2017 Holiday Guide

As the holiday season approaches, out come the troves of ugly holiday sweaters — brightly colored and adorned with every imaginable accessory from bells to lights to pompoms.

GlobeMed at Northwestern takes advantage of the ugly sweater trend with its annual ugly sweater sale held at Norris University Center.

The sweater sale is GlobeMed’s most successful annual fundraising event, said Alexus Snowden, the group’s campaigns co-director. The Weinberg junior said the sale raised more than $4,000 this year.

GlobeMed at Northwestern co-president Matthew Dulas said the sweater sale raises money for the Adonai Center, an orphanage and health center in rural Uganda. The center began as an orphanage for children affected by civil unrest and the HIV/AIDS epidemic and has since expanded.

The Weinberg senior said the group has had success with the sale due to the prevalence of ugly sweater parties during the holiday season. He added that NU Ski Trip has an ugly sweater night as part of its programming.

“Everyone needs an ugly sweater, and we’re here to provide them,” Dulas said.

SESP junior Sara Saltzer said she bought a sweater at the GlobeMed sale this year to add to her collection of several other ugly Christmas sweaters.

Saltzer said she only wears her sweaters to holiday-themed events, such as gift exchanges, adding that her a cappella group has a holiday-themed show this year where members will dress in ugly sweaters.

She said all of her sweaters have been “gifted or thrifted.”

Snowden said the group decided to add vintage-style sweaters to its collection this year.

She added that the group discussed potentially selling different types of clothing, but ultimately decided to continue selling sweaters because it is easy to find a wide range of styles and sizes, as well as many unisex options.

“We get everything from the really tacky holiday sweaters to more of the plain, wool sweaters, to ones with more of the 90s, 80s looks,” Snowden said. “It is really easy to … meet the needs and wants of everyone.”

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Twitter: @allymauch