National Ugly Christmas-Holiday Sweater Day (December 15) 2017-12-11 Though Chevy Chase has been, on occasion, credited with the Ugly Christmas Sweater trend due to his role in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and though ugly Christmas outfits have been seen in films like A Christmas Story since 1983, the Ugly Christmas Sweater party did not take off until the early 2000s. And it wasn’t until 2011, when a subset of ugly Christmas sweater aficionados decided to spready the wealth (and the wool) that Ugly Christmas Sweaters got their official day—the third Friday of December every year, to be exact. This year, wear your festive best on December 15! Don’t have a pom-pom-bedecked, cable-knitted, Grinch-themed beauty in the back of your closet? There’s still time to purchase one from one of these online vendors: Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Tipsy Elves Rusty Zipper Your Ugly Christmas Sweater The Ugly Christmas Don’t celebrate Christmas? What’s in a name! Hideous sweaters can be found for celebrators of Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and those of non-denominational interests as well. To bring the party to your cafeteria: Make sure everyone on-staff wears their Ugly Sweaters all day. Have students vote for which sweater they think is best! Pass out paper sweaters to elementary-level students to decorate their own Ugly Sweaters. Hand out something extra special to any customers who arrives in an Ugly Sweater (like a sweater-shaped sticker). Outside of the cafeteria, you can participate in any of the five activities that are part of Save the Children’s “Make the World Better with a Sweater” campaign. Make sure, no matter how you choose to rock your Ugly Sweater, that you share it with us via social media. Access this very exciting date, celebration tips and more in School Nutrition magazine’s 2017-18 Promo Calendar, which is available at schoolnutrition.org/promocalendar.