This isn’t everyone’s memory of Christmas sweaters, but it’s mine, and if you want to have different memories, then go write your own blog.

It’s trendy to have ugly Christmas Sweater Parties around this time of year. Everyone laughs, takes a lot of photographs, and then eagerly scurries home to post the hilarity to Facebook. Just take a look at how happy our gracious models are in the photos below.

But before ugly sweaters were commercialized by corporate giants like Goodwill to drive profits, before they were a reason to drink egg nog, before people smiled while wearing them, they were the standard uncomfortable apparel at the center of the two of my family’s worst holiday traditions.

1. Christmas card pictures at Olan Mills. Inevitably, at least one of my siblings ended up crying. The resulting photo included forced smiles and puffy red eyes that were begging Mom to deem the photo “decent enough to send to Grandma.”

2. The church Christmas program. This involved singing Silent Night with a bunch of other kids who hadn’t shown up to rehearsal either and also didn’t know the words. As if not knowing the words was bad enough, I usually had to stand next to the cute blonde girl who knew all of the words and sang Christmas songs as they were meant to be sung: at ear drum damaging volume.

So this holiday season, before you get caught up in the hype, make sure to take time to pause and reflect on the misery that these sweaters caused you not that many years ago. Instead of buying this year’s sweater from a thrift store, consider buying one off the back of a crying child. This simple act can bring so much joy to a young one, and will warm your heart as well. If you prefer chilly forearms to a warmed heart, we made a few Christmas Sweater Tee Shirts as well which are on sale here for $17.