The uglier the better: Christmas sweater season is upon us
By Diana Matthews, Mara Selanders and Jordanna Tennebaum Many shoppers are trading in Grandma’s closet for store racks for finding the perfect ugly Christmas sweater, and retail establishments are cashing in. “They’re a big, big seller. They’re definitely a highlight of the Christmas season,” said Sarah Frey, store manager at ByWard Market clothing store Bang-On. “They’re really fun to be known for—having such a good collection.” Click on the image below to view an audio slideshow of shoppers looking to score ugly sweaters. Frey said that it’s only Bang-On’s second year selling the sweaters and the market for “over the top and too much ridiculousness” has kept people coming back. In their first year, she said that the shop sold out at the beginning of December. “We had a lot of very angry people coming in December 15, December 20, needing sweaters for their parties.” Frey said. Businesses like Bang-On have responded to the demand and increased the selection of sweaters in stores — but with a higher price tag. While residents of Ottawa can find sweaters at thrift stores like St Vincent de Paul and Bibles for Missions for no more than $5, sweaters at Bang-On are going for as high as $40. Thrift superstore Value Village hovers somewhere in the middle, providing a range of prices anywhere between $4 and $25. The offending garment is a must for the perennial ugly Christmas sweater parties scattered throughout the holiday season. The parties are like any other Christmas party, except guests forgo cocktail wear in favour of their most atrocious holiday-themed sweater. The ugliest sweater wins. Though the party concept isn’t a new one, more and more people are looking for sweaters outside of their own closets. Bethany Breault, general manager of the Bibles for Missions thrift store in Nepean, said the shop routinely sells out within two weeks of all Christmas merchandise hitting the floor. Bibles for Missions now hoards the sweaters over the calendar year in preparation for the early-December rush. Value Village has dedicated a special section of its floor to the sweaters, while Bang-On and international chain Urban Outfitters bring in vintage pieces of their own for sale. Bang-On gets their ugly sweaters from a vintage reseller that scours garage sales and thrift stores around the world for the sweaters. As Christmas party season gets underway, it becomes increasingly difficult to snag a repulsive sweater. “It’s just the idea of having an ugly Christmas sweater. It just seems cool.” Rebecca Feddema said as she rifled through the racks at Value Village with her friends. Though several shoppers on Saturday afternoon attributed the popularity of the sweaters to...
Canned foods preserve homemade gift tradition
By Diana Matthews, Mara Selanders and Jordanna Tennebaum For those who practice canning fruits and vegetables, it’s about preserving a bygone era as much as it is about preserving food. Emerie Brine, an executive chef with Bernardin, a Canadian home-canning company, drew from memories of his mother when he led a workshop at the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum in Ottawa on Sunday. Brine shared how to make spiced Christmas jelly and cranberry preserves. “I was raised in the age where in the case of food, nothing ever goes to waste,” Brine said as he stirred a mixture of peppers and sugar on the stovetop for the pepper jelly. “If we didn’t have it, we would grow it, and if we grew it, we would pick it.” Brine held the workshop to give holiday gift ideas that would fill stomachs and excite taste buds. At the workshop, spiced cranberry preserves warmed the room with the scent of cloves and cinnamon. “People will think, ‘Wow, you’ve gone through all that trouble just for me?’ ” Brine said. When he first took the jars out of the hot water bath, all of the fruits were crowded at the top of the jar. As Brine demonstrated how to flip the golden jelly jars, light streamed through, showing off suspended red and green peppers. Soon the jars lined the counter. For Brine, supporting local farmers is also a big draw to canning. “If you have the opportunity to grow your own products and you have the opportunity to can them, it’s economics for me,” he said. Terri O’Neill runs canning workshops through Just Food, a non-profit group in Ottawa that promotes sustainable food, and the community gardening network of Ottawa. In a phone interview, she highlighted the deep satisfaction she gets from canning locally sourced food. “I can because I want to support my local economy, my local farmers,” O’Neill said. “Nothing, to me, is better than opening a jar that I’d canned in the summer in February and then that smell of just summer comes out of the jar. It tastes like you picked what’s inside.” O’Neill said that she did not learn how to can from her mother and sought out the practice instead by attending workshops. She said that seeing others go through the steps is essential to learning how to do it. “Eventually my repertoire just kept growing into stuff that I enjoyed to can. As I got more skilled at one thing I would add another item as an experiment and then I would add another one,” O’Neill said. “I really do just enjoy the process. I...