Hello and welcome back to English with Ally! 

This episode is about possibly the quirkiest festive tradition of them all: Ugly Christmas Jumpers. These colourful, sometimes ridiculous sweaters have become a regular part of holiday celebrations. But where did this trend come from? Let’s find out! 

Here's some key vocabulary to listen out for:

• Ugly – not pretty
• Joke - something to make people laugh
• Snowflake – a small piece of snow that falls from the sky, often used as a design on jumpers.
• Reindeer – an animal often associated with Christmas and Santa’s sleigh.
• Old-fashioned - not on trend
• Ugliest - the superlative of ugly 
• Trend – something that becomes popular for a period of time.
• Quirkiest  – the most unusual - in a fun or interesting way.

The relatively-recent tradition of wearing ugly Christmas jumpers started as a joke. In the 1980s, festive sweaters were popular, often featuring snowflakes, reindeer, and Christmas trees. Over time, these designs were seen as old-fashioned and became a source of humour.

In the early 2000s, the idea of wearing an “ugly” jumper for fun took off, especially in the UK and North America. People began buying the ugliest Christmas jumpers they could find to wear at parties.

Today, ugly jumpers are everywhere at Christmas time! Shops sell them with flashing lights, 3D decorations, and even musical features. There’s even a National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day in December. Celebrities and TV shows have embraced the trend, making it a festive favourite because it brings joy to the viewers and that makes it perfect for Christmas

You have probably seen the ugly jumper phenomenon  in films and TV shows. For example:

• Bridget Jones’s Diary – features the famous scene where Mark Darcy wears a reindeer jumper.
• The Big Bang Theory and Friends also have episodes with characters in festive sweaters.

These moments show how the "tradition" has become part of pop culture. I really think this has to be one of the quirkiest new traditions

Do you own an ugly Christmas jumper? I used to have one with a reindeer on it. Do you have a similar tradition in your culture to wear something quirky to celebrate a special occasion? Let me know! You can email me on [email protected]

That’s all for today’s episode of English with Ally. Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you the next time. Merry Christmas!

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