It’s Christmas Eve. The house is filled with laughter and cheer and everything looks perfect. Everything except that one cousin wearing the festive Christmas sweater that catches everyone’s eye as he walks through the house.

What was once known as a gaudy sweater that only your great-aunt Barbara or your second grade teacher wore has now been reintroduced into the fashion world as a trendy, must-have Christmas season need.

It’s not hard to spot the infamous holiday sweater. These sweaters typically include copious amounts of red and green; large depictions of Santa, snowmen, reindeer or Christmas trees; and jingle bells, pom pom or felt appliques. Some sweaters even light up and play music. These sweaters are meant to be a fun way to show your holiday spirit. When it comes to the holiday sweater, tackier is always better.

“I think tacky sweaters bring out the holiday season even if  are really itchy,”  sophomore Taylor Cahoon said. “It is fun to see what kind of ridiculous sweaters people will wear for the holidays.”

Stores like Target and T. J. Maxx now price these sweaters around $30.00. Before stores began mass producing these sweaters again, the older ones became hot items on eBay. Tacky sweaters can also be found at local thrift stores for reasonable prices.

“My favorite part is the bells because they make my sweater even tackier,” junior Kayli Tinsley said. “I bought my whole outfit at a thrift store for six dollars.”

While their popularity is newfound, tacky holiday sweaters have been around for decades. They were made popular in the ‘80s on some popular TV shows and movies like “The Cosby Show” and “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”. After the ’90s, their popularity waned.

“My mom was a retired teacher and really did think that they were cute,” CTE teacher Stephanie McKoy said. “She had several and would buy them for me when I was in high school and I had to wear them!”

Within the last decade, the popularity of these sweaters has increased with teenagers and young adults. These age groups can be seen wearing the garish sweaters throughout the holiday season.

Friends and families even throw gatherings now to don their “ugliest” holiday sweater and accessories. These parties are a huge hit, with attendees often trying to out do one another in the tacky department. Coined “ An Ugly Christmas Sweater Party,” those hosting can get inspiration from the internet. From Pinterest to party supply stores, there are ideas for decorations, food and games. Some of these parties even hold contests for the “tackiest” sweater.

The trend has continued to the workplace and schools. The third Friday of December is now officially known as National Ugly Sweater Day. Companies and schools host ugly sweater days and spirit competitions to spread holiday cheer and excitement. Although some students opt to wear holiday sweaters throughout the month of the December, the spirit day brings out a lot of participation and some of the best sweaters.

“I think it’s fun to show your Christmas spirit at school and it brings some fun into the stressful school work that we have in high school,” junior Alexis McCallum said.

The adage “everything old is new again” applies to these infamous sweaters. The tacky holiday sweater only known to only your older relatives and elementary school teachers is now popular with all ages.