How Jim Carrey Was Involved in Birth of Ugly Xmas Sweater Parties

We've all been to an ugly Christmas sweater party, and let's be honest, some of them are a blast as long as you're not trying to impress anyone with your fashion sense but rather how hideous you can dress.

At this point, we either have these ridiculous sweaters in our closets, possibly several of them over the years from such parties, or we've grown from beyond ugly to outrageous, expensive, or elaborate.

Either way, they're not typical fashion statements unless they involve a party, and many of us have our grandparents to thank for them growing up.

So, it should come as no surprise to you that senior citizens ignited the idea. Then, some college students and their love of actor Jim Carrey's outrageous sweater in the movie Dumb and Dumber took it further, creating the first ugly Christmas sweater party in 2002, according to Mental Floss.

It happened when some retirement home residents in Vancouver, Canada, started pulling out their crazy Christmas sweaters, wearing them, and showing them off to each other, eventually trying to outdo each other. The more ostentatious the sweater, the better.

According to HuffPost Canada, one of the employees at the retirement home, who was a local college student, loved seeing the fun, and the idea was born.

But he and his friends wanted to be even uglier and more absurd. Enter their love for Jim Carrey and the movie Dumb and Dumber, in which the characters wear beyond hilariously gaudy Christmas sweaters.

The party started small with a few friends. Eventually, their annual parties, which have become a worldwide trend, were moved to larger venues like local pubs in the Vancouver area and, finally, Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom, according to HuffPost Canada, because they became so popular.

Now, you may be thinking you recall seeing ugly Christmas sweaters in 80s movies like Christmas Vacation. You did, but when they started getting mass-produced back then, they were known as jingle ball sweaters. And no, not something you'd ever wear in public unless forced.

Now, we can't get enough of them in public as long as a party is involved.