Tips for picking (or making) the ugliest Christmas sweater

WAUKESHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- This Friday, Dec. 16 is National Ugly Christmas Day. Thrift stores are the perfect place to find the ugliest Christmas sweater. 

And as the trend grows, the sweaters are getting uglier. 

"There was one that was made to look like a very hairy man's chest with lots of Christmas necklaces and decor. That one was pretty memorable," said Dawn Christman, the manager of the Waukesha Goodwill. 

Christman sees a lot of people out looking for the perfect outfit for their holiday parties. 

"Nov. 1 they're looking for ugly sweaters," she said. 

If you think you're too late to get your hands on something fun, Christman says to get creative. 

"No one at the party is going to have such a festive amazing sweater, such as this," she said. 

On Wednesday morning, Dec. 14, Christman scoured the craft and Christmas decor section at Waukesha's Goodwill for all of the supplies to make her own Christmas sweater. 

"These little ornaments are great," she said as we decorated one with her. "We've got some snowflakes. The kids can even cut out their own snowflakes." 

Attaching them all with ornament hooks, we attached bells and pinecones. 

All of the items you find at Goodwill would otherwise end up in a landfill. And if you're looking to save money this holiday season, or just save the planet, you can do all of your shopping secondhand. 

"We have a ton of affordable gift options, ways that you can create your own gift basket," said Christman. 

They have gifts for your office white elephant party or that hard-to-shop-for friend.