A family of three can spend $120 or more on matching holiday-themed sleepwear. The containers are packed with a popular holiday sweater featuring the movie characters Jay and Silent Bob and a special line of holiday pajamas where families can have their names printed on the PJs. “Ours are stuck, I believe, in Long Beach,” Hajjar said. Hajjar is facing skyrocketing transportation costs, extraordinary delays and worrying about those three containers of sweaters and pajamas. Many ugly vintage Christmas sweaters, after all, started out in the late 1980s and as another person’s merry fashion statement. The ugly sweater story is a local snapshot of shortages, higher prices and headaches or opportunities, depending on your point of view.

We’re hearing talk about potential shortages of toys, trees and, yes, maybe even holiday sweaters. Demand is driving optimism this year but kinks in the supply chain, including bottlenecks along various points in the transportation system, could cut into supply.

Star wars cargo container