'Tis the season for the ugly Christmas sweater

Pinpointing a true ugly Christmas sweater is no easy task. Is it your grandma's hand-knit jumper with the goofy reindeer? Or is that just adorable?

Ugly, certainly, is defined in the eye of the beholder and is a matter of taste, but the ugly Christmas sweater trend has spawned shelves of garish (red and green seem to be favorite colors), loud, flamboyant woolens that most people would hesitate to pull on — until that time of year comes around again.

Click through the gallery above for some of our favorite ugly Christmas sweaters and a look at their popularity around the world.