Well, we’ve talked about Christmas sweaters before, but this year things are different. According to the Wall Street Journal, the item is actually “enjoying a moment of irony-infused popularity”.

Apparently many individuals and organizations are having holiday parties where the Christmas sweaters are part of the theme. Large companies like Dunkin’ Donuts are even creating humorous promotions around the Christmas sweater.

It’s not all anecdotal. There are hard numbers to back up the item’s surge in popularity:

Searches for “ugly Christmas sweaters” are up 30% in December compared with December last year, according to Google’s research tool Insights for Search. It’s “one of the most-searched-for terms among people looking for information about sweaters,” a Google spokeswoman says.

Is this something you have noticed this Christmas season? And will you be wearing one? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to post pictures in the forum.