fbpx

Apparently, there is a trend to give ugly jumpers as Christmas gifts – a modern twist on people knitting jumpers for loved ones that were, ah, less than appreciated!

poinsettia and silver foil Christmas set

This is a little garish for my taste – I wouldn’t want this as a jumper design!

Would you think it was hip and funny to open a beautifully wrapped present to find it was an awful jumper you wouldn’t wear – except perhaps that day and at an ‘ugly sweater Christmas party’?

I wouldn’t be pleased with such a gift.

Would you want to go to an ugly Christmas jumper party anyway? That could be funny but I’m not sure it’s worth buying a new jumper for (now a cheap second-hand one from an op shop is a different matter!)

Why give an ugly gift?

I understand the humour aspect – and joke gifts can be a lot of fun. But to me, joke gifts are a cheap item that I give in addition to a real gift or in a casual setting (such as a Kris Kringle with people I don’t know well).

If I’m putting real money into a gift for someone, I want it to be something they will enjoy and make use of. Partly to see value for money, but also to actually give something the person will value and hopefully make their live a little better.

Giving a Christmas themed gift obviously limits it’s use anyway – I mean not many people will use a Christmas tablecloth or tee-shirt throughout much of the year. But deliberately choosing an ugly Christmas thing doesn’t make any sense to me.

Especially when many people around the world are struggling, and schools are stopping Kris Kringles for lack of money in families, giving gifts you know are ugly and unwanted seems wrong and very superficial.

Maybe that’s just me?

What criteria (even if you’ve never thought of it as criteria!) do you put around things you give as Christmas gifts?

 

Note: The article that inspired this post was about a specific company who is using (or perhaps building) this trend. That company puts part of jumper proceeds into clothing underprivileged kids and I have no problem with them selling their jumpers as a business model. I looked at their jumpers – they look like quality jumpers and are really nice for the most part – until you look closely to see what the picture really is when ‘nice’ is not the word you’d use 🙂