, a holiday fanny pack, or a scarf. You want to be all that and a bag of caramel popcorn at the party. There’s no excuse for ignoring these details. They can help boost your sweater over the top in a tight contest.

Consider an Interactive Sweater

To win the popular vote, get people on your side by campaigning in an interactive Christmas sweater. It might have a bottle opener attached to give your bros an assist with their beer opening dilemma. Or, give party-goers a chance to play cornhole with your sweater. Because letting people pelt you with beanbags will make people bond with you for sure.

Think Outside the Sweater

What’s the next step beyond an ugly Christmas sweater? How about an ugly Christmas sweater dress or a full-body knitted onesie in a Fair Isle pattern? Technically, wearing one of these items instead of a traditional sweater might get you disqualified. Or, it might help you win by a landslide just for getting creative with your fashion choices. Are you willing to compete dangerously?

Bribe the Judge

You didn’t hear it from us, but one of our cute wine sweaters wrapped around a bottle of the judge’s favorite Bordeaux might go a long way toward securing the prize. In fact, that’s what bad kids send to Santa to get on his nice list—even when they don’t deserve it. Of course, in a Tipsy Elves sweater, you don’t have to cheat to win an ugly Christmas sweater contest. So find your prize-winning design right now!