Goodwill (Wardrobe) Hunting

 I have a theory about how ugly Christmas sweaters came to be, rooted in a bygone day of American thriftiness: HOW UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATERS CAME TO BE You buy a Christmas sweater that's stylish, colorful and fits well. You wear it with pride. Next year, your Christmas sweater is not quite as stylish, but it's still colorful and fits well. By the fifth year, your Christmas sweater is noticeably out of date, not quite as colorful, and - let's face it -  no longer fits quite as well. But hey, you only wear it once a year and you paid good money for it. By the seventh year, this sweater is ugly! Voila, the ugly Christmas sweater is born. Now you can buy your ugly Christmas sweater right off the racks, like a pair of pre-washed jeans. Why wait for your Christmas sweater to become ugly? AN ALTERNATIVE TO UGLY SWEATERS The obvious answer, and the one you would expect from me, is to purchase your ugly Christmas sweater used. This is certainly a viable answer. I'm wondering, tho