Of all the new ‘holidays” coming up this is probably one of the wackiest: National Ugly Sweater Day, also known as National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day (learn more here). The “official” day is the third Friday in December (this year it’s December 20) but most folks don’t want to wait till then…and bars, restaurants, stores and attractions getting in on the fun.  For instance, visitors to Georgia’s Stone Mountain will get a discount (details here) on passes and Alaska Airlines is offering priority pre-boarding on flights for those wearing Ugly Sweaters.

You don’t need wintry weather to enjoy the fun, says DeAnne Cuellar, State Director, Texas for Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) and Senior Planet San Antonio.

“Our first official holiday party took place recently during happy hour at The Friendly Spot Icehouse in the Southtown arts district. The icehouse we picked is located in the Lavaca neighborhood, the oldest existing neighborhood in San Antonio, off of César E. Chávez Boulevard. These icehouses have been a South Texas tradition since the 1920s, and the City of San Antonio works hard to preserve these cornerstones within our older neighborhoods. We owe a great deal of gratitude to the owners and staff of this location who basically let us crash their Sunday night!”

“We weren’t sure about the turnout with the weather being all over the place. The day before it was 82 degrees at 4 p.m., but the sun didn’t stop anyone from wearing their ugly sweaters. People from as far as Converse, Texas showed up to mingle with their friends coming over from the West End Senior Center. It was SO cool to see people introducing themselves by the location where they took their first technology course. There were buckets of beer, micheladas, margaritas, and nachos everywhere. New friendships were made last night, and a few new faces showed up to learn more about Senior Planet. The LULAC group and older adults from the Pride Center also stopped by to join in the fun. ¡Feliz Navidad from San Anto, Tejas!”

It’s not all beer and cookies, though…take a look at this partial list of Ugly Sweater Runs throughout the Metro NYC area.  No matter where you are, try breaking out that ugly sweater and meeting some friends for coffee or a drink – you never know what it could start!

Photo: Ismael Rodriguez (see his work here)