There was a run on sweaters this week at Greenville-area Goodwill, Salvation Army and Walmart stores, though the weather wasn’t too frightful.
Shoppers were on a treasure hunt for the most creative (translation—the tackier the better) Christmas sweater.
On Friday, Nov. 30, BJU students, faculty and staff attempted to outdo each other in the Ugly Sweater contest. BJU President Steve Pettit and hundreds of others embraced the vibe throughout the day, and some participants enhanced their ensemble with colorful socks, scarves, hats and neckties.
“Glad to see so many of you in the Christmas spirit,” said Dr. Pettit, who was rocking a light green hoodie with “falalalala” in block letters above a jolly llama.
The festive and fun activity was the stylish centerpiece of campus-wide Christmas Celebration events for the University community and the public, featuring the annual carol sing and Christmas lights illumination.
Student Leadership Council selected student judges, who were tasked with viewing sweater submissions via Instagram and voting for their top three. The winner was revealed during a special WBJU-FM IQ Radio afternoon broadcast and featured on BJU’s Instagram account.
Courtney Wallace (pictured), a senior Cross-Cultural Service major from Muncie, Indiana, walked away from the Welcome Center with the $50 Amazon gift card prize for her brief embarrassment.
“I knew from the start that I wanted to go all out and so I was looking around, trying to get ideas,” she said. “But as soon as I went to the store to get a few things for it I just went crazy finding the craziest and tackiest things to put on it and this is how it turned out. It was so much fun!”
Contestants, and others who have an unfashionable sweater tucked away in their closet, have the opportunity to reprise the look December 21 on National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day.
