We're not quite sure exactly when wearing an ugly sweater for the holidays became an actual fashion trend, only that it happened at some point. Microsoft has embraced the fashion statement with annual attire themed after Windows. This year, it made available a pretty swank "Minesweeper Ugly Sweater" for $74.99, and sadly it sold out pretty fast. Dry those tears, though, because we went on the hunt for some neat alternatives.
If the Minesweeper sweater is all you are interested in, however, it's worth heading to the product page anyway and flinging Microsoft your email address. There's an option to be emailed when it becomes available again, if in fact it does. It's possible that's just a generic placeholder for product pages that see stock come and go, though we'll keep our fingers crossed that more inventory will be added at some point.
Microsoft's annual tradition is part of a charity play, too. This year the company has decided to donate $100,000 to AbleGamers, which aims to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities through gaming.
In any event, hit up the
Minesweeper Ugly Sweater product page to share your email and be notified of a restock, if and when it happens. Alternatively, you can geek out with some other options.
Maybe you spent more time playing Pac-Man than you did Minesweeper. If so, you can find a
Numskull Unisex Pac-Man Sweater for
$39.59 on Amazon. The top of the sweater shows Blink, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde chasing Pac-Man, who is wearing a Santa hat. He apparently found a Power Pellet because he turns the tide and chases them back in the bottom portion. It's ugly, it's beautiful, and it leaves little doubt that you're a fan of the classic arcade game.
You also can't go wrong with Super Mario and the gang. The same manufacturer threaded a
Super Mario Sweater, which is being sold for
$44.99 to $49.99 on Amazon (depending on size). Mario, Luigi, and Browser are prominently displayed, and there's no shortage of Super Starts sprinkled throughout to brighten up the scene.
Here are some other geek-inspired 'ugly' sweaters...
If you have a bead on an ugly Christmas sweater not featured here, feel free to let us know in the comments section, or shout it at us in our
Discord channel!