• by Danielle Oster , Yesterday

For years, two Canadian men named Chris Boyd and Jordan Birch claimed to be the originators of the “ugly sweater” holiday tradition with a party they threw as college students in the Vancouver area back in 2002.

But the state of Michigan would like to set the record straight.

According to a blog post published by the state’s tourism arm, Pure Michigan, the phenomenon is “A Michigan Tradition.” A pair of former Western Michigan University students claim to have originated the holiday tradition two years earlier than 2022, if not the “ugly sweater party” term itself. According to the post, then Western Michigan University students Michael Saint-Aubin and Jason Weeby first sparked the phenomenon with a Sears photo session leaning into quirky holiday garb and subsequent theme party.

“We thought, let's throw a party called the Turtleneck & Sweater Holiday Extravaganza,” Saint-Aubin told Pure Michigan. “It would be like our parents’ Christmas parties we grew up with, complete with vinyl records, eggnog, mustaches and sweaters.”

While not using the phrase “ugly sweater,” the concept certainly seems to have been there. Regardless of point of origin, the tradition has grown in popularity over the years, particularly with “ugly” over-the-top holiday sweaters seeing a pronounced retail revival in the early 2010s.

The occasion for the pronouncement was an event celebrating the 25th anniversary of “The Original Turtleneck & Sweater Holiday Extravaganza,” with all proceeds from ticket sales donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Additionally, it coincided with Pure Michigan partnering with fiber artist Madie Loebig on a sweater pattern design for the season. 

It also arrived on the heels of a “Keep It Fresh” campaign initially launched by Pure Michigan last month, promoting the state as a destination for winter getaways, with an emphasis on audiences interested in the outdoors. A 30-second “Fresh Start” spot featured in the campaign centers on Michigan’s array of winter recreation destinations, while also demonstrating the state’s natural beauty.

The $825,000 “Keep It Fresh” campaign is running across print, digital, streaming TV, paid social, through the end of February. According to Pure Michigan, the media strategy for the campaign focuses on targeting audiences in out-of-state markets including Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, New York and Philadelphia, as well as in-state markets such as Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Traverse City.