Kerry’s comment on our post about novelty socks yesterday got us thinking: why stop at socks? Why, there’s a whole closet full of Christmas-themed fashion crimes out there, and chief among these is the holiday sweater. Now, we’ve all had one – when we were five. You’d think adults would no more want to place a giant Santa Claus or grinning snowman on their chests than they’d want to wear cartoon reindeer on their toes, though, but you’d be wrong, for the holiday sweaters, they are thriving – and at this time of year they go into "attack" mode, flooding into the stores and almost overwhelming us all with their sheer ugliness.

Our problem with Christmas sweaters is pretty much the same as our problem with novelty socks: it’s that whole ‘Dress Like a Toddler’ trend in action again, isn’t it? You see, LOTS of sweaters are "cosy". LOTS of socks are "warm". Not all "cosy and warm" sweaters and socks look like they belong on a three-year-old, though, do they? And thus is born one of the fundamental fashion laws of our time: adults should dress like adults. Kids should dress like kids. And no one over the age of seven should ever be seen in a holiday sweater…