Ugly Holiday Sweater Contest: There’s Nothing Subtle about Them
Which is why we love them
Carmine Granucci, information technology manager, Global Programs, won his holiday sweater in an Uber contest earlier this month. He wore it to the annual University Holiday Party. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
Isabel Strobing (CAS’17, GRS’17) saw her sweater when she was buying a sweatshirt for her boyfriend. “It was so cute, I had to get it for myself,” she says. “There aren’t a lot of Hanukkah sweaters out there.” She liked it so much, she bought her boyfriend one proclaiming, “All I Want for Christmas Is Tom Brady.” Photo by Cydney Scott
Gabrielle Guarracino, School of Hospitality Administration staff and events coordinator, says her sweater “didn’t start life as a holiday sweater...I just found an ugly sweater and did it myself into a holiday sweater.” Photo by Cydney Scott
Manny Gomez (COM’17) says his sweater “is by rapper 2Chainz and the proceeds go to charity.” Photo by Cydney Scott
Helen Laquian Flagg (CAS’87, Questrom’99), BU Dental Health Center finance manager, is a Patriots season ticket holder and loves to watch games with her family. She says her sweater is great because it’s so hideous. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
Helen Houghton (CAS’20) got her sweater at an H&M store in Italy, where her family is currently living. She says she’s worn her sweater around campus and gotten lots of laughs. “My own cat loves it. She thinks the shine is quite magnificent.” Photo by Cydney Scott
T. J. Bergeron (CFA’20) says his ugly holiday sweater has sort of evolved. He bought the gray cotton sweater at a Savers, but “one day I got hot and ripped the sleeves off,” he says. After that, he added ornaments with cement glue. The pièce de résistance—two mini-stockings with candy canes. When people ask for a candy cane, he says, “Sure, you can have it, but it’s a year old." Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
Deborah Utter, a Questrom master lecturer (left), is an ugly sweater novice, and Phyllis McGinnis, a Questrom marketing lecturer, is an aficionado of the genre. “This is my mom’s sweater,” says McGinnis. Each year she wears an ugly Christmas sweater every day from December 1 through Christmas. Utter says her Star Wars–inspired piece “is my first ugly sweater, and I didn’t know it was ugly until Phyllis told me.” Photo by Cydney Scott
Jacob Dufault (CAS’17) says, “I wanted something that would get a lot of attention.” We think he’s succeeded. Photo by Cydney Scott
Nicky Eleuteri (CAS’18) bought his sweater vest at Marshall’s for $15. “The ornaments are ones I found over the years and added,” he says. Photo by Cydney Scott
Elizabeth Cox (COM’17) says she has a lot of Christmas sweaters, but admits that “this is the only one I won’t wear...I got it when I was studying overseas, in Chester, England, but I never wear it because it makes noise.” Photo by Cydney Scott
Victor Kholod (CAS’16) was shopping back home in Maryland at a store called Ross Dress for Less when this sweater called out to him. “It just hit me—the garish colors—they were both disgusting and beautiful. I’ve been getting a lot of love for it recently.” Photo by Cydney Scott
Keri Yang (CAS’19 (left) and Andrea Rustad (CAS’19) seem to get a kick out of their holiday attire. Andrea got her sweater for an ugly Christmas sweater 5K she ran earlier this month, and Keri bought hers last year at a BJ’s in New York for an ugly sweater party. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
In the slideshow above, BU faculty, staff, students, and alums proudly model their cherished holiday sweaters. Some may call them ugly, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
We asked, you answered. We put the word out last week that we were launching our first-ever ugly holiday sweater photo contest. We heard from students, faculty, staff, and alums—all eager to model their holiday attire.
They arrived with sweaters bearing bows, ornaments, ribbons, cats with antlers, and even Julian Edelman. Please take a look—and hope that nothing like them has been gift-wrapped with your name on it.
Be sure to check back here at 2 p.m. when we announce the top three ugliest holiday sweater winners. (Each will receive a prize, and no, it’s not another holiday sweater.) Our thanks to all the elves, grinches, and snowpersons brave enough to show up to be photoed.
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