Writing a blog is interesting. There are weeks when it is a challenge. Other times it is entertaining. I am taking a complete departure from the tedious topic of insurance and leaving last week’s Drunk Driving entry far behind. This week’s topic? The ugly Christmas sweater.
We have all had them. I am sure that we have probably all given them at one time or another. (Hopefully, the recipient graciously nodded and thanked you profusely for the thought.) Mine? I had a great-aunt who knitted. (She was also a great aunt. Punctuation saves lives.) She was very accomplished and over the course of my childhood, I remember receiving several hand-made sweaters. They weren’t always ugly, but they always had a tiny “head hole.” It was almost impossible to get your head through the hole when you put it on. Once your head was through, getting the sweater off was a near death experience; holding your breath while trying not to be choked by the sweater as your mom or brother pulled and tugged to get it off.
As I walk through the malls, and down the streets, doing my Christmas shopping, I cannot help but stop when I see the ugly Christmas sweater. You know what I am talking about. They have the scene of the wolf howling at the moon, or the mismatched colors and patterns. I think that it is being worn because the wearer is headed to visit the giver, or they lost a bet. Or, maybe, its laundry day and that is all that was clean. I laugh to myself and think, “That is one ugly sweater. Hopefully, it isn’t going to strangle them too.”