Yule Owl Ugly Christmas Sweater Winter Solstice Sun Witch Cat Raven Goat

A banner along the hem reads Return of the Sun, and just above it a raven and a straw goat tied in red ribbon each sit in a small window of their own. The whole sweater is laid out like a quilt of tiny scenes. A gold sun with a calm, round face rests on one side, a witch in a pointed hat carries a lantern on the other, and a cream banner reading Yule crowns the middle.

A Yule Owl Ugly Christmas Sweater With a Straw Goat and Three Candles

Our winter solstice sweater is a black pullover with cream, gold and deep red artwork, finished with a burgundy collar and cuffs. Three candles burn at the center beside a pinecone, a sprig of holly and a short log, with small panels reading Winter Solstice and Longest Night on either side. The witch’s long pale hair spills over a dark robe stitched in gold, and her lantern throws the same warm light as the candles below. Two ends of one night. Along the bottom row, a black cat in a red cape sits beside a raven under a crescent moon, and a barn owl waits at the edge with an orange slice at its feet. The cat wears a crescent. Snowflakes, fir trees and thin red stripes run down the sleeves like trim on an old quilt.

This sweater suits people who mark the longest night with candles and a quiet table, and anyone who has always liked owls and ravens better than reindeer. At a glance it passes for a holiday party sweater, then gives friends something to point at: the lantern, the ribbon on the goat, the little moon on the cat’s cape. We made it for men and women alike, so a couple can wear it to the same gathering and both feel like it belongs to them. It sits best on the evening of December 21, when the house is dim and the candles go on the table.

What Does the Straw Goat on This Winter Solstice Sweater Stand For?

The straw goat is the Yule goat, a figure from Scandinavian midwinter tradition that is usually made of straw and tied with red ribbon, just as it appears here. On this sweater it stands alongside the sun, the candles and the Return of the Sun banner as part of one solstice story.

Pull it on once the candles are lit and let the little gold sun remind the room that the light is already on its way back.