Best Ugly Sweaters to Win an Ugly Sweater Contest in 2022

In the last few years, ugly sweaters have become more trendy than ugly. People are willing to don an ugly sweater for the office holiday party, Christmas gathering, or night out for a friendly competition around the ugliness of sweaters, despite 5% of people calling itchy sweaters one of the most hated aspect of winter.

The corporatization of this tradition, which was once fulfilled by the ugly sweaters of grandmas’ past, has resulted in ugly sweaters that have become more fashionable than ugly in 2022. These days, if you are wearing anything but an ugly sweater at your holiday party, you are likely to be the odd one out.

For some of you, going from the ‘style limbo’ of sweatpants during covid to an ugly sweater in 2022 might be an easy transition.  For most others, we have compiled this list of ugly sweaters to help you distinguish between the truly ugly sweaters and the wannabe ugly sweaters. You’ll notice a trend in 3d as we take our last ugly sweater breath into 2023.

These are the Best Ugly Sweaters for 2022 (and probably 2023 too), according to experts who really know ugly.

 

1. Unisex 3D Dog Ugly Christmas Sweater

Ugliest Christmas Sweater
Unisex 3D Dog Ugly Christmas Sweater

Many ugly sweaters will feature an unexpected holiday creature like a llama or baby yoda, but this is the first ugly sweater that we have seen with an animal in an ugly Christmas sweater of their own. With inflation going up and Santa getting a little bit cheap in 2022, this is essentially a two for one deal, making it #1 on this list.

Per the Reader’s Digest, this is one of the “most chaotic” ugly Christmas sweaters out there. This sweater is covered in candy canes, bells, and stockings, but for some reason it also features that dog wearing an ugly sweater and real (read: 3d) glittery sunglasses.

If you wear this sweater, even your grandma will say “it’s a bit much.”

$40 on Amazon

2. 3d Reindeer Ugly Christmas Sweater

Ugly Christmas Sweater 3d Reindeer
Ugly Christmas Sweater 3d Reindeer

If you want to look like a bus that ran into a moose, errr, reindeer, or a bus that was run into by a “reindeer,” then this is the ugly Christmas sweater for you.

Similar to Ugly Christmas Sweater #1, this sweater combines an ugly animal in three dimensions and technically, this animal is also wearing an ugly sweater – it’s just the same one you’re wearing.

Unfortunately, this sweater was bumped from the top spot because it’s lacking in the random tinsel and ugly, clashing colors department.

Oh, and it was also on no one else’s list at all.

Talk about the corporatization of ugly sweaters. We had to slot one truly ugly sweater into this list that might surprise your co-workers. No one knows about this one, so you’ll actually have a chance at winning your ugly sweater contest or at least scaring some youth carolers on the way there.

$68 at Amazon

3. The Mirror – Ugliest Sweater Award Christmas Sweater

Ugly Christmas Sweater Mirror
Ugly Christmas Sweater Mirror

This one made multiple lists including CNN’s and The Pioneer Woman’s, so it’s definitely a crowd favorite. As CNN notes, this sweater “will reflect all the other ugly sweaters at your party” which might make it the checkmate of ugly sweaters.

Due to popularity, we reluctantly included The Mirror ugly sweater on this list, but we have to ask, when does a joke like this get old?

Rumor has it that if two people wear this ugly sweater to the same party, they might catch on fire. Also important, don’t say “Candyman” three times into it.

$50 at Walmart

$60 on Amazon

4. Light Up Reindeer Ugly Christmas Sweater

Ugly Christmas Sweater - Reindeer Light Up
Ugly Christmas Sweater – Light Up Reindeer Nose

Any Ugly Christmas Sweater list would be incomplete (and many are — don’t trust them!) without at least one ugly sweater that lights up. The Daily Beast called this ugly sweater a “crowd-pleaser” and while Woman’s Day featured an ugly sweater with lights first on it’s list, Rudolph’s bright red nose and 3D scarf edged out other LED light sweaters.

$44 at Amazon

5. Tinsel and Ornament Ugly Christmas Sweater

Ugly Christmas Sweater Tinsel
Ugly Christmas Sweater Tinsel

This sweater is so ugly, the models didn’t want their whole face in the photos. The ugly Christmas sweater with tinsel and ornaments is a modern classic. USA Today was impressed that “tinsel was no longer reserved for the tree,” but if that’s the case, we are not sure why you would buy this sweater and not just make it yourself.

$60 on Amazon

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