One of the life's weirder paradoxes is that everyone hates hideous outfits, but loves the ugly Christmas sweaters. These ugly sweaters literally turn the wearer into an un-ironical laughing stock, so why are people still so fascinated by them? Why do people love to wear Christmas decorations as clothing so much? We really don't have the answers to any of these questions, and all we can do is share the most monstrous ugly Christmas sweater ideas with you.

The ugly Christmas sweater exists in a strange sort of limbo – everyone “hates” them and calls them ugly, but everyone still ends up wearing and loving them during the holiday season anyway, spreading cheer and Christmas spirit. These cardigans are so iconic that people even make ugly Christmas sweater parties, dedicated solely to these hideous garments. So here are just a few of those beautiful, ugly Christmas sweaters that we love to hate (or hate to love?).

If you've got a favorite men's or women's ugly Christmas sweater that you wear every season, show it off by adding it to our list – and vote for your favorites, too!