National Ugly Holiday Sweater Day falls on the third Friday of December each year—and in 2025, that’s today, December 19th.
“I Drink and I Know Things.”
… did I find the perfect sweater or what?! 😏
Yes, I did later learn it’s a Game of Thrones reference (a world I never quite entered—and probably won’t). But honestly? As a food & drink historian, beverage educator, wine & spirits professional, and spirited storyteller, it all but called out my name as I passed by it.
“Flirtation at first glance: an ‘ugly’ sweater soul mate revealed” 📸 the photo i took for some reason prior to purchase. Perhaps for this post one day? :)
What made the sweater find even sweeter is where I ‘found’ it—at one of my neighborhood’s weekend pop-up vintage collector markets, diagonally across the street from my friend Heather’s wine shop, where I worked at the time (it was Fall 2021). Those mini market places where artisan-style vendors set up tables of beautifully curated, often one-of-a-kind finds—more treasure hunt or discovery than holiday shopping. No mass racks. No bulk sameness…—just thoughtful vendors who become part of the neighborhood fabric, and occasionally, that rare one who reaches “favorite neighbor” status—where this aesthetically challenged shirt showed up...(as if with ‘my name on it’ in ink visible only to me ;)
There it was: a singularly “ugly,” yet intriguing holiday-ish sweater—hanging outward-facing on a fence line in front of MS 51, among other unique finds that vary week to week. Freshly cleaned. In great condition. Apparently made of quality materials (seemingly impervious to “pilling up”). Not only my size, but also affordable (crucial for an impromptu, nonessential impulse purchase…) …Pleasantly (but also not surprisingly) it checked all the boxes that make this pop-up shopkeeper so nice to source specialty items from …
Not a classic Christmas sweater for sure — but a busy HOLIDAY pullover knit nonetheless with colors of deep red, with some white (from the repeating snowflake pattern) and bits of green trim here and there — it fit my pan-holiday, season-long celebratory personality perfectly—where libations, cheers, and toasting take center stage. At that point, it felt less like I’d found the sweater, and more like this omniscient sweater had magically found me!
📸 Shout-out to my sister-friend and culinary colleague / cronie LisaRoxanne, whose artsy “Merry Kissmas” Marilyn Monroe seasonal shirt’s a conversation starter at any cocktail party too 💋✨
📸 And as you can see in the slideshow—Simba & Sarabi understood the assignment too. Looking adorable in their teeny tiny holiday sweaters (via pic collage 😻😽… purrrrrfect! 🐾🧶🐾
Ugly ? Debatable. Definitely Expressive ...
🥂 Cheers to savvy sweaters that come with stories to share—and to DRINKin’ and KNOWin’ some thangs too! 🍷✨
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Speaking of pan-holiday, check out the article i wrote for FOOD & WINE Magazine’s “ Holidays Around The World” issue (2024-2025) showcasing holiday traditions from different cultures & ‘corners’ of the globe — including the seven days of Kwanzaa, which is what I wrote about — from a “holiday maximalist’s” perspective …
🎁 GIVE THE GIFT OF THE FOOD GRIOT’S CULINARY (& COCKTAIL!) CREATIVITY (VIA MY PATREON ) TO YOUR FAVE FOODIE and/or DRINKS lover THIS YEAR ! 🎁 …