Thursday, December 3, 2015

The Ugly truth about the Ugly Sweater Party.


The Ugly Sweater party was a BUST.  I don't have really ugly sweaters like some had.  I picked the ugliest sweater I owned, but it was too cute to even be considered ugly by most people.

It seems to be big business, because I actually went to the thrift store to see if I could find something uglier than this one.  I was blown away because the thrift store had signs showing Kids' Sweaters, Women's Sweaters, Men's Sweaters, and UGLY Sweaters.  Yes, there was an an actual rack marked "Ugly."  And they were twice as expensive as the other sweaters.  Seems everyone must be having an Ugly Sweater Party this year.
Since I had never been to my friends' house before, I set my camera on the window ledge and snapped away, not knowing if anything was in focus or not.  Some were, some were not.

They had moved from one house in the country to another not far from where they had lived the last time I visited them.

Many shots showed the railroad tracks I followed most of the way.

Boring maybe, but I like to take photos as I travel.

And it turns out these are the only photos I have of the event.
I went through several towns.

I went over bridges, surprisingly dry even though we had experienced a lot of ice between last Thursday and Monday morning.

The roads however, showed no ice or even standing water.  It was as if the ice storm had never happened, even though thousands had lost electricity, with some homes still without power even today (Thursday).

And sadly, this is where the story ends.  The ugly truth is I was TOLD (not asked) I was NOT allowed to put any photos on the internet of the party, the house I went to, or any of the people at the party.  These people wished to remain nameless and faceless.  I wasn't even allowed to take photos for my own private collection, so, although I would love to show you photos of the event, the silly prizes people received, and the sweaters, I can tell you that I had NO idea there were so many sweater categories.  There was a prize for the best Reindeer Sweater, the best Naughty Sweater, the best 3-D sweater, the best period sweater (like 70s, 80s. etc), the best glittery sweater, the best sweater with lights, the most outrageous, the most non-ugly (which I might add I won), the most shameful, and the overall most ugly.

My friend the hostess is not very artsy, but she put together the most incredible banner that spread across her entire living room.  She had made a TON of ugly sweaters out of construction paper and strung them with clothes pins.

She used argyle socks to wrap containers that held drinks on the table, which included eggnog, cocoa, and cider.  She cut up sweaters for place mats under the food which was served buffet style.  She baked two cakes that were shaped like outrageously ugly sweaters, too.  The centerpiece was a "tree" made from stacked tin cans that had been painted green.  To the stacked cans, our host added garish ornaments, some oversize, which made me think the tree would topple at any minute.

Those of us who stayed over were treated to a breakfast of egg and cheese "muffins" which were cooked in muffin tins, and blueberry muffins, with whole blueberries throughout the muffin.

I was not the only person who was disappointed not being able to take photos.  Several others brought their cameras, fully expecting to take lots of photos of the event.  However, everyone was told they were not allowed to use their cameras or their phones to record the event.  They were also told they couldn't tweet the event or announce it on Facebook.  Privacy seemed to be the answer to the Ugly Sweater Party.

On my way home, as I made my way onto the highway, I snapped a photo of my friends' home just outside their driveway, but you will never know where it is by the looks of it.

Aside from the fact I was not allowed to take photos, I had a wonderful time.  Laughs, great food, humorous decorations, and silly games dominated the over-the-top kitsch.  Thanks for joining me as I had a two day photoless, albeit fun filled time.

17 thoughtful remarks:

Divers and Sundry said...

"ugly sweater" is a pointless fad where people buy a piece of clothing specifically because they think other people will find it ugly. I'm not a fan. I always thought if I got invited to a party like that, I'd pin bright colored socks to a sweater I already have. DIY ugly ;)

People can be so paranoid about photos, but this seems a bit over the top. Usually people will let you take photos that don't have people or identifying information in them so you can share a taste of the experience with your friends/family. But some people are control freaks.

I'm standing with you in your disappointment.

Valerie-Jael said...

I suppose there<#s ugly and ugly and very ugly, but I would have thought not being able to take photos the very ugliest! Glad you had a fun time in spite of the photo prohibition, at least you got some photos of the stretch you traveled along. Have a nice day, hugs, Valerie

Cappuccinoandartjournal.blogspot.com said...

Wow -- you were TOLD you couldn't take photos? I would hate that. I certainly respect people's right to privacy and I rarely put photos of my friends on my blog or FB and then only if i ask them first. But it would be fun to take photos of the breakfast (which sounded great) or cake or banner etc without invading anyone's privacy.....but I really don't get that whole concept anyway....all my sweaters are really nice and who would I want something ugly? Those scenes you did photograph look so different from SF. Very wintery.

pearshapedcrafting said...

Gosh Elizabeth are you sure that this is a friend's house you go to!!?? She can't be that straight laced to hold an ugly sweater party (and a good one from your account!) Maybe, just maybe, she wanted everyone to enjoy themselves and not get taken up with the need to spend time trying to record the event! I can never understand seeing film of concerts on TV and all folk are doing is holding up their cameras for snapshots rather than enjoy seeing the artist perform! Shame though…I would have to have seen at least one or two - maybe just at the beginning or end!! It certainly sounds like a lot of fun!! The journey pics seem to show the usual industrial surrounding of railways near any town - even Switzerland had it's ugly areas! Hugs, Chrisxx

Craftymoose Crafts said...

Despite the lack of photos, it sounds like you had a good time! Thanks for describing it for us.

sheila 77 said...

I've never heard of an Ugly Sweater Party - what a good idea, it sounded like a lot of fun and the hostess seemed to have taken a lot of trouble to set the scene.
I can understand not being allowed to take photos as I read on another blog that one person said she did not want her face shown with her outfit but the blogger showed it anyway. I know you would not have done that but it only needs one other person to do it. And sometimes the photos people take are not very flattering and not something you would want online for ever.
Your description of the party was really good and I could imagine what it was like. I also enjoyed the photos of your trip to get there with the industrial buildings.

Viktoria Berg said...

I haven´t heard of Ugly Sweater, but when my youngest sister were in her teens (she is 8 years younger than I, so I had moved away from home) she went to a Bad Taste party. As it turned out, she dressed up in MY clothes, some of which were still at my parent´s house. In those days, fashion was a lot more dictatorial, and I guess I was out of style. Now, it seems, anything goes. Or perhaps I have just lost touch with it...

Meggymay said...

Not heard of this kind of party either, but it sounds a real fun idea. Shame you weren't able to take photos, from your post I can imagine you all had a fantastic time.
Yvonne xx

My name is Erika. said...

I love the train photos, even if they aren't ugly sweaters. Some people are so uptight about photos I guess. It sounds like your hostess put a lot of thought into the event and it does sound like you had fun!!!! Glad you shared the story! I've never been to an ugly sweater party before and I hope some day I get to go to one.

Rita said...

Where was their sense of humor? Who cares if people see people in ugly sweaters? I don't understand all the secrecy, but I'm glad you had a good time regardless. :)

Linda Kunsman said...

SO glad you had a great time Elizabeth!! Enjoyed your photos along the road-I do love trains and watching them. We have one just down the block from our home and get to see and hear the whistles several times a day and night-never bothered me:) I can understand the ban of any photos only because I have a few friends who are adamant about me not mentioning specifics on my blog about them. And two of them are constantly ?? me about whether or not I'm afraid someone will stalk me or find out where I live or even hack into personal stuff! Perhaps I am naïve but I think I'm OK and there are PLENTY of others who share MUCH MORE than I do. I can only imagine all the fun at your party. Thanks for sharing the visuals from your perspective!

voodoo vixen said...

I am so glad you had a lovely time at your ugly sweater party and it sounds as though your hostess went to a lot of effort to make it a success... shame she got paranoid about the photos though... she could have said no faces and you would have been able to give us a taste of the ugly sweaters on display and the food. It all looked a bit bleak and wintry.... a bit like here at the moment! ;)

froebelsternchen said...
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AiyanaKalyna said...

I recognize the area you took the photos of. That brings back a lot of memories. I can remember my Father driving in that area during an ice storm. I am glad you didn't have too. I will admit I have a no photo policy too. It's due to protecting me from a violent stalker. Even though he keeps going to prison he keeps getting out. I admit to being very careful with my privacy. I would be horrified to make my friends feel like I told them not to take pictures of me or my home. I always ask and only one time I had to be stern. I am still happy you had a good time. The food she served sounds so delicious.

Carol said...

Love all of the photos from your road trip :) I have friends who feel the same about photos and even there name being mentioned on the internet. At least you had a great time at the party :) We are suppose to go to an Ugly Sweater Party on Sunday .. It's my works Christmas party. I never know until the last minute if I"m going or not. Sometimes they are fun and some years we just can't wait to get home.

Anonymous said...

Love all the railroad track photos. Sounds like the party was kind of ugly with all the control freak behavior. My neighbors invited us to their Christmas Party and they had a tiny ugly sweater thing. Not my thing, and yes the local goodwill had an ugly sweater rack, I don't get the fascination????? xox

Dianne said...

well I must say it sounds like a spectacular event from your excellent description in word pictures! so glad it was fun for all, and I don't mind wintery photos at all. would have liked a closer pic of the graffiti...but you know me. ;)