Ugly Christmas sweaters more popular than ever in Vancouver

The ugly Christmas sweater has become an unlikely must-have for the Yuletide season - and thatsurge in popularity means finding an authentic sweater can be tough to track down, and comes with a high price tag.

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"Vancouver is the mecca of the ugly Christmas sweater scene," said Ned Buckland, who sells the sweaters at an Ugly Sweater Stand on Granville Street.

That popularity has been turned into charity. Jordan Birch, of the Now That's Ugly Society, first held an ugly sweater house party in Coquitlam in 2002 to benefit a friend with cancer.

The event has become an annual tradition, and has raised more than $100,000 over the last 13 years.

"What we're seeing now is a huge popularity in purchasing sweaters, a huge popularity in events," said Birch.

The sweaters are also popular among CBC listeners.

Pepper Fabertweeted this photo of herself and her friends in what she described as their Black Friday attire:

Can't see the image? Click here to see Faber's original photo.