The Ugly Christmas Sweater. What started as an ironic fad several years ago has now become a trendy holiday tradition. Hosting or attending an ugly Christmas sweater party is probably going to be on your holiday calendar each year, so you’ll need to have a fabulously tacky sweater in your arsenal to pull on at a moment's notice to make a memorable appearance. If you really want to make a statement, add a dickie underneath that special sweater to take it to the next level. Oh yeah, and be prepared to proudly accept your trophy as worst dressed. Long, long ago I was able to peruse the racks at the local thrift store for the hidden, original Christmas sweater gems grandma used to wear adorned with Santas, reindeers, cats and stockings, and walk out only spending $3.00. Those days are gone. The thrift stores have realized they are sitting on tacky gold mines and have priced these special treats sky high. “Twenty five dollars!” I shrieked several weeks ago while sifting through ugly Christmas sweaters at the thrift store. No ma’am. Us creative Ashevillians like to accept the challenge to craft them ourselves for less! You just march your little self right over to the regular sweaters instead. Look for red, green or white sweaters. This year I even picked up a blue sweater for a "Frozen" inspired look. Try to find sweaters that are relatively plain because that just means more room for tons of flair. I like less textured sweaters with lots of blank space for tacking on cringe worthy ornaments and weird little Santas. Don’t forget to check the men's, women's and kid's sections. Also don’t stop at just sweaters. Vests work great as well! The Dollar Tree is your next stop. I like the one on Tunnel Road near Whole Foods because I can come up with an excuse to go in there afterwards and swear that one of the open air cookies fell onto the floor and proclaim, "I’m just helping clean up!" by picking it up...and putting it in my belly. Ok. I have never done that. Anyway, when you are in Dollar Tree check out their ornaments, their craft section, and really anything else you see that can be glued to a sweater. Keep an open mind and just go with it. When I saw the snowflakes I knew it would work well with the ice blue sweater. This DIY works great with friends! Get your friends together and swap sweaters and supplies. This is where the cost savings really skyrockets! Check your own closet and your own Christmas supplies. You may already have most of what you need at home. Here’s our haul: Get your glue gun and your scissors and just get creatively ugly. Sky's the limit! I spent about $20 at Dollar Tree on supplies and about $8 at Goodwill on sweaters. The vest we had on hand. That's less than $10 a sweater or vest and I had tons of supplies left over.   Our final products each got a themed name. This first one had lots of beady little eyes just watching and waiting to see if you'll be naughty or nice... Next up: the movie parents just can't get enough of and one I've never seen but could quote the entire thing. Go figure. Last but not least, Truck Stop Christmas. Just because you're burning up the roads trying to get those 18 wheels home for Christmas doesn't mean you can't be festive while you're doing it. Ok Asheville! Enjoy those parties!