Monday Musings: How Close Are We to the Ugly Christmas Sweater
Happy Monday, ladies. Our weekend was a busy one. We got to watch my oldest grandson play baseball, which always warms my heart because he looks like he’s having so much fun. Then my littlest grandson turned 3, and his parents threw him a boisterous party.
BLACK SNEAKERS / SHOULDER BAG / SIMILAR GRAY PEARLS HERE, HERE, AND HERE
When I asked my son what to get the little guy, he said he’d love a Hot Wheels. I’m pretty sure the birthday boy has no idea what a Hot Wheels is, but my son certainly does. Apparently we never bought him one when he was little, and he always wanted one. I guess I think quite differently as a grandparent than I did as a parent, and I’m happy to indulge him.
Holiday Style
I’ve been thinking about how my style has evolved and wonder about yours.
I vividly remember that back in my 30s, December meant wearing red leather ankle boots with bells threaded through the laces so I jingled when I walked. I also wore ceramic light-bulb earrings and a necklace with four ceramic Christmas light bulbs, made by a local artist. I thought I looked and sounded pretty cool. But of course, I had kids in kindergarten.
I’ve been doing a lot of try-ons this week in stores that cater to women over 50, and I swear there’s more of this every year. The vest they sold last season is back, now with rhinestones. The T-shirts have glittery Santa or reindeer appliqués. I saw one jacket with rhinestones, sparkles, and fringe, all at once. And if you’re still feeling underdressed, there’s a Christmas tree you can hang from each ear.
I looked at that jacket and thought, how close are we to the ugly Christmas sweater here? And if I took off the fringe, would I still think that?
The funny thing about ugly Christmas sweaters is that people used to buy them because they liked them. Somewhere along the way we started throwing parties that required them, and now we’ll go out and buy one because we think it’s hideous.
I like a little sparkle. I can see the appeal of a fabulous pair of earrings with a simple cashmere sweater, especially when I’ve already worn the sweater twice that month. I also like seeing a woman in something wildly exuberant that I would have put back on the rack. Some women can wear an entire Christmas tree’s worth of jewelry and look like they’re having a marvelous time. I’d spend the evening taking my earrings off and putting them in my purse.
Part of what bothers me is how often the clothes in these stores go straight to cute. I see it the rest of the year, too, in the puffed sleeves and some of the prints. Some days, I look at a top and think it belongs at a six-year-old’s birthday party. I’d like these stores to dress grown women like grown women.
And I do want these stores to give us more fun things to wear. I’d love to walk into one and find a jacket with a great swing to it or a pair of earrings with a shape I haven’t seen a dozen times. I might even like that rhinestone jacket if they’d stopped at the rhinestones. I’d have to try it on, which is how I get into trouble in the first place.
Of course, putting rhinestones on a familiar vest is also a very good way to sell us another vest. Maybe that’s why it gets on my nerves. We already have the one from last year, and suddenly there’s a holiday version we’re supposed to want, too. I’d be more tempted if they’d made a completely different vest. That one was perfectly fine.
As for me, I can count my holiday events this year on two fingers, and I’m not buying anything for either of them. I don’t believe in buying clothes for a single event, and I have things in my closet from so long ago that I don’t need more. My plan is a velvet jacket and a swishy plain skirt, then a brooch, some earrings and a clutch. Call it a day.
I’m curious where you draw the line between festive and tacky. Is there something you happily wear this time of year that you’d have laughed at on the hanger?