Vargha Akhtarkhavari loves his ugly Christmas sweaters so much he's willing to buy them, a second time, in the name of a few good causes.
The Coquitlam realtor is auctioning off his collection of 24 sweaters via his Facebook page and asks that winners donate their bid — which he will match — to any one of a handful of non-profit organizations.
"I've had my time with them, we've had our moments together, and now it's time to let them go," he said with a grin. "And if I can raise $2,000 for charity, I'm much happier with that."
Akhtarkhavari fell in love with the tacky fashion when a beloved family friend, whom he calls "Grandma," knitted him one five years ago. That's when he decided it would be fun to have a whole collection of ugly sweaters — one for each day leading up to Christmas.
He scoured eBay and other websites, and purchased some in the U.S., paying an average of $50 apiece (although one was so pricey Akhtarkhavari declines to admit what he paid). Word of his collection spread and each Yuletide season, Akhtarkhavari invariably fielded calls from friends wanting to borrow a doozy for their own ugly sweater parties.
Akhtarkhavari enjoyed wearing them to work and carefully chose them based on the clients he expected to see that day.
"People loved it, the kids loved it," he said.
He's asking winners to donate their bids to charities close to his heart — BC Children's Hospital Foundation, BC Cancer Foundation, Down Syndrome Research Foundation, Ronald McDonald House BC or VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation — and he'll donate his matching bids to the same organization.
To view the whole collection, and submit a bid, visit Vargha Akhtarkhavari on Facebook.
• Save the date: The Ugly Sweater Dash 5 km run returns to the Tri-Cities, starting and finishing at Rocky Point Park in Port Moody on Saturday, Dec. 5, complete with a Finishers Festival that will include a beer garden, Grandma's Living Room photo booth, live band and more. Visit www.nowthatsugly.com/dash for details.
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