Anna Duggar Is Catching Heat For Her Son's Outfit At Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

Christmas 2022 will be a memorable one for Anna Duggar, but not in the way she might have hoped. With her husband, Josh Duggar, spending his first holiday in federal prison following his conviction on child pornography charges (via People), she has the unenviable task of raising her seven children alone and making happy holiday memories despite the absence of their dad. Anna has disabled her social media accounts, so fans don't see as much of her as they did when she was appearing on the "Counting On" reality series. They get occasional glimpses of her and the children in the posts shared by other Duggar family members, as happened recently in a holiday video. Yet even here, Anna is getting the kind of attention she'd rather not have.

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, the parents of the huge Duggar clan, held their annual family Christmas party in early December. It was there that son Jedidiah Duggar and his wife, Katey, announced the news they were expecting their second baby. Jed shared the moment in a YouTube video, which included a glimpse of 11-year-old Michael, the second child of Josh and Anna. The theme of the party, as Katey explained, was an "ugly Christmas sweater [or] Christmas character costume party," and Michael's sweater certainly fit the bill in the garish category. However, it fell quite short of the "Christmas" theme, which is causing some online critics to question Anna's judgment and sensitivity toward other religions. 

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's Yuletide celebration wasn't as over-the-top as niece Amy Duggar King's Christmas tradition, but the holiday outfits certainly were. The trouble with Michael Duggar's sweater, however, was that it was a Hanukkah themed sweater, presumably chosen by mom Anna Duggar. This sparked a huge debate on the Without a Crystal Ball Instagram page, which follows the Duggar family. 

While one commenter mused that perhaps Anna was converting to Messianic Judaism, a sect of Christianity that observes Jewish traditions while still recognizing Jesus as the messiah, others were furious. Many claimed the fact that Michael also wore a yarmulke was appropriation. Yarmulkes are the Jewish head covering worn for prayer or for everyday use for some (per Jewish Gift Place). "The Yarmulke is not a costume to be worn at an ugly sweater/costume Christmas party," said a critic. 

Another blasted: "A dominant faith like Christianity that has tried to destroy [Jewish people] for the last 2,000 years cannot 'dress up' like a [Jewish person] and wear a religious head covering 'for fun.' It's highly offensive and outright wrong." A third commenter was even more blunt: "If it were just the sweater, it would not bother me. HOWEVER — the kippah (yarmulke) is a clear mockery of Jews. I was raised Jewish and I'm the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors. This is not acceptable, passable or okay."