11 sweaters to wear to your office’s Ugly Sweater Party if you want to rep your Jewishness
Hanukkah officially came to an end on December 10th this year, but you’re probably still getting invited to lots of shindigs to celebrate the general holiday season—namely Christmas. Those celebrations may be joyful, but if you are a Jewish person, you might not feel comfortable partaking in all of the festivities. Are you looking forward to attending your office or friend group’s Ugly Sweater Party this month? Your peers may have dropped the “Christmas” part of the “Ugly Sweater” phrase to establish a non-denominational gathering, but knit sweaters emblazoned with jingle bells, reindeer, and other Christmas iconography are likely what come to mind when you imagine your clothing options.
The good news is that Etsy and Amazon offer plenty of playful “ugly sweaters” that reference Jewish culture without conflating Hanukkah with Christmas. The fact that those eight nights get branded as the “Jewish Christmas”—when Hanukkah exists completely separate from Christmas, isn’t even Judaism’s most important holiday, and is timed around our own religion’s calendar (not around December 25th)—is frustrating at best and problematic at worst (read more from an HG contributor here). So please know that this list is not meant to instruct you on how to make a Jewish “version” of a Christmas tradition. But at a non-denominational Ugly Sweater Party that simply aims to celebrate various winter holidays, obnoxious wordplay, and garish sweaters that you can only wear once, why not break out cheesy puns and proudly declare your Jewishness in one of these wintry ensembles?
1Challah! sweater
Make your enthusiasm for the best bread in town known.
2Star of David sweater
You might have a Star of David necklace already. Why not add a sweater into the mix?
3Jewnicorn sweater
Honor your ’80s/My Little Pony aesthetic while proclaiming your cultural identity.
4Jewbacca sweatshirt
You can never go wrong with a Star Wars pun—or with Chewbacca rocking payot.
5Challah At Ya Girl sweater
Once again, this is a perfect opportunity to remind your friends that you are a carb queen and a Jewish gal.
6I Got A Latke Going On sweater
We really do make great food, you guys.
7Dreidel sweatshirt
You can play dreidel and don a fab pink sweatshirt.
8Jewish Drake sweatshirt
You in a sweatshirt with proudly Jewish rapper Drake in a yarmulke? Sounds great.
9Kosher AF sweatshirt
Wear this, and you’ll never have to explain your dietary restrictions again.
10Oy Vey sweatshirt
Everyone’s favorite Yiddish phrase deserves a sweatshirt.
11My Latkes Bring All The Boys To The Yard T-shirt
Not a sweater, but it gets an honorable mention. Who can resist latkes and Kelis?
