Of course, the most traditional vintage ski design or a Fair Isle goes with fitted apres-ski stretch pants and a fur-trimmed down vest.

Kids and teens could get away with something a little more outrageous; they have a knack for making kitschy cool, says Tara Ryan, head of design for Mini Boden. "Tween girls, especially, really like quite cheesy things done in an amusing and clever way. They like the scale to be unexpected or add an unexpected twist. They maybe would wear reindeer antlers (on their sweaters) instead of the reindeer face."

Younger kids seem partial to sweaters covered with woodland creatures, including foxes, owls and birds, she reports, and while boys like the traditional colors, girls like shine and bright shades.

So many girls seem to have motorcycle-style boots in their closets, too, and they are the perfect counterbalance to the seasonal sweater — no matter what your age, Ryan says.

There's a character on Disney Channel's animated show "Gravity Falls," about the quirky adventures of a brother and sister, who makes it a habit to wear sweaters that take novelty to the extreme. Mabel — and her wardrobe — are based on the real-life twin sister of creator Alex Hirsch.

He recalls with a laugh her lime-green, troll-doll sweater. "Even in my young elementary-school mind, I registered that it was kind of weird."

Yet, he adds, she gets the last laugh since Mabel is the breakout character. "She's the one everyone wants to party with."

Pam Williams, a member of Stand Up to Cancer's Executive Leadership Council, says the organization jumped on sweaters because people are "sporting these once shunned garments with pride."

She calls them "everyone's favorite holiday trend."

Be mindful of the company you might be keeping, however. You want it to be interpreted with the good humor you intended.

Pull out the sweater on your way to a holiday brunch, a lunch with girlfriends or a family gathering, not the office party or dinner at your husband's boss' house.

And, don't accessorize with a straight face. "You are out to have fun in this," Schwartz says. "You are not wearing it talking politics or how to save the world."