Holiday Sweaters That Put You in Stitches

It's impossible for some people to resist a holiday sweater, and by that we mean the garment that enters a room before you do. Sometimes, you can hear one coming. The tiny bells will ting-aling.

Sure, you can go subtle if you want to be like that, but elegant and understated are in opposition to the fashion statement that we've come to admire for pure guts--like "Ugly Betty."

A source close to the Patch newsroom once admitted to wearing a gift Christmas sweater, which was actually a red sweatshirt. It had a tree of layered green ribbon shreds and perky button ornaments that couldn't be washed, adding to its old world charm.

Whether you hate or love the holiday sweater, you probably won't miss one walking down Second Street, Broadway or, as in the accompanying video visit, the Retro Row stretch of Fourth Street.

Shopkeepers in our video say customers this month are sticking with a new tradition: theme parties where guests wear their best so-bad-their-good sweater finds.